AB 2129
State employees: compensation: firefighters.
Vote required
Majority
Fiscal committee
No
Appropriation
No
Current location
Appropriations
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Bill overview
This bill aims to improve compensation for rank-and-file firefighters in the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL-FIRE) by requiring the state to bargain in good faith with firefighters represented by State Bargaining Unit 8. The state will survey salaries in comparable California fire departments and use that data to establish a competitive salary range within 15% of the average for corresponding ranks, with specific departments identified. Additionally, the bill mandates a survey of fire chiefs’ salaries in selected California fire departments to inform contract negotiations.
Key provisions
- Requires the state to bargain in good faith with firefighters in State Bargaining Unit 8.
- Establishes a salary range for firefighters within 15% of the average salaries in 20 listed California fire departments.
- Mandates annual surveys of salaries in the identified California fire departments.
- Requires a cursory survey of fire chiefs’ salaries in five selected California fire departments.
- Directs the Department of Human Resources to report survey findings to CAL-FIRE.
- Specifies that salary increases should be implemented through a memorandum of understanding.
- Includes legislative findings related to the challenges faced by CAL-FIRE firefighters.
- Requires the use of the Ralph C. Dills Act for collective bargaining negotiations.
Who is affected
- California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL-FIRE) firefighters
- Rank-and-file firefighters in State Bargaining Unit 8
Arguments in favor
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AB2129:v99#DOCUMENT
Bill Start
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 2129
| Introduced by Assembly Member Flora |
| February 18, 2026 |
An act to add Section 19827.4 to the Government Code, relating to state employees.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2129, as introduced, Flora. State employees: compensation: firefighters.
Existing law provides that in order for the state to recruit skilled firefighters for the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, it is the policy of the state to consider prevailing salaries and benefits prior to making salary recommendations. Existing law requires the Department of Human Resources, in order to provide comparability in pay, to take into consideration the salary and benefits of other jurisdictions employing 75 or more full-time firefighters who work in California.
This bill would require the state to bargain in good faith with firefighters who are rank-and-file members of State Bargaining Unit 8, employed by the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, to reach a competitive range within 15% of the average salary for corresponding ranks in 20 listed California fire departments. The bill would require the state and the exclusive representative for State Bargaining Unit 8 to jointly survey annually and calculate the estimated average salaries for those fire departments. The bill would also require the Department of Human Resources, on or before March 31, 2027, for purposes of the bargaining unit contract renewal to be conducted on July 1, 2027, to conduct and report to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection a cursory survey on the salaries and benefits for the prior year of, among other positions, each of the fire chiefs for 5 listed California fire departments.
The bill would provide that when determining compensation for uniformed classifications of the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, it is the policy of the state to consider the salary of corresponding ranks within the comparable jurisdictions listed, as well as other factors, including internal comparisons. The bill would require any salary increase for firefighters under these provisions to be implemented through a memorandum of understanding, in accordance with specified procedures governing collective bargaining agreements. The bill would include legislative findings and declarations related to its provisions.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO
Bill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) Historic fires of the past decade have resulted in well over 100 deaths, caused billions of dollars in damage, destroyed entire communities, and placed overworked firefighters at risk.
(b) Firefighters with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL-FIRE) have the most diverse work responsibilities of any firefighters, which includes fire of all types, floods, earthquakes, and all natural disasters.
(c) CAL-FIRE must compete with higher paying local departments to retain their firefighters.
(d) Climate change is creating an environment where wildfires burn with greater ferocity and that trend is systemic.
(e) The mental health of CAL-FIRE firefighters is placed at risk by the extremely long hours working under extreme duress, sometimes for a month on duty without a day off.
(f) The physical risk of working long hours at point zero at these fires that burn for weeks and send dangerous particulates into the air causes immediate and long-term physical and mental health risks.
SEC. 2.
Section 19827.4 is added to the Government Code, to read:
19827.4.
(a) Notwithstanding any other law, in order to recruit and retain the highest qualified and skilled firefighters for the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the state shall bargain in good faith with firefighters who are rank-and-file members of State Bargaining Unit 8 to reach a competitive range within 15 percent of the average of the salary for corresponding ranks in the 20 California fire departments, agreed to by the exclusive bargaining representative for Bargaining Unit 8 and the Department of Human Resources in 2024 as follows:
(1) The City of Bakersfield.
(2) The City of Chula Vista.
(3) The City of Corona.
(4) The City of Escondido.
(5) The City of Fullerton.
(6) The City of Hayward.
(7) Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department.
(8) The County of Los Angeles.
(9) The City of Milpitas.
(10) Novato Fire District.
(11) The City of Ontario.
(12) The City of Oxnard.
(13) The City of Rialto.
(14) The City of Roseville.
(15) The County of San Bernardino.
(16) The City of San Mateo.
(17) The City of Santa Monica.
(18) The City of Stockton.
(19) The City of Torrance.
(20) The County of Ventura.
(b) (1) The state and the exclusive representative for State Bargaining Unit 8 shall jointly survey annually and calculate the estimated average salaries of the departments listed in paragraphs (1) to (20), inclusive, of subdivision (a), based on the projected average total salary for those departments as of July 1 of the year in which the survey is conducted.
(2) In addition to paragraph (1), the department shall, on or before March 31, 2027, for purposes of the bargaining unit contract renewal to be conducted on July 1, 2027, conduct and report to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection a cursory survey on all of the following:
(A) The salaries and benefits for the prior year of each of the fire chiefs for the following five California fire departments in all of the following:
(i) The City of Fresno.
(ii) The County of Los Angeles.
(iii) The County of San Bernardino.
(iv) The City of San Diego.
(v) The City and County of San Francisco.
(B) The salaries and benefits for the prior year of other city and county fire departments similar to those described in subparagraph (A).
(C) The salaries and benefits for the prior year of other heads of state departments.
(c) When determining compensation for uniformed classifications of the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, it is the policy of the state to consider the salary of corresponding ranks within the comparable jurisdictions listed in paragraphs (1) to (20) of subdivision (a), inclusive, as well as other factors, including internal comparisons.
(d) Any increase in salary for firefighters who are members of State Bargaining Unit 8 resulting from this section shall be implemented through a memorandum of understanding negotiated pursuant to the Ralph C. Dills Act (Chapter 10.3 (commencing with Section 3512) of Division 4 of Title 1).
(e) If the provisions of this section are in conflict with the provisions of a memorandum of understanding reached pursuant to Section 3517.5, the memorandum of understanding shall be controlling without further legislative action, except that if the provisions of a memorandum of understanding require the expenditure of funds, the provision shall not become effective unless approved by the Legislature and the annual Budget Act.