911 outages hit California: Oakland, Riverside County and Santa Barbara scramble to reroute emergency calls
Editorial illustration — Press Pass USA911 emergency systems went down in at least three parts of California on October 22, forcing dispatchers in Oakland, Riverside County and Santa Barbara County to reroute calls, publish backup numbers and urge residents to text 911 instead.
In Oakland, the computer-aided dispatch system froze around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, cutting off emergency and non-emergency lines; calls were rerouted to the Alameda County Sheriff's Office and the city's fire dispatch center. Dispatchers were relocated to work alongside county call-takers, and police responded only to Priority One calls. Police Chief James Beere said fiber-optic and copper lines were damaged, and investigators are following leads to determine whether the lines were intentionally tampered with. Oakland's IT department is working with AT&T to restore service.
In Riverside County, some cell users — beginning with T-Mobile customers in Palm Springs — could not reach 911 starting in the early hours of Thursday. The county issued a public safety alert around 6 a.m. directing residents to call 951-776-1078 for real emergencies. The cities of Indio, Palm Springs and Cathedral City all reported disruptions; one Cathedral City officer said the cause "appears to be due to a vandalism in Los Angeles," though that could not be confirmed as the source of the countywide outage. Service was fully restored by Thursday evening, the county said.
In Santa Barbara, police reported a 911 outage affecting T-Mobile and AT&T customers, telling residents to call 805-692-5748 or text to 911. Officials in all three areas said the cause remains under investigation.
Sources: NY Post (Oct 22, 2026); KTVU Fox 2 (Oct 22, 2026); Desert Sun (Oct 22, 2026).
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