Sacramento, CA — CAL Fire firefighters are likely to receive noticeable pay raises in the coming years.
Assembly Bill 2121, authored by Republican Heath Flora, aims to put CAL Fire salaries closer in line with other cities and counties across the state. It requires the next governor to bargain “in good faith” to increase salaries to within 15% of the average compensation at 20 fire departments (as agreed upon by negotiators).
Proponents of the bill noted that CAL Fire firefighters have recently seen pay around 27% lower than many other regional entities.
Assemblyman Flora, a firefighter by trade, says, “This has been a three-year journey for our office and California’s state firefighters, so we are very excited with the outcome.”
Flora notes that Governor Newsom signed the bill two days before the deadline to approve or veto bills passed by the legislature this session.
It passed in the Assembly 75-1 and the Senate 40-0.
