California Legislature Sends Incarcerated Firefighter Career Pathway Bill to Governor Newsom
AB 2483 earns final legislative approval after unanimous 40-0 Senate vote, putting measure one signature away from becoming law
SACRAMENTO – California lawmakers gave final approval to legislation that would help incarcerated firefighters turn their frontline experience into careers after release, sending Assembly Bill 2483 to Governor Gavin Newsom for his signature.
Authored by Assemblymember Sade Elhawary (D-57), AB 2483 cleared its final legislative hurdle when the Assembly approved changes made in the Senate, following a unanimous 40-0 vote in the Senate on August 24.
AB 2483 would establish a standardized process to ensure eligible incarcerated firefighters receive official documentation of the firefighting training they completed before release.
The bill would also strengthen pathways to careers for qualified formerly incarcerated individuals by recognizing training and field experience in the hiring process for CAL FIRE Firefighter 1 positions and toward Forestry Technician positions.
California relies on incarcerated firefighters to help protect communities from increasingly destructive wildfires, but many face significant barriers to translating that experience into careers after release. AB 2483 would ensure qualifying training and frontline work are formally recognized and create a clearer pathway for experienced firefighters to continue serving California communities.
Statements from AB 2483 Author and Co-Sponsors
Assemblymember Sade Elhawary:
“People returning home deserve a real chance to build a future in the communities they helped protect. AB 2483 recognizes the training, courage, and service of incarcerated firefighters and turns that experience into a pathway toward stable careers, stronger families, and safer communities. We are urging Governor Newsom to sign this bill and make sure that service on the frontlines can lead to opportunity after release.”
Royal Ramey, Co-Founder and CEO of The Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program:
“This is a major step forward for people who have already proven themselves on California’s firelines. I know firsthand what it means to gain that training and experience while incarcerated, then come home ready to work and serve, only to face barriers that keep that experience from being fully recognized.
AB 2483 helps close that gap. It ensures the skills people earn on the fireline can follow them home and creates a clearer pathway into careers where their experience is needed. We’re grateful to Assemblymember Elhawary, our partners, and every legislator who supported this bill. Now, we urge Governor Newsom to sign AB 2483 into law and turn proven experience into real opportunity.”
Cristine Soto DeBerry, Executive Director of Prosecutors Alliance Action:
“People who have risked their lives fighting California’s wildfires while incarcerated have earned the opportunity to turn that courage and commitment into a career. AB 2483 ensures they have the credentials to do just that. We’re proud to have worked alongside Assemblymember Sade Elhawary and our dedicated partners for the past two years to get this bill to Governor Newsom's desk. We urge him to sign it into law and turn proven service into safer communities and real second chances.”
Mayra Lombera, Chief Policy Officer, Michelson Center for Public Policy:
“California lawmakers have sent a clear message: the training, experience, and courage of incarcerated firefighters should count when they come home. We are grateful to Assemblymember Elhawary for her leadership, to our partners at the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program and Prosecutors Alliance Action for their tireless advocacy, and to lawmakers in both chambers who advanced this commonsense solution. We urge Governor Newsom to sign AB 2483 and give people who have already served California on the firelines a fair opportunity to continue that service as a career.”
###
Michelson Center for Public Policy (MCPP) is a Los Angeles-based 501(c)(4) nonprofit advocacy organization affiliated with Michelson Philanthropies, a foundation devoted to expanding equity and access across medical research, animal welfare, education, and intellectual property. MCPP advances policy and legislative solutions that support these priorities. In collaboration with policymakers, advocacy organizations, and civic leaders, it works to expand opportunity for underserved communities across California and beyond. Learn more at michelsonpolicy.org.
The Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program (FFRP) is a nonprofit organization that provides career support to formerly incarcerated firefighters and those currently incarcerated in California’s Conservation Camps; who are interested in careers in the Wildland and Forestry sector. FFRP was developed in direct response to the growing need for wildfire-related personnel. Our mission is to increase wildfire personnel from non-traditional and underrepresented communities, providing them the training, skills, resources, and experience needed to secure gainful employment. https://www.forestryfirerp.org/
Prosecutors Alliance Action mobilizes prosecutors and voters to fight for a fair and humane justice system rooted in community trust and free from abuses of power. For more information, visit www.prosecutorsallianceaction.org.
