The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of PublicCEO, its sponsors, its employees or any corporate relationships.
Op-Ed written by City of San Leandro Public Information Officer Paul Sanftner
Public managers across the country carry a profound responsibility: keeping their communities safe, informed, and prepared—especially in times of crisis. Whether it’s an earthquake, wildfire, flood, or public safety emergency, the speed and reach of our communications can mean the difference between chaos and calm, injury and safety, even life and death.
Yet one of the most powerful platforms in the digital age—YouTube—lacks a basic, critical feature: an Emergency Alert System for local governments.
During the devastating atmospheric river storm that struck the San Francisco Bay Area in January 2023, I published a short Emergency Alert video filmed in the City’s Emergency Operations Center. I paid to geofence it to residents on YouTube. As a result, over 26,000 people saw the video within hours. The reach was immediate, targeted, and effective—just imagine what we could do if YouTube gave us a dedicated emergency alert tool, free of charge.
Right now, YouTube is the world’s second-most visited website and a go-to source of information and entertainment for millions. Our residents—across all income levels, languages, and abilities—spend hours on the platform every day. In emergencies, they’re already there. But we have no official way to reach them via an emergency alert message on YouTube.
Unlike Facebook’s “Local Alert” or Nextdoor’s “Alert” tool, YouTube does not offer local governments a way to publish time-sensitive, geotargeted emergency messages that can interrupt live video content. The absence of this feature is a serious gap in our nation’s emergency communication infrastructure.
A YouTube Emergency Alert System (EAS) button would allow verified agencies—like city governments, law enforcement and fire departments, or emergency operations centers—to immediately share critical updates during disasters. It would improve equity by reaching multilingual and lower-literacy audiences more effectively than text-based systems. It would cost the public nothing and require no new infrastructure—just a commitment from one of the world’s most powerful platforms to help save lives.
As a public information officer, I’ve seen firsthand how technology can be used to protect people—or leave them behind. In the next major crisis, will we have the tools to act fast and reach everyone?
YouTube has an opportunity—and a responsibility—to be part of the solution.
Let’s build this now, not after the next emergency hits.
Public Managers, please consider signing onto the Support Letter (Support YouTube.com to Create an Emergency Alert System Button for Use by Local Governments During Localized Disasters) to encourage YouTube to create an Emergency Alert Button for local governments.
To provide your support, please contact Paul Sanftner at psanftner@sanleandro.org or visit SanLeandro.org/AlertButtonSupportLetter.
Support Letter Point of Contact:
Paul Sanftner, Public Information Officer
City of San Leandro
P: 510.577.3372
E: psanftner@sanleandro.org
Follow Us: youtube.com/cityofsanleandro
Paul Sanftner is the Public Information Officer for the City of San Leandro, California.
Do you agree with this op-ed? Do you disagree? Do you have another viewpoint you’d like to share on PublicCEO? Opine on an idea or share your insights in an op-ed. Submit one now.