San Mateo County Parks Commission addresses fair compensation for inmate wildfire work crew

In San Mateo County inmate work crews, trained by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection in partnership with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, will perform duties like clearing brush and creating fire break lines when not actively fighting fires.

For every one day worked, inmates receive two days off their sentence and can receive an additional three weeks off for mastering certain skills or attending programs like Alcoholics Anonymous. Inmate firefighters can also have their records expunged, paving the way for a career with Cal Fire or another agency.

Crewmembers are also paid between $2.90 to $3.90 for a full eight-hour workday and an additional dollar an hour when fighting fires. Cal Fire Chief Aldo Gonzalez told commissioners during their meeting Thursday, April 1, that inmates can leave with thousands of dollars accrued after their service and noted rate changes may happen soon.

Hard labor

But Green, who initially brought the matter to the commission back in August, has argued that the hard labor performed by the crews is deserving of a fairer pay. According to her own calculations the county could contribute roughly $50,000 annually to cover the gap between what the crews are currently paid and the county’s minimum wage of $15.62.

“I understand that the department has many needs and priorities, as does the county overall,” Green said. “There’s no shortage of needs out there and, to me, I think this is not a population that has a surplus of support from the community.”

Green drafted a letter to supervisors last year calling into question the ethics behind using the crews. But rather than pursue program termination, Parks Department Director Nicholas Calderon and commissioners agreed the department should further research the program and connect with program participants before making a final decision.

At a Parks Commission meeting in early February, Calderon said the department was not in a financial position to stop use of the crews given the immense amount of fire mitigation work needed in the county.

The Parks Department’s five-tier wildfire mitigation plan was approved at a Tuesday, Feb. 23, Board of Supervisors meeting and outlined 32 priority projects amassing only 1,800 acres of the 16,000 acres in the county’s park system. The plan is anticipated to cost more than $18 million from both county and grant funding.

In 2020, inmate work crews were not used by the Parks Department due to various wildfires that blazed across the state and COVID-19 restrictions, Calderon said. This year the department has requested 33 crew workdays but all may not be approved.

Gonzalez told the commission that officials often seek to stage crews in the county as a centrally located area so they can respond quickly to emergency calls. Comparing local staging of crews to in-home nannies, Green said the county also benefits from having crews nearby.

Costs and benefits

The price tag for the plan was based on hiring contractors for each project. Responding to questioning by Green, Calderon confirmed that contractors, interns and employees who perform the type of work inmates are contracted for are all paid at or above minimum wage.

Calderon noted at the February and April meetings though that the program is a win-win for residents and crew participants. While the county makes progress on wildfire fuel reduction projects, inmates receive job training, reduced sentences and modest pay.

Gonzalez, department chief of the Ben Lomond Camp, also said security at the 35 conservation camps is relaxed and inmates are offered access to various amenities not provided to those in secure prisons. Additional allowances, including access to cellphones, are also being considered by the state, he said.

But the work is difficult, he noted. Some days crews will work on laborious vegetation management projects and on others they’ll be deployed as haul teams, assisting with body recoveries on beaches and cliffs.

“The crews are the backbone of the department,” Gonzalez said. “We work hard but it’s a good day’s work. It teaches you basic skills.”

Commissioner Basem Manneh shared strong appreciation for the work performed by crewmembers and encouraged the commission to visit the Ben Lomond Camp of which Gonzalez offered to lead a tour. Manneh was also eager to further discuss how the county could take measures to better compensate the crews.

The commission ultimately agreed to take up the matter at its next meeting in June and will discuss drafting a recommendation for the Board of Supervisors before county budget discussions begin later that month.

Supportive of further discussing the matter, Parks Commission Chair Neil Merrilees raised concerns for fully severing relationships with the crews if pay was not increased.

“What scares me is the idea that this camp would get the feeling that we don’t want them,” Merrilees said. “I think we want them. I think it’s a great benefit.”

sierra@smdailyjournal.com

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