Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 14 November 2025

These updates are shared to help raise the situational awareness of Faith-Based organizations to best defend against and mitigate the impacts from all-hazards threats including physical security, cybersecurity, and natural disasters. 

Recommendations for Faith-Based Organizations Using Volunteers in Safety/Security Roles

The Kearnan article explains that California’s SB 1454 may cause faith-based organizations (FBOs) to have their volunteer safety teams treated as regulated security guards, even if they aren’t paid. If volunteers look or act like security wearing uniforms, directing the public, detaining people, or carrying weapons the state could require licensing, training, and oversight. To reduce risk, Kearnan recommends clearly limiting volunteer roles, avoiding security-style uniforms, providing basic safety and de-escalation training, and documenting policies. Armed volunteers must be fully licensed. FBOs must choose between hiring licensed security or tightly redefining volunteer duties while monitoring how regulators interpret the new law.

Analyst Comments: SB 1454 introduces real uncertainty for FBOs because the law doesn’t clearly define where “volunteer safety roles” end and “security guard functions” begin. Many FBOs rely heavily on volunteers for safety, so even routine tasks like directing crowds, monitoring doors, or responding to disruptions could unintentionally cross into regulated territory.

Some recommendation may be:

• Document everything like polices and training
• Avoid creating the appearance of a professional security force
• Invest in de-escalation training
• Pay attention to armed roles

Suspects charged in alleged Michigan Halloween terror plot eyed attack on Chicago Pride Parade: Docs

Recent court documents reveal that suspects charged in a Michigan anti-LGBTQ Halloween terror plot had also discussed conducting an attack on the 2024 Chicago Pride Parade, posting in an ISIS-supporter forum that they planned to target the event “with a backpack.” This update expands on earlier reporting about the disrupted Michigan plot and highlights that the suspects scoped out both Halloween activities and Pride-related celebrations as potential targets. This case aligns with a broader pattern showing that major public events like parades, races, festivals, and holiday celebrations continue to be attractive targets for individuals motivated by extremist, ideological, or grievance-based violence.

Analyst Comments: Similarly, a man was recently arrested after calling 911 and threatening a shooting at the Monterey Bay Half Marathon, illustrating that mass sporting events and other non-ideological gatherings are also at risk. Both cases demonstrate that adversaries may use social media, reconnaissance, and unconventional attack methods to exploit soft targets. For event planners, community organizations, and security teams, these developments reinforce the importance of layered security measures, including bag checks, rapid response capabilities, plain-clothes and uniformed presence, and robust communications with participants. As events with large crowds and symbolic significance remain vulnerable, we recommend members review our recent Weekly Report on holiday-related and seasonal threats and ensure preparedness measures such as coordinated security planning, enhanced situational awareness, and rapid reporting channels are in place ahead of upcoming gatherings and celebrations.

Southern California is in for a weekend of severe weather, forecasters say: What we know

Southern California is bracing for a powerful weekend storm driven by an atmospheric river, with expectations of heavy rainfall, flood risk, landslides and even the possibility of a tornado or damaging winds.  Rain could hit rates of 0.75–1.25 inches per hour in some spots enough to trigger mud and debris flows, especially over fire-scarred hillsides from recent blazes.  The storm is expected to begin Friday and peak Saturday, with a flood watch in effect from early Saturday through the evening. Downtown Los Angeles could see its wettest November since 1985 if totals reach about 2.4 inches, and there’s a chance it could get as high as 4.8 inches nearly a third of the city’s annual rainfall.  Because the storm is powered by a “cut-off low” system, forecasts are uncertain about exactly where the heaviest rainfall will land.

Analyst Comments: This storm stands out because it combines two high-impact elements: an atmospheric river and a cut-off low, which together create both intense rainfall and unusually high uncertainty. Forecast confidence is low on exact locations of the heaviest bands, which means emergency managers face a classic challenge: significant risk with limited precision. For Southern California where burn scars, urban flooding, and steep terrain compound hazards this setup increases the likelihood of localized flash flooding, debris flows, road closures, and power outages even if totals vary widely across short distances.

For organizations the article suggests a need to:

• Reassess flash-flood exposure
• Prepare for short notice impacts
• Ensure communication plans, shelter operations, and volunteer safety