Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
New California Law Helps Former Inmate Firefighters Get Jobs
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
September 12, 2020

Share

SACRAMENTO — California’s inmate firefighters will have a shot at becoming professional firefighters once they complete their sentences, under a bill Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law on Friday.

The new law will allow state and county inmates who train as firefighters to seek to erase the criminal records that often are a bar to employment as firefighters or in other professions.

The measure “will give those prisoners hope of actually getting a job in the profession that they’ve been trained,” Newsom said as he signed the bill against a backdrop of grey ash and charred trees near Lake Oroville, site of one of the most devastating of the many fires that have charred the state in recent weeks.

California has been struggling in recent years to field enough inmate firefighters because of changes in state law that have reduced the number of lower-level offenders in state prisons. Court rulings also ended some of the incentives for inmates to risk their lives fighting fires when they could earn similar early release credits with less dangerous duties.

The shortage grew this year, as thousands more inmates were released early in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus through prisons, pushing the number of inmate firefighters down about 30% from last year.

The new law may create a new incentive, by allowing former inmate firefighters, after their release, to ask a judge to withdraw their plea of guilty. The judge could opt to then dismiss the accusations.

The Bill’s Passage Was Hailed by Criminal Justice Reform Groups

The measure excludes those convicted of certain violent felonies and sex offenses, and the ex-offender would still have to disclose the conviction if he or she applies to become a teacher.

The expungement would give the former firefighters the ability to apply for any of more than 200 occupations that require a state license, an opportunity lost to most people with criminal records, according to Assemblywoman Eloise Reyes, a Democrat from San Bernardino who authored the bill.

“These individuals have received valuable training and placed themselves in danger to defend the life and property of Californians,” she said in a legislative analysis. “Those individuals that successfully complete their service in the fire camps should be granted special consideration relating to their underlying criminal conviction.”

The bill’s passage was hailed by criminal justice reform groups, and Newsom said it was supported by various unions including those representing professional firefighters.

The district attorneys association had argued against the bill, saying that expungement of criminal records should be limited to lower-level offenders, few of whom remain in state prisons. It said the incentive should be limited to those who are sent to county jails and not state lockups.

DON'T MISS

Man Dies After Rescuing His 2 Children in Mississippi River

DON'T MISS

Is Inflation Finally Corralled? Powell Says Federal Reserve Believes It’s Close

DON'T MISS

New Village Green Park Opens in Loma Vista as Clovis Community Hub

DON'T MISS

Gomez Guilty of Murdering Los Hooligans Bass Player

DON'T MISS

Biden Says It Was a Mistake to Say He Wanted to Put Trump in a ‘Bull’s-Eye’

DON'T MISS

Dealing Blow to Biden’s Reelection Bid, Teamsters Union May Withhold Endorsement

DON'T MISS

Tesla CEO Elon Musk Appears to Confirm Delay in Aug. 8 Robotaxi Unveil Event to Make Design Change

DON'T MISS

Smittcamp Asks Court to Drop His Lawsuit Against Controversial NW Fresno Project

DON'T MISS

Measure P Arts Grants Spark Debate and a Meeting Tonight

DON'T MISS

Tedford Exits Fresno State Football. Tim Skipper Is the Next Bulldog Up.

UP NEXT

Biden Says It Was a Mistake to Say He Wanted to Put Trump in a ‘Bull’s-Eye’

UP NEXT

Trump Receives Enough Delegate Votes to Officially be Republicans’ Nominee

UP NEXT

Gov. Gavin Newsom: California Leads Nation in Economic Growth and Expansion

UP NEXT

What to Know About the Attempt on Trump’s Life and Its Aftermath

UP NEXT

Steve Garvey Visited Israel, but Will It Win Over California Voters in Senate Race Against Schiff?

UP NEXT

GOP Convention Protests on Despite Shooting at Trump Rally

UP NEXT

What We Know About the Trump Rally Shooting Victims So Far

UP NEXT

CA Lawmakers’ Safety Gets New Attention After Trump Shooting

UP NEXT

Federal Judge Dismisses Trump Classified Documents Case Over Prosecutor Appointment Concerns

UP NEXT

In Primetime Address, Biden Says Country Must Not Go Down Road of Political Violence

Gomez Guilty of Murdering Los Hooligans Bass Player

7 hours ago

Biden Says It Was a Mistake to Say He Wanted to Put Trump in a ‘Bull’s-Eye’

7 hours ago

Dealing Blow to Biden’s Reelection Bid, Teamsters Union May Withhold Endorsement

9 hours ago

Tesla CEO Elon Musk Appears to Confirm Delay in Aug. 8 Robotaxi Unveil Event to Make Design Change

10 hours ago

Smittcamp Asks Court to Drop His Lawsuit Against Controversial NW Fresno Project

11 hours ago

Measure P Arts Grants Spark Debate and a Meeting Tonight

11 hours ago

Tedford Exits Fresno State Football. Tim Skipper Is the Next Bulldog Up.

11 hours ago

Biden Orders Secret Service to Protect RFK Jr. After Attempt on Trump’s Life

12 hours ago

Trump Receives Enough Delegate Votes to Officially be Republicans’ Nominee

12 hours ago

Who is JD Vance? Things to Know About Donald Trump’s Pick for Vice President

13 hours ago

Man Dies After Rescuing His 2 Children in Mississippi River

A Minnesota man who disappeared Friday while rescuing his two young children from the rain-swollen Mississippi River was found dead by autho...

6 hours ago

6 hours ago

Man Dies After Rescuing His 2 Children in Mississippi River

7 hours ago

Is Inflation Finally Corralled? Powell Says Federal Reserve Believes It’s Close

7 hours ago

New Village Green Park Opens in Loma Vista as Clovis Community Hub

7 hours ago

Gomez Guilty of Murdering Los Hooligans Bass Player

7 hours ago

Biden Says It Was a Mistake to Say He Wanted to Put Trump in a ‘Bull’s-Eye’

9 hours ago

Dealing Blow to Biden’s Reelection Bid, Teamsters Union May Withhold Endorsement

10 hours ago

Tesla CEO Elon Musk Appears to Confirm Delay in Aug. 8 Robotaxi Unveil Event to Make Design Change

11 hours ago

Smittcamp Asks Court to Drop His Lawsuit Against Controversial NW Fresno Project

MENU

CONNECT WITH US

Search

Send this to a friend