Incercerated Firefighters
Newsom signs new law increasing pay.
The wage increase, funded through the state budget, follows years of advocacy to improve pay and working conditions for incarcerated labor.
Why Now
The effort took on a new urgency after hundreds of incarcerated firefighters were deployed to battle deadly wildfires that hit Los Angeles in January.
Why It Matters
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: Newsom signs law to increase pay for incarcerated firefighters.