Assemblyman Heath Flora has successfully secured higher pay for state firefighters.
The Ripon Republican’s Assembly Bill 2129 legislation was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday.
“AB 2129 strengthens pay for state firefighters by insuring they’re compensated at a rate that is similar to firefighters in city and county fire departments,” Flora said.
“This has been a three-year journey for our office and California’s state firefighters so we are very excited with the outcome.”
The new law bring state firefighter compensation near to what cities and counties pay firefighters, narrowing a disparity that Cal Fire union representatives say leads to high turnover.
The law does not explicitly promise a raise, but it requires the next governor to “bargain in good faith” toward lifting Cal Fire pay to within 15% of the average compensation at 20 fire departments around California.
A 2025 salary survey showed Cal Fire paid on average, about 27% less than local fire departments. Cal Fire also has what firefighters regard as a more difficult schedule that requires them to work about 20 more days a year than their counterparts in cities and counties.
The salary lag varies by rank. The total monthly compensation for a Cal Fire engineer, for instance, was $21,700. The same rank at a local department earned $26,500 a month.
“This is a big one,” said Cal Fire Local 2881 President Tim Edwards. “The signing of this by Gov. Newsom is showing that he actually appreciates the men and women on the front lines of the megafires and the pandemic.”
Last year, Newsom vetoed a similar proposal that was more direct in calling for raises at Cal Fire. He wrote in a veto message that the bill would “create significant cost pressures for the state and circumvent the collective bargaining process.”
Officials estimated the bill would have cost between $373 million and $609 million in its first year.
The new law could have a similar price tag depending on how Cal Fire Local 2881 bargains with the next governor. The union’s current contract expires on June 30, about six months after Newsom leaves office.
Flora also carried the version of the bill Newsom vetoed. He reintroduced it in a form that gave the governor’s office more power to negotiate. The bill passed the Assembly 77-1 and the Senate 40-0.
Edwards said it could take more than a year to close the pay gap, but he believes it could be accomplished over a two- or three-year contract. The law “actually mandates (the California Department of Human Resources) to come to the table in good faith and start negotiating a fair and equitable wage compared to our local government counterparts,” he said.
Cal Fire grew substantially during Newsom’s administration. The department had fewer than 6,000 firefighters as recently as 2019. Today, Edwards’ union represents some 9,500 firefighters.
