The 3700 California prison inmates who volunteer to be firefighters as we wage war on the Wildfires, will be eligible to have their records expunged as a result of their service. Governor Gavin Newsom signed the legislation into law yesterday. It's an important step for former inmates to obtain a professional certification as an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) the pre-requisite to apply for a civilian firefighter job. the 3700 inmate firefighters make up 26% of those on the frontlines of the wildfires. They earn a nominal $1 per hour versus their civilian comrades who earn $40,000 per year.
Top comments
We are a "deep dive" news podcast, for Americans who get their news from the Internet. Our mission is to give the listener succinct, fact based analysis both non-ideological and independent from a California, Silicon Valley perspective.
Your host
Jim Herlihy is a published author: his novel “Deceit and Dirty Money” is available on line. He served as President of the SF Public Library Commission 1992 - 1996. While working in Latin America, he was a stringer for The Economist, The Times and the BBC. Jim serves as a director on two SF sister city boards : Bangalore, India and Cork, Ireland.