California's Homeland Security Challenge

California’s Homeland Security Challenge

Posted: September 26th, 2018

By Eli Owen

In 2018, Eli Owen was appointed by California Governor Jerry Brown as Commander of the California State Threat Assessment Center (STAC) in the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). The STAC is the primary fusion center for the State of California as recognized by the Governor and DHS. Mr. Owen manages the day-to-day operations of the Center’s activities and also serves as a top security advisor to the Director of Cal OES, who is the Governor’s Homeland Security Advisor. Prior to joining Cal OES, Mr. Owen served for over eight years in the CIA, where he worked counterterrorism and cybersecurity matters. Mr. Owen has been recognized with several awards from the US Intelligence Community for his leadership and professional achievements, both in the US and abroad. He has traveled to over a dozen countries in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Born in Lake Tahoe and raised in Sacramento, California, Mr. Owen completed a Master’s in Public Administration at the University of Southern California, in Los Angeles, California in 2016. Mr. Owen was also named to the 40-Under-40 List by the Sacramento Business Journal in 2016.

From wildfires to terrorist plots, to the arrest of individuals with IEDs, the State of California is constantly under threat. With more than 38 million residents (equaling roughly 12 percent of the nation’s population), it is the most populous state in the U.S. California manages the threat preparedness and response via the California State Threat Assessment Center (STAC), which is a part of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

The STAC is the primary fusion center for the State and in 2018, California Governor Jerry Brown appointed Eli Owen to run it. Owen manages the day-to-day operations, which is no small task given California’s vulnerability to earthquakes, floods, wildfires, public health emergencies, the impact of prolonged drought, cybersecurity attacks, terrorism, home-grown violent extremism, human trafficking and foreign intelligence collection operations.

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