Gavin Newsom refuses to give raises to Cal Fire firefighters months after massive LA wildfires

California Governor Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill that would have raised California firefighters’ salaries. Newsom said in a letter explaining the veto decision that it would "create significant cost pressures for the state" and "circumvent the collective bargaining process."

Assembly Bill 1309 would have required the state to pay "firefighters who are rank-and-file members of State Bargaining Unit 8, employed by the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, within 15% of the average salary for corresponding ranks in 20 listed California fire departments." Among those listed fire departments are those within Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Ventura, and other cities across the state. Per the New York Post, the base pay for Cal Fire firefighters is under $53,000 per year, while those starting at the LAFD get a salary starting at $85,000.

The bill won bipartisan support as it worked its way through the Legislature, however, Newsom wrote in his veto letter, "While I appreciate the author’s intent, this bill would create significant cost pressures for the state and circumvent the collective bargaining process."

"State employee salaries, along with other components of compensation such as health and pension benefits, should be determined through collective bargaining. Establishing a statutory salary floor for employees of a single department undermines this process, to the detriment of both the state and other bargaining units," he added.

The bill was introduced by GOP Assemblymember Heath Flora, who has served as a volunteer firefighter for over 15 years. He told SFGATE, "As a former Cal Fire firefighter, this one hit hard. I’ve been in their boots. I know how demanding the job is and what it takes to keep Californians safe during long and brutal fire seasons. These firefighters deserve pay that reflects the weight of that responsibility."

President of Local 2881, a union that represents Cal Fire workers, Tim Edwards, told the outlet, "Cal Fire is an all-risk fire department, just like a San Francisco Fire Department or Santa Rosa or San Jose Fire Department. We don’t have the staffing like they do. We don’t have the workweek like they do, and we definitely don’t have to pay like they do, but we do the exact same job at the exact same training, and we’re expected to do the exact same, the exact same services."

He said that the veto "hit even harder" because it came before a memorial celebration for fallen firefighters. "It’s highly disappointing and frustrating especially when he vetoes the bill the day before we put six members on the memorial wall honoring fallen firefighters in the state of California."

The veto comes after a fiery start to the new year in California, with the Paradise and Eaton fires burning nearly 40,000 acres combined in the Los Angeles area, and 28 fires being reported by Cal Fire in January alone.