Will Cal Fire get funding for more year-round firefighters in California’s state budget?

Following the January wildfires that tore through Los Angeles County there was renewed interest in making sure California is adequately staffed with firefighters to prevent such disastrous events or to combat them at any given moment in the future State legislators rushed to introduce bills including ones to make seasonal Cal Fire firefighters year-round employees and to increase pay for incarcerated firefighters RELATED Why weather liability could affect your credit points for buying a home But as authorities brace for tough financial times ahead the harsh realities of a cash-strapped state could make it harder to bolster the firefighter workforce and increase pay both of which come with price tags On Wednesday May Gov Gavin Newsom published his revised budget proposal which demonstrated a billion shortfall for the - fiscal year Over the next several weeks legislative leaders will meet with the governor to negotiate a spending plan for the state which in turn will determine if money is available to fund various legislative bills Until then the fate of hundreds of bills that would cost the state money to enact may sit in limbo relegated to the Senate or Assembly appropriations committees so-called suspense files A suspense file is essentially a place for legislators to park a bill that could be costly allowing them to hold off on deciding whether to advance the proposal until they get a better sense of how the budget is shaping up It can also be a convenient way for legislators to let a bill they don t like or one that s controversial languish and die due to inaction Two bills that would make more firefighters available year-round are sitting in that very limbo in these suspense files Bill proponents say that with state change wildfires are no longer a seasonal occurrence in California and the state should have more firefighters working year-round This would also allow more crew members to be available to clear brush and perform other tasks to prevent fires from erupting in the first place they say SB the Fight for Firefighters Act championed by state Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire D-North Coast to transition about seasonal Cal Fire firefighters to year-round employees lately got routed to the Senate Appropriations Committee s suspense file Another bill called the Stop Laying Off Firefighters Act AB introduced by Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains D-Delano calls for maintaining Cal Fire s full staffing levels year-round Cal Fire has more than fully staffed fire engines during the summer but nearly engines are out of operation in the winter months because of staff layoffs according to a press release about AB Like McGuire s bill Bains bill has been placed in the suspense file on the Assembly side while state budget negotiations proceed McGuire s bill is estimated to cost the state upward of million annually the Senate leader previously noted A bill analysis of Bains proposal was more vague about the cost of implementation but it noted the cost would likely be in the hundreds of millions of dollars annually Tim Edwards president of Cal Fire Local the union representing firefighters employed by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection believes the cost to implement SB would be worth the resources We believe million from the state budget is not a whole lot when you think about trillions and billions of dollars lost in tax base displacement billions of dollars in destruction when there s a fire Edwards stated We believe this is the right bill and the right time in California But whether either bill moves forward remains to be seen McGuire and Bains did not respond to requests for comment about the likelihood of their bills becoming law this year especially given the state s financial situation And the governor s office explained it typically does not comment on pending rule If any of these measures reach the governor s desk he will evaluate them based on their merits spokesperson Daniel Villase or stated in an email Assistance for inmate firefighters Other firefighter-related bills have also been moved to the Assembly Appropriations Committee s suspense file AB a bill by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan D-Los Angeles to increase pay for incarcerated firefighters is one of them Inmates who voluntarily sign up for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation s Conservation Fire Camp Scheme and work as firefighters presently get paid to per day and receive an extra per hour when responding to an proceeding urgency Individuals at the lowest end of the pay scale earn a day during an advancing exigency AB would increase these firefighters pay to an hour while they re assigned to an proceeding fire situation The hourly wage rate would be updated annually During the January Southern California wildfires hundreds of incarcerated firefighters if not more helped with firefighting efforts That prompted social activists including reality star Kim Kardashian to demand better compensation for incarcerated firefighters But with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation estimating the wage increase would cost the state millions to tens of millions of dollars annually according to the bill analysis elected executives in Sacramento will have to decide if they want to fund the proposal We are committed to ensuring all of the heroes who fight to protect people and their homes during wildfire season are paid justly for their bravery and utility Bryan reported in an emailed comment We are looking forward to the ongoing budget negotiations with the governor who we know has long shared those values Meanwhile AB by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal D-Long Beach to allow an incarcerated firefighter to request a resentencing is also in the suspense file The bill would require a court to hold a hearing to consider the inmate s request A bill analysis accompanying AB states the cost pressures to the court system could be potentially notable noting that it typically costs about to operate a courtroom for an hour The analysis also noted practicable costs of millions of dollars annually to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to facilitate court appearances for incarcerated firefighters and in increased workload though there could be several future savings to the department if inmates are distributed early as a upshot of resentencing Particular rank-and-file firefighters pay Another bill in the suspense file AB would require the state to pay rank-and-file Cal Fire firefighters represented by State Bargaining Unit a salary that s within of the average salary for corresponding ranks based on a list of municipal or county fire departments throughout California The bill was introduced by Assemblymember Heath Flora R-Ripon a volunteer firefighter The bill would cost approximately million to million in the first year of implementation and between million and million annually after that according to a bill analysis for AB Flora previously introduced a similar bill AB which died in the last legislative session