California's incarcerated firefighters getting a hefty raise

Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed legislation to boost the pay of state prisoners assigned to battle California wildfires.

- BY DAKOTA SMITH

INMATE FIREFIGHTERS help battle the Hughes fire near Castaic in January.

(MARIO TAMA Getty Images)

Assembly Bill 247, whose author is Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles), raises wages from about $1 an hour to the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. They remain far below the state wage of $16.50 an hour.

The legislation signed Monday takes effect immediately and was expected to pass after Newsom signed a budget this year that allocates $10 million for incarcerated firefighters' wages.

Prison fire crews are a significant part of the state's effort to battle wildfires. In January, more than 1,000 prisoners worked on the devastating fires in Altadena and Pacific Palisades, with some earning less than $30 a day.