Incarcerated Firefighters in California
A new law has been signed by Newsom, increasing pay for incarcerated firefighters in California.
This change follows years of advocacy for better pay and working conditions for incarcerated labor, with the wage increase funded through the state budget.
- The effort gained urgency after hundreds of incarcerated firefighters were deployed to battle deadly wildfires in Los Angeles in January.
- State lawmakers introduced a seven-bill "Firefighting to Freedom" package to protect incarcerated firefighters and support job opportunities upon their reentry.
Five of those bills were signed into law, marking the most comprehensive changes to incarcerated firefighting in the state's history.
Author's summary: California increases pay for incarcerated firefighters.