Seasonal Firefighter Ricardo Rodriguez, photo by Ellie Appleby of Capitol WeeklyAfter suffering a disappointing veto last year, supporters of an effort to transition 3000 seasonal firefighters into an all-year-position are back, hoping that this year will be different.
Image via Pechanga Fire Department Facebook pageThe southern California Pechanga Band of Indians, perhaps best known for its gaming resort in Temecula, has for 30 years invested in its own fire department, building a reputation for coming to the aid of major fires and other incidents throughout not only California, but also across the country.
A view across the river of the CalSTRS headquarters in West Sacramento. (Photo: ImageAllan, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Here’s the best advice: To the more than 3 million retirees, teachers, firefighters, nurses, police officers and other state and local government employees who rely on the state’s two largest pension funds: Do not be alarmed. To the critics who periodically predict – always following downward swings in the stock market – that the pension funds will someday not be able to meet their obligations: Do not be alarmist.
A landscape shot of grazing range in Central California near the foothills. (Photo: David A. Litman, via Shutterstock)OPINION: California can take significant climate actions not just in such obvious areas as energy and transportation policy, but also in policy areas that some might find unlikely. It can start with land management – an area in which past shortcomings have contributed to creating our new era of megafires.
Smoke from the Camp Fire, as seen on Nov. 8 from Black Butte Lake. (Photo: Caminor, via Shutterstock)Sunrise, Nov. 8: Firefighters were dispatched to a small brush fire near Camp Creek Road in Butte County. Within 10 minutes, whipped by high winds, dry conditions and much fuel, the brush fire had exploded. By the end of the day, the fire had a name, the Camp Fire, and the town of Paradise was under an evacuation order.
Firefighters cross scorched terrain in the Padres National Forest. (Photo: Joseph Sohm)Some were bank robbers, car thieves and burglars. Now they are on the front lines in the scary and dangerous job of saving California from raging wildfires. There are about 3,900 of them, all state prison inmate volunteers from 44 fire camps spread across California.
CalPERS' governing board during a 2013 meeting. (Photo: CalPERS board)Calpensions: New annual CalPERS reports no longer prominently display the pension debt of local governments as a percentage of pay, making it more difficult for the public to easily see the full employer pension cost.
San Bernardino police officers, members of the SWAT team. (Photo: Juno Kughler Carlson, omnitrans.org) omnitrans.orgSan Bernardino’s plan to exit bankruptcy, possibly next year, cuts the pensions of 23 retired police officers who receive an unusual supplement to their regular CalPERS pension. The supplement boosts pensions to the same amount now common among police and firefighters, a standard set by the Highway Patrol in a CalPERS-sponsored bill, SB 400 in 1999.
San Bernardino firefighters on the front lines. (Photo: Sheri Armstrong)Bankrupt San Bernardino’s plan to cut costs by contracting for firefighter and other services has been aided by legislation and a court ruling. But a shortage of firefighters is causing a rough transition. A second fire station was closed earlier this month and others were hit with temporary “brownout” closures, delaying response times. New hires for 14 firefighter vacancies are not expected to complete training until next month.
A drone and its master. (Photo: Ahturner)Efforts to contain a July 12 brush fire in San Bernardino County were delayed for eight crucial minutes after response crews spotted a hobbyist’s drone flying close to the fire area. The drone, which US Forest Service officials suspect may have been recording footage of the fire, eventually flew off, allowing grounded air crews to resume. For firefighters, those lost minutes can be devastating as they try to contain a wildfire.