Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bipartisan bill to raise the salaries of California firefighters nine months after the most expensive inferno in state history incinerated Los Angeles.
On Friday, Newsom formally refused to sign a bill that would have bumped wages for Cal Fire — the state firefighting service — up closer to those of certain local fire departments, which pay their firefighters 11 to 29% more.
It would have cost the state $373 million to $609 million in its first year, according to a State Assembly analysis.
Newsom said the bill would put “significant cost pressures” on state coffers — even as his administration earmarks nearly $300 million for a special election to redraw congressional districts in an attempt to maximize the number of Democratic House seats.
The base pay for starting Cal Fire firefighters is less than $53,000 per year — while Los Angeles Fire Department rookies start at $85,000.
The veto came after a long battle for higher pay by state firefighters, which had almost unanimous support from California lawmakers.
Newsom also argued the bill would “circumvent the collective bargaining process,” in a letter explaining his reasoning.
But CalFire union members condemned the governor’s decision.
“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,” Tim Edwards, president of the Local 2881 union representing CAL FIRE workers, told SFGATE.
The bill would have set a wage floor for Cal Fire employees to within 15% of the average of 20 local departments.
State agencies claim Cal Fire workers usually earn more from overtime than local firefighters.
A 2023 report from the California Department of Human Resources found Cal Fire staff lagged behind 20 surveyed local fire departments by 87.5%, but “when factoring in the expense of other pay and benefits, the average total compensation lag dropped to 16.7%.”
“It’s also important to recognize that state firefighters are scheduled to work more hours than the surveyed local fire departments – 156 days a year for state firefighters, compared to 121 days for the local fire departments,” the report reads.
But all that overtime is cold comfort for state firefighters pushing for more wages.
The text of the bill argues that worsening wildfires in the state have “placed overworked firefighters at risk.”
Even Newsom recognizes that CAL FIRE is short-staffed: This summer, the governor launched a new recruitment drive for CAL FIRE along with a new website — joincalfire.com — in an effort to convince Californians to sign on.
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