20250AB__212999INT INTRODUCED 2026-02-18 2025 AB INT Introduced by Assembly Member Flora LEAD_AUTHOR ASSEMBLY Flora

An act to add

Section 19827.4 to the Government Code, relating to state employees. state employees State employees: compensation: firefighters. Existing law provides that in order for the state to recruit skilled firefighters for the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, it is the policy of the state to consider prevailing salaries and benefits prior to making salary recommendations. Existing law requires the Department of Human Resources, in order to provide comparability in pay, to take into consideration the salary and benefits of other jurisdictions employing or more full-time firefighters who work in California.

This bill would require the state to bargain in good faith with firefighters who are rank-and-file members of State Bargaining Unit 8, employed by the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, to reach a competitive range within 15% of the average salary for corresponding ranks in listed California fire departments. The bill would require the state and the exclusive representative for State Bargaining Unit to jointly survey annually and calculate the estimated average salaries for those fire departments.

The bill would also require the Department of Human Resources, on or before March 31, 2027, for purposes of the bargaining unit contract renewal to be conducted on July 1, 2027, to conduct and report to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection a cursory survey on the salaries and benefits for the prior year of, among other positions, each of the fire chiefs for listed California fire departments.

The bill would provide that when determining compensation for uniformed classifications of the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, it is the policy of the state to consider the salary of corresponding ranks within the comparable jurisdictions listed, as well as other factors, including internal comparisons. The bill would require any salary increase for firefighters under these provisions to be implemented through a memorandum of understanding, in accordance with specified procedures governing collective bargaining agreements.

The bill would include legislative findings and declarations related to its provisions. MAJORITY NO YES NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (

a) Historic fires of the past decade have resulted in well over deaths, caused billions of dollars in damage, destroyed entire communities, and placed overworked firefighters at risk. (

b) Firefighters with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL-FIRE) have the most diverse work responsibilities of any firefighters, which includes fire of all types, floods, earthquakes, and all natural disasters. (

c) CAL-FIRE must compete with higher paying local departments to retain their firefighters. (

d) Climate change is creating an environment where wildfires burn with greater ferocity and that trend is systemic. (

e) The mental health of CAL-FIRE firefighters is placed at risk by the extremely long hours working under extreme duress, sometimes for a month on duty without a day off. (

f) The physical risk of working long hours at point zero at these fires that burn for weeks and send dangerous particulates into the air causes immediate and long-term physical and mental health risks.

SEC.

Section 19827.4 is added to the Government Code , to read: 19827.4. (

a) Notwithstanding any other law, in order to recruit and retain the highest qualified and skilled firefighters for the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the state shall bargain in good faith with firefighters who are rank-and-file members of State Bargaining Unit to reach a competitive range within percent of the average of the salary for corresponding ranks in the California fire departments, agreed to by the exclusive bargaining representative for Bargaining Unit and the Department of Human Resources in as follows:

(1) The City of Bakersfield.

(2) The City of Chula Vista.

(3) The City of Corona.

(4) The City of Escondido.

(5) The City of Fullerton.

(6) The City of Hayward.

(7) Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department.

(8) The County of Los Angeles.

(9) The City of Milpitas.

(10) Novato Fire District.

(11) The City of Ontario.

(12) The City of Oxnard.

(13) The City of Rialto.

(14) The City of Roseville.

(15) The County of San Bernardino.

(16) The City of San Mateo.

(17) The City of Santa Monica.

(18) The City of Stockton.

(19) The City of Torrance.

(20) The County of Ventura. (b)

(1) The state and the exclusive representative for State Bargaining Unit shall jointly survey annually and calculate the estimated average salaries of the departments listed in paragraphs (1) to (20), inclusive, of subdivision (a), based on the projected average total salary for those departments as of July of the year in which the survey is conducted.

(2) In addition to paragraph (1), the department shall, on or before March 31, 2027, for purposes of the bargaining unit contract renewal to be conducted on July 1, 2027, conduct and report to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection a cursory survey on all of the following: (

A) The salaries and benefits for the prior year of each of the fire chiefs for the following five California fire departments in all of the following: (

i) The City of Fresno. (ii) The County of Los Angeles. (iii) The County of San Bernardino. (iv) The City of San Diego. (

v) The City and County of San Francisco. (

B) The salaries and benefits for the prior year of other city and county fire departments similar to those described in subparagraph (A). (

C) The salaries and benefits for the prior year of other heads of state departments. (

c) When determining compensation for uniformed classifications of the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, it is the policy of the state to consider the salary of corresponding ranks within the comparable jurisdictions listed in paragraphs (1) to (20) of subdivision (a), inclusive, as well as other factors, including internal comparisons. (

d) Any increase in salary for firefighters who are members of State Bargaining Unit resulting from this

section shall be implemented through a memorandum of understanding negotiated pursuant to the Ralph C. Dills Act (Chapter 10.3 (commencing with

Section 3512) of Division of Title 1). (

e) If the provisions of this

section are in conflict with the provisions of a memorandum of understanding reached pursuant to

Section 3517.5, the memorandum of understanding shall be controlling without further legislative action, except that if the provisions of a memorandum of understanding require the expenditure of funds, the provision shall not become effective unless approved by the Legislature and the annual Budget Act.