By Anabel Sosa
Los Angeles Times
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Inmate firefighters housed in California’s county jails and state prisons would earn an hourly wage of up to $19 under legislation being considered by state lawmakers.
Assembly Bill 247 would raise the hourly wage of jail inmates assigned to work on active fire scenes.
“They put themselves on the front lines,” Assemblyman Isaac G. Bryan, a Los Angeles Democrat who is vice chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, said during a news conference Tuesday morning. “We have thanked them, given thoughts and prayers, we’ve gone to visit and tweeted out, but we haven’t paid them fairly or justly.”
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More than 1,100 inmates in the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation — a group that has historically made up 30% of the California wildfire force — helped battle the Palisades and Eaton fires. They currently earn $5.80 to $10.24 a day, according to the department’s website.
Advocates, politicians and celebrities, including John Legend and Kim Kardashian, have called for higher pay for inmate firefighters on the front lines of the wildfires.
Those incarcerated in state prison or county jail battling the fires are able to reduce some time off their sentences by earning one or two days of credit for every day of work or training. They are trained and hired through the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Conservation Fire Camps Program. There are 35 fire camps that operate throughout the state.
Paying inmates these higher wages under this bill would cost the state tens of millions annually, Bryan said, and that could vary based on the intensity of the fire seasons and the need for labor.
The California State Sheriffs’ Association opposes the bill, saying it could create significant fiscal pressure on counties that are required to pay the higher wage.
At Tuesday’s news conference, former inmates spoke about their experience working and training on fire crews. They said their work went beyond battling fires to also responding to car accidents and medical emergencies.
“We worked long in dangerous conditions just like the other first responders, but we’re paid low wages,” Laquisha Johnson, a former inmate firefighter, said.
Adam Cain, another former inmate who worked for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection while incarcerated during the 2020 wildfires, said he experienced difficulties breathing due to wildfire smoke and “helping others survive” traffic collisions.
Cain said higher wages would help prisoners pay for food and hygiene, pay restitution that they owe to victims and their families, or save money for after they are released.
“Whether you’re incarcerated or not, people deserve to be paid for their dedication,” he said.
The bill passed the Assembly Public Safety Committee with bipartisan support. It is headed to the Assembly’s Appropriations Committee for consideration.
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