State employees: compensation: firefighters.

Assembly Member Flora's proposal to standardize CAL-FIRE firefighter compensation establishes a new framework requiring the state to maintain salaries for rank-and-file firefighters within 15% of the average pay at 20 specified California fire departments. The legislation mandates annual salary surveys conducted jointly by the state and the firefighters' bargaining unit to calculate these benchmarks based on projected compensation as of July 1 each year.

The measure creates a structured process for implementing any resulting pay adjustments through collective bargaining agreements, while preserving existing memoranda of understanding unless additional funding requires legislative approval. By January 2027, the Department of Human Resources must also complete a focused survey examining fire chief salaries and benefits at five major departments, including Los Angeles County and San Francisco.

The bill's findings cite the expanding scope of CAL-FIRE's responsibilities amid intensifying wildfires, which now routinely require month-long deployments in hazardous conditions. These extended emergency responses expose firefighters to both immediate physical dangers and long-term health risks from prolonged exposure to smoke and particulates. The legislation frames the compensation requirements as a response to these evolving demands on the state's firefighting workforce.