Overview
- The new wage takes effect immediately under an urgency clause, with $10 million in the state budget covering the higher pay.
- The package adds a $50,000 death benefit, streamlines expungement, sets rules for resentencing referrals, and makes a youth fire-camp program permanent.
- More than 1,800 people live in 35 conservation camps statewide, and over 1,100 were deployed to Los Angeles-area fires earlier this year.
- Before the law, incarcerated firefighters typically earned $5.80 to $10.24 per day plus $1 per hour during active emergencies.
- The California State Sheriffs' Association opposed the wage hike, citing fiscal concerns and noting existing sentence-credit incentives.