RE: SUPPORT – SB 245 (REYES)

Honorable Nick Schultz
Chair, Assembly Public Safety Committee

RE: SUPPORT – SB 245 (REYES)

Dear Assembly Member Schultz,

On behalf of the Michelson Center for Public Policy (MCPP), I am writing to express our support for SB 245 (Reyes), which will help the state track participation by incarcerated individuals in fire suppression programs and to streamline the process for seeking post-release relief.

MCPP is a nonprofit advocacy organization that propels legislative change through meaningful collaboration with elected officials, government agencies, and civic leaders. Our aim is to achieve positive outcomes in education and college affordability, equity, justice reform, medical research, workforce development and animal welfare across the state of California.

California continues to experience more frequent and increasingly devastating fires causing historic levels of property destruction, severely impacting communities throughout the state, often for years at a time.

Every year, California’s firefighting force is composed of incarcerated men and women, fighting fires alongside County firefighters and CAL FIRE. These men and women go through training put on in part by CAL FIRE. According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), individuals who participated in the fire camps for one year or longer had a significantly lower recidivism rate (31.6%) than those who did not (45.2%). However, despite their training, experience, and deep commitment to bettering themselves these individuals continue to face overwhelming barriers when attempting to obtain full-time employment in the firefighting sector post-incarceration.

SB 245 will require the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and other county authorities to submit biannual reports to the Department of Justice identifying individuals who have been released from custody in the prior 30 days and who successfully participated as hand crew members or completed institutional firehouse programs. This will better ensure the state has critical data as it looks to both bolster its firefighter ranks, and help these individuals avoid recidivism.

For these reasons, we are pleased to support the bill. We request your “aye” vote when the measure comes before you for consideration.

Sincerely,

Phillip Kim

Senior Advisor, Education & Equity
Michelson Center for Public Policy