COMMITTEE NUMBER TWO ON
RESOURCES. ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION. ENERGY WILL COME TO
YOU. ORDER! BEFORE WE BEGIN,
LET'S ESTABLISH A QUORUM.
CONSULTANT, PLEASE CALL THE
ROLL. BECKER. HERE. BECKER HERE,
ALLEN. ALLEN. HERE. BLAKE. SPARE
HERE. BLAKE. SPARE. HERE. DOLLY
PRESENT. DOLLY. PRESENT QUORUM
HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED. WE BEGIN
DISCUSSING ALL THE ITEMS LISTED
IN DISCUSSION SECTION OF THE
AGENDA. FOR EACH ITEM, WE'LL
HEAR FROM THE DEPARTMENT,
FOLLOWED BY DEPARTMENT OF
FINANCE AND THEN THE LEGISLATIVE
ANALYST'S OFFICE. AND THEN
MEMBERS WILL HAVE THE
OPPORTUNITY TO ASK QUESTIONS.
AND WE'RE GOING TO START WITH
ISSUE NUMBER 22, BEVERAGE
CONTAINER RECYCLING GRANTS
PROGRAM STAFFING. AND I'LL ASK
CALRECYCLE TO COME UP AND JOIN
US.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I THINK THE
CHIEF DEPUTY DIRECTOR WILL BEGIN
WHEN YOU, MISS MCINTYRE, WHEN
YOU'RE READY. GO AHEAD. THANKS
THANK YOU. CHAIR AND MEMBERS.
I'M CHIEF DEPUTY MINDY MCINTYRE
WITH CALRECYCLE. SORRY ABOUT
THAT. APOLOGIES. APOLOGIES
REYES. I ALSO HAVE WITH ME OUR
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, AMY CAMERON
HERE, WHO OVERSEES OUR DIVISION
OF RECYCLING, WHICH OVERSEES THE
BEVERAGE CONTAINER RECYCLING
PROGRAM. THE PROPOSAL BEFORE YOU
TODAY REQUESTS POSITION
AUTHORITY FOR SIX POSITIONS PAID
BY ADMINISTRATION.
ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS ALREADY
APPROVED. CURRENTLY, OUR STAFF
OVERSEES OVER 950 GRANTS AWARDED
UNDER 26 DIFFERENT GRANT
PROGRAMS FOR TOTAL OF $255
MILLION. THE NEW GRANTS UNDER
1013 AND AB 179 ALONE JUST ABOUT
DOUBLED THE AMOUNT OF FUNDING
THAT OUR PROGRAM HANDLES AND
DOUBLED THEIR WORKLOAD AS WELL.
THIS IS AN EXCITING LEVEL OF
INVESTMENT, BUT ALSO A
TREMENDOUS LEVEL OF WORK GIVEN
OUR PRIORITY TO ACCELERATE
IMPLEMENTATION OF THESE
PROGRAMS, CALRECYCLE IS
REQUESTING ADDITIONAL POSITION
AUTHORITY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR
TIME AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO
ANSWERING ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE
ABOUT THE PROPOSAL, ABOUT 1013
OR ABOUT CALRECYCLE IN GENERAL.
THANK YOU. ANSWER. YOU KNOW,
FRANKIE MARTINEZ WITH THE
LEGISLATIVE ANALYST'S OFFICE, WE
HAVE NO CONCERNS WITH THE
PROPOSAL. THE POSITION SEEM TO
HAVE MERIT. OKAY. THANK YOU.
SORRY. WELL, AS YOU MENTIONED,
THIS IS A CHANCE TO GO OVER A
FEW THINGS ABOUT THE NHÀ
PROGRAM, AND I THOUGHT MAYBE
WE'D, OUR RESIDENT RECYCLING
EXPERT, SENATOR ALLEN, DO YOU
WANT TO START US OFF OKAY. ALL
RIGHT, LET ME I WANTED TO WELL,
I WANT TO TALK ABOUT SOME
VARIOUS A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT
THINGS, BUT LET'S LET'S. IF YOU
DON'T MIND, LET'S START ON ON,
ON ON SB 1013. SO WE PASSED SB
1013, ADDING WINE AND SPIRITS TO
THE BOTTLE BILL, WHICH WAS A
REALLY IMPORTANT ADVANCEMENT AND
SOMETHING THAT TOOK A LONG TIME,
THE MEASURE, SPECIFICALLY CALLED
FOR CONSUMER EDUCATION BEFORE
STORIES, YOU KNOW, BEFORE, YOU
KNOW, ALL ALL THE COLLECTION
PROCESSES STARTED, YOU KNOW,
COLLECTING THE DEPOSITS. AND I
THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S
BEEN REALLY IMPORTANT IN OTHER
JURISDICTIONS WHERE I'VE STUDIED
TO JUST ENSURE CONFIDENCE IN THE
PROGRAM, ESPECIALLY NOW. BUT
WE'VE HEARD FROM FOLKS THAT
OUTREACH HAS BEEN KIND OF
LACKLUSTER. AND I JUST WANTED TO
FIRST ASK ABOUT WHAT PLANS THE
DEPARTMENT MIGHT HAVE TO
INCREASE EFFORTS IN THIS SPACE.
ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU FOR THE
QUESTION, AS YOU MENTIONED. 1013
INCLUDED SOME SIGNIFICANT
CHANGES TO THE PROGRAM,
INCLUDING THE LARGEST EXPANSION
EVER OF THE PROGRAM WITH WINE
AND SPIRITS. IN ADDITION, IT
ADDED THE DEALER COOPERATIVES,
AND IT DID IT UNDER IT DID BOTH
OF THOSE THINGS UNDER AN
AMBITIOUS TIMELINE. AND WE
RECOGNIZE THAT AT CALRECYCLE, WE
HAVE MADE SOME SIGNIFICANT
EFFORTS TOWARDS OUTREACH, BUT
RECOGNIZE THAT THIS IS A CHANGE
FOR MOST OF THE PROGRAM
PARTICIPANTS, AND IT'S BRINGING
IN NEW PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS.
AMY'S TEAM DIRECTOR CAMERON'S
TEAM HAS DONE A TREMENDOUS JOB,
BUT IS REACHING OUT TO THOSE
STAKEHOLDERS. STILL. WE'VE DONE
A NUMBER OF WEBINARS, WORKSHOPS,
ETC. WE DO PLAN TO DO TO KICK UP
EFFORTS IN THE SUMMER AS WELL
HOSTING MONTHLY FORUMS FOR
ANSWERING QUESTIONS, ETC, WE'VE
LOOKED FOR ANY OPPORTUNITY TO
PROVIDE PRESENTATIONS OR ANSWER
SPECIFIC QUESTIONS, ESPECIALLY
TO THE NEW MEMBERS, TO THE NEW
PARTICIPANTS IN THE PROGRAM,
INCLUDING THOSE BEVERAGE
MANUFACTURERS FOR WINE AND
SPIRITS. BUT WE RECOGNIZE THAT
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF CHANGES
HAPPENING IN THIS PROGRAM VERY
QUICKLY, UNDER A VERY TIGHT
TIMELINE, AND THAT ADDITIONAL
OUTREACH IS NECESSARY. OKAY, I
APPRECIATE THAT. I'D LOVE TO
CONTINUE TO FOLLOW UP WITH YOU
ON THIS IS IT'S A IT'S A, YOU
KNOW, JUST AS, YOU KNOW, I MEAN,
WE ALL SIT AROUND HERE AND KNOW
THAT EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENING
SOMETIMES IT'S NOT EVEN EASY TO
KNOW WHEN YOU'RE WHEN YOU'RE
EVEN IN THE ROOM, AND, YOU KNOW,
RECYCLING IS SUCH A COMPLICATED
PROCESS FOR PEOPLE. AND WE'RE
CHANGING. SO I WANT TO JUST MAKE
SURE THAT WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING
WE CAN TO ENSURE THAT FOLKS KNOW
THE RULES SO THEY CAN BETTER
PARTICIPATE. ALL RIGHT. NOW, I
THINK THE, THE IMPLEMENTATION
COSTS FOR THE PROGRAM, ARE
ESTIMATED TO BE OVER $1 BILLION,
BUT THE CURRENT FUND BALANCE IS
LESS THAN THAT, YOU KNOW, SO,
HOW HOW ARE WE ADDRESSING
OVERSPENDING AND BALANCING THOSE
NUMBERS? I THINK WE YOU'RE RIGHT
. THE OVERALL PROGRAM COSTS
INCLUDE THE CRV IN AND OUT. SO
THE TOTAL AMOUNT PAID IN AND
TOTAL AMOUNT PAID OUT AFTER THAT
, OUR FUND BALANCE IS WHAT WHAT
YOU ARE REFLECTING THE 800
MILLION SO LESS FINANCED IT. HOW
MUCH WAS THAT. 800 OR 830
MILLION I THINK IT IS.
WE'RE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY FOLLOW
UP QUESTIONS, ON ON THAT ONE. IF
THERE THERE ARE SOME QUESTIONS.
OKAY. WE'LL DO SOME FOLLOW UP. I
MEAN, I THINK WE'RE JUST
CONCERNED ABOUT ENSURING THAT,
YOU KNOW, THAT I MEAN, IT
APPEARS THAT THERE'S JUST A BIT
OF A, OF A, YOU KNOW, DISCONNECT
BETWEEN WHAT IS WHAT IT'S
ACTUALLY COSTING TO IMPLEMENT
AND WHAT WE HAVE IN THE, IN THE,
IN THE CURRENT FUND BALANCE. AND
SO WE HAVE DONE A LOT OF WORK
WITH FINANCE RECENTLY TO
RECONCILE THE FUND. AND I CAN
TELL YOU THAT THE FUND BALANCE
IS POSITIVE, AND WE EXPECT TO BE
ABLE TO MAKE ALL PAYMENTS,
INCLUDING THE INVESTMENTS,
OUTLINED IN 1013 179 TO THE
PROGRAM. OKAY ALL RIGHT. LET'S
I'D LOVE TO DO SOME ADDITIONAL
FOLLOW UP WITH YOU ON THAT. ALL
RIGHT. WE ALSO, I KNOW WE
APPROPRIATED, SOMETHING LIKE $15
MILLION FOR TEN DIFFERENT
COLLECTION PILOT PROGRAMS, AND I
JUST WANTED TO KNOW IF ANY OF
YOU HAD ANY LESSONS TO SHARE,
THAT DEPARTMENT, FROM THE
DEPARTMENT'S EXPERIENCE IN THOSE
WITH THOSE PILOT PROGRAMS THAT
WE CAN WE CAN WE CAN TAKE AWAY,
YOU KNOW, AS LESSONS LEARNED AS
WE THINK ABOUT HOW WE PROCEED.
ABSOLUTELY. AND WE ACTUALLY DO
HAVE A HANDOUT FOR AN UPDATE ON
THE PILOTS. THEY WERE GO AHEAD.
AMY, ACTUALLY, YES. SO WE DID
PROVIDE A HANDOUT, I
UNFORTUNATELY FORGOT TO SAVE ONE
FOR MYSELF, BUT JUST OVERALL,
THERE ARE TWO. NØ THERE ARE TWO
HERE IS THIS IS. NO, IT'S. OH,
MAYBE, THERE ARE TEN PILOT
PROGRAMS, AS YOU KNOW, WITHIN
ORIGINAL APPROPRIATION OF $10
MILLION, THEN AN ADDITIONAL $5
MILLION WAS ADDED, AND SO THEY
RANGE, THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA
SERVING, HIGH URBAN POPULATIONS
AS WELL AS RURAL POPULATIONS.
AND SO WHAT WE'RE AND VARIOUS
INNOVATIVE METHODS, WHETHER IT'S
A REVERSE VENDING MACHINES,
BACKDROPS, MOBILE RECYCLING, AND
REALLY ABLE TO GET OUT TO THE
JURISDICTIONS, WE ARE HEARING
FROM BOTH CONSUMERS AND PROGRAM
PARTICIPANTS HIGH CONSUMER
SATISFACTION, WHERE THE PILOTS
ARE UP AND RUNNING, AND THEY'RE
ENJOYING THE FLEXIBILITY THAT
THE PILOT PROGRAMS OFFER. OKAY.
I MEAN, I'D LOVE TO I'D LOVE TO
GET A LITTLE MORE COLOR.
ABSOLUTELY. YOU KNOW, COULD YOU
JUST DESCRIBE IT A LITTLE MORE?
WHAT IS THE PILOT PROGRAM THAT
IS CREATING GOOD SATISFACTION?
SURE. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE
CITY OF IRVINE, THEY JOINED UP
WITH THEIR LOCAL MUNICIPALITY
AND THEY ARE DOING A RECYCLE
FROM HOME PROGRAM. AND SO
PARTICIPANT CONSUMERS CAN GET ON
TO THEIR APP AND SCHEDULE A
PICKUP AT, AT THEIR HOUSE. THEY
PUT THEIR, CRV MATERIALS IN A
BAG, RECYCLE IT FROM HOME, COMES
BY THEIR HOUSE. PICKS UP THE
MATERIAL, BRINGS IT BACK TO THE
CENTER, PROCESSES IT, AND THEN
PAYS THE CONSUMER VIA A MOBILE
APPLICATION METHOD SO THAT
THAT'S LIKE ONE EXAMPLE, THE
CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO IS DOING
MORE OF A BACKDROP PROGRAM,
WHERE ALL THE DEALERS IN SAN
FRANCISCO ARE PARTICIPATING. AND
SO CONSUMERS CAN DROP OFF THEIR
CRV MATERIAL IN A BAG DROP OR AT
CERTAIN LOCATIONS, YOU KNOW, ON
A SPECIFIED SCHEDULE. AND GET
PAYMENT FOR THEIR CRV. THERE
EXCUSE ME, CHAIR AND SENATOR
ALLEN, I BUSTED INTO ASKING
QUESTIONS HERE ON THIS TOPIC. SO
WHO EXACTLY IS PICKING UP AT
CONSUMERS HOMES THIS CRV
MATERIAL, THE RECYCLING OPERATOR
THAT IS PARTNERED WITH THE CITY
OF IRVINE, OKAY, SO IT'S THE
WASTE HAULER FOR THAT AREA. IT'S
NOT THE WASTE HAULER. IT'S A
CERTIFIED RECYCLING CENTER. OKAY
AND IS THAT IS THAT COMPLIANT
WITH THE, THE WASTE HAULER
AGREEMENTS IN THOSE CITIES? IT'S
CONSIDERED A DONATION OF THE OR.
IT'S NOT CONSIDERED A DONATION.
IT'S CONSIDERED RECYCLING. SO IT
IS NOT CONSIDERED WASTE. SO YES,
CAL RECYCLE DOESN'T OVERSEE THE
FRANCHISE AGREEMENTS, BUT IT IS
CONSISTENT WITH AND COMPLIANT
WITH THE LOCAL FRANCHISE
AGREEMENT THERE. OKAY. AND HOW
MANY YEARS WILL THESE PROGRAMS
LAST? THE LEGISLATURE EXTENDED
THEM THROUGH JUNE 30TH, 2026.
OKAY. THEY SOUND GREAT, SO YEAH,
I WOULD LOVE, LOVE TO, YOU KNOW,
THESE ARE OBVIOUSLY THINGS THAT
THAT ARE THAT ARE GOING TO JUST
HELP US INFORM MANY OF OUR
PROCESSES GOING FORWARD. AND SO
I THINK WE'RE ALL REALLY
INTERESTED IN HOW THEY HOW THEY
PROCEED. AND, YOU KNOW, I'D LOVE
TO, MAYBE WE CAN EVEN GET A
LITTLE TOUR OR SOMETHING THAT
COULD HELP US JUST BETTER
UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING ON
THE GROUND. BUT BUT EVERYTHING
YOU'RE SAYING IS GREAT. I WANTED
TO JUST ASK SOMETHING A LITTLE
MORE TECHNICAL. I KNOW YOU
PROBABLY REMEMBER THIS LETTER
THAT SUSAN COLLINS CAME OUT WITH
FROM THE CONTAINER RECYCLING
INSTITUTE LAST YEAR, AND SHE WAS
JUST, YOU KNOW, TALKING ABOUT
THE, YOU KNOW, THE BEVERAGE
CONTAINER RECYCLING PROGRAM,
THEY'VE GOT A, YOU KNOW, A FUND
BALANCE THAT, ACCORDING TO THEIR
LETTER FROM LAST YEAR, WAS
UNDERSTATED BY 188 MILLION. AND
THE GOVERNOR'S BUDGET, NOW, I
THINK IT'S LOOKING AT WE'RE
LOOKING AT EVEN A MUCH GREATER,
FUND UNDERSTATEMENT. 300 MILLION
IN THE GOVERNOR'S BUDGET
COMPARED TO THE ACTUAL AMOUNT
REPORTED. SO I WANTED TO GET A
BETTER SENSE OF HOW THAT
DISCREPANCY IS GETTING ADDRESSED
. YEAH. DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE.
SO WE GO THROUGH A PROCESS EVERY
YEAR WITH WITH ALL FUNDS TO
RECONCILE THE FUND BALANCES,
BEFORE CHEN TI¾N BUDGET, AS, AS
PART OF THAT, WE WORK
COLLABORATIVELY WITH THE
DEPARTMENT AND, YOU KNOW,
GATHERING INFORMATION, REPORTS
FROM A CONTROLLER'S OFFICE,
THERE ARE MANY TIMES WHERE WE'RE
NOT ABLE TO FULLY RECONCILE, BY
BY THE RELEASE OF JANUARY 10TH.
AND WHAT WE DO IN THOSE CASES IS
WE ADD AN ASTERISK TO THE PUBLIC
BUDGET DISPLAYS WHERE THOSE
RESPECTIVE DEPARTMENTS THAT
ACKNOWLEDGE, HEY, YOU KNOW,
THESE, FUND CONDITIONS HAVE NOT
BEEN RECONCILED. AND THEN WE
WORK OVER THE SPRING TO FINISH
OUR RECONCILIATION. AND SO IN
THIS CASE, THE FUND ITSELF WAS
ONE OF THOSE FUNDS OUT OF, OUT
OF A FEW FUNDS THAT WEREN'T
COMPLETED FOR RECONCILIATION.
AND SO AS PART OF OUR REVISION
IS WHEN WE WILL RELEASE OUR FULL
RECONCILED VERSION OF THAT
SPECIFIC FUND, AND PART OF YOU
KNOW, THE GOVERNOR'S BUDGET, YOU
KNOW, ACKNOWLEDGED THE LOAN THAT
WE HAD DONE IN THE CURRENT YEAR.
AND THOUGH THE PROPOSED LOAN FOR
THE BUDGET YEAR. BUT THERE IS
TRIGGER LANGUAGE THAT WAS
ADOPTED IN LAST YEAR'S BUDGET,
AND THAT WAS THE SAME LANGUAGE
THAT WAS INCLUDED IN THE
PROPOSED BUDGET, WHICH BASICALLY
SAYS THAT TO THE EXTENT THERE'S
GOING TO BE AN ACTUAL IMPACT IN
THE FUND, THE LOAN TRIGGERS JUST
GET REPAID BACK. AND AS A RESULT
OF SOME TRENDS THAT WE WERE
LOOKING AT IN SOME OF THE
PRELIMINARY DATA, WE REALIZED
THAT THE FUND WOULDN'T BE ABLE
TO ABSORB THE CURRENT YEAR LOAN.
SO WE ACTUALLY ALREADY REPAID IT
BACK, WHICH JUST GOES BACK TO
LIKE, THAT TRIGGER IN THE
LANGUAGE. THERE'S REALLY NO NO
WAY THAT THAT LOAN WOULD
ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, IMPACT THE
PROGRAM ITSELF BECAUSE LEGALLY,
IT REALLY CAN'T BECAUSE OF THE
BUDGET LOAN LANGUAGE. SO WE
REPAID BACK THE $100 MILLION
LOAN. AND AS PART OF MAYOR
REVISION, WE'RE IN THE PROCESS
OF FINISHING OUR RECONCILIATION.
SO THE NEXT, YOU KNOW, WITHIN
THE NEXT MONTH, WE WILL BE
RELEASING AN UPDATED FUND
CONDITION. AND THAT'S GOING TO
REFLECT THE ACTUAL PAST YEAR
RECONCILIATION. AND THEN ALSO
JUST UPDATED, YOU KNOW, REVENUE
AND EXPENDITURE DATA BASED OFF
OF THE MOST RECENT TRENDS THAT
THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, BUT
REALLY MORE THE MORE TECHNICAL
POINT IN TIME OF WHEN WE
COMPLETE RECONCILIATION VERSUS
WHAT GETS POSTED PUBLICLY. BUT
AGAIN, THERE'S AN ASTERISK, AND
IT CLEARLY NOTES THAT THIS WAS
NOT COMPLETED. AND THAT IS THE
CASE FOR OTHER FUNDS AS WELL.
AND THAT'S OUR PROCESS. ALL
RIGHT. THAT'S HELPFUL. YOU KNOW,
I MEAN THE DISCREPANCY IS SO
LARGE. AND I GUESS I MEAN I
WELL, AT SOME POINT I'D LOVE TO
I'M SURE THERE'S IMPLICATIONS IN
TERMS BECAUSE IN TERMS OF THE
WAY THAT THE LOANS ARE PAID OFF
AND AS THESE DISCREPANCIES GET
BIGGER, THAT PROBABLY BECOMES
MORE CHALLENGING, BUT I'M GLAD
YOU'RE WORKING ON IT, BECAUSE I
NOTICED THAT AND, YOU KNOW, IT
WAS AN ISSUE LAST YEAR AND IT'S
ONLY GOTTEN MORE CHALLENGING.
SO, ALL RIGHT, I'D LIKE TO. I
DID HAVE ONE Þ SENATOR DAHLE ON
THE OTHER POINT, JUST A QUICK
FOLLOW UP. SO. WELL, I'M GETTING
MORE CONFUSED AS WE GO ALONG
HERE, BUT SO ARE YOU DEFICIT
SPENDING ARE YOU ARE YOU IS
THERE A SURPLUS WITH THE NEW
BOTTLE? ATKINS DODD BILL SO
RELATED TO LIKE THE LOAN
COMPONENT OF IT? THE LOAN WAS
WAS ANTICIPATING THERE WOULD BE
A SURPLUS, BUT NOW THERE'S NOT
AS BIG OF A SURPLUS AND THERE'S
TRIGGERS WITHIN THE PROGRAM
WHERE IF THE FUND BALANCE GETS
BELOW A CERTAIN LEVEL, I THINK
IT'S ABOUT 75 MILLION, THEN
TRIGGERED PROPORTIONAL
REDUCTIONS AND WE DIDN'T WANT
THE LOAN TO BE THE TRIGGER OF
THAT. SO BY PAYING BACK THE
LOAN, WE BASICALLY, YOU KNOW,
ARE NOT IN A PLACE OF
PROPORTIONAL REDUCTION, BUT THE
FUND BALANCE IS THE FUND STILL
HAS A BALANCE, IT'S NOT IT'S NOT
NEGATIVE. AND ESPECIALLY NOW
THAT WE REPAID BACK THE LOAN, IT
MAINTAINS WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN
IN THE FUND. OKAY. SO MY SECOND
QUESTION WAS, SO THE CURBSIDE
PICKUP PROGRAM THAT YOU JUST
MENTIONED THAT YOU SAID WAS I
THINK IRVINE OR SOMEWHERE, IS
THAT WHERE IS THAT? IS THAT JUST
IN IRVINE OR IS IT IN OTHER
PARTS OF THE STATE? IT'S A
PILOT, RIGHT. IS THAT. YEAH.
YES. IT'S IT'S ONE OF THE PILOT
PROGRAMS AND THE CITY OF IRVINE
STARTED IT. AND ABOUT SIX OTHER
LOCAL JURISDICTIONS HAVE
ACTUALLY JOINED ON TO THAT SAME
PROGRAM IN THE GREATER ORANGE
COUNTY AREA. OKAY. SO HAS THERE
BEEN ANY ANALYSIS DONE ON, LIKE
THE CARBON FOOTPRINT FOR US TO
LIKE DRIVE OUT TO SOMEBODY'S
HOUSE AND PICK UP SOME BOTTLES
AND CANS AND THEN GIVE THEM A
REBATE, GIVE THEM THE REDEMPTION
VALUE. AND WHEN WE HAVE A WASTE
HAULER DRIVING LIKE RIGHT BY
THERE EVERY OTHER WEEK OR EVERY
WEEK, AND IT SEEMS LIKE TO ME
THAT I KNOW THAT THIS IS ONE OF
MY FRUSTRATIONS AND THIS IS NOT
JUST PERTAIN TO THIS AGENCY, BUT
YOU'RE IN A SILO, SO YOU DO WHAT
YOU GOT TO DO IN YOUR SILO TO
GET YOUR JOB DONE. BUT WE HAVE
WASTE AGREEMENTS THAT ARE IN
THEIR SILO, AND EVERYBODY'S LIKE
DOING ALL KINDS OF STUFF. AND AT
THE END OF THE DAY, IT DOESN'T
MAKE SENSE. WE COULD PICK IT ALL
UP AND, YOU KNOW, MAYBE COME UP
WITH A PROGRAM THAT'S LESS
IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND
ACTUALLY DOESN'T COST AS MUCH
MONEY TO OPERATE THE PROGRAM. SO
WE CAN ACTUALLY DO MORE, FOR
RECYCLING. YEAH. THANK YOU.
SENATOR. THE PILOTS WERE REALLY
SET UP TO TEST DIFFERENT TYPES
OF REDEMPTION AND ALLOW
CONSUMERS TO GET THEIR, THEIR
CRV BACK, AND THEY ARE TARGETED
IN AREAS THAT HAVE BEEN
TRADITIONALLY UNDERSERVED OR
WERE UNDERSERVED FOR A LONG TIME
BECAUSE OF RECYCLING CENTER
CLOSURES. SO OUR RECYCLING
CENTERS HAVE TO FOLLOW VERY
SPECIFIC RULES, AND THEY HAVE TO
USE VERY SPECIFIC MECHANISMS TO
OFFER REDEMPTION. AND THE PILOTS
WERE VERY MUCH SET UP TO TEST
DIFFERENT TYPES OF REDEMPTION
MODELS. WHAT WE HAVE WITH 1013
IS THE DEALER CO-OP OPTION,
WHERE THEY WILL BE ABLE TO DO A
PLAN AND CONSIDER JUST THE
THINGS THAT YOU'RE TALKING
ABOUT, WHICH IS HOW IS THE BEST
WAY TO GET CONSUMERS BACK THEIR
REDEMPTION AND OVERALL MEET THE
GOALS OF THE PLAN OF THE OF THE
PROGRAM IN A MUCH MORE
THOUGHTFUL WAY. BUT THE PILOTS
WERE REALLY JUST LOOKING AT DO
THESE OTHER TYPES OF REDEMPTION
MODELS WORK FOR CONSUMERS, AND
CAN THEY BE DEPLOYED IN
CALIFORNIA? AND SO ENDURING? SO
IF IT'S A TRUE PILOT, THEN
YOU'RE GOING TO BE TAKING INTO
CONSIDERATION YOUR CARBON
FOOTPRINT. I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY
EVERYBODY LOVES A PROGRAM WHERE
THEY COME TO YOUR HOUSE AND PICK
IT UP FOR YOU AND GIVE YOU SOME
MONEY, BUT IS THAT REALLY THE
BEST PROGRAM? I MEAN, WE,
SENATOR WIECKOWSKI, WHO DOGGED
THIS THING FOR A LONG TIME, WE
WORKED ON THE BOTTLE AND, YOU
KNOW, OREGON HAS A REALLY UNIQUE
PROCESS WHERE YOU PUT THE BOTTLE
IN AND IT GIVES YOU A
CERTIFICATE. YOU CAN GO IN THE
STORE AND SPEND IT RIGHT THERE
OR AND IT'S VERY EFFECTIVE. I
LIVE NOT VERY FAR FROM OREGON,
AND IT WORKS VERY WELL. AND WE
TALKED ABOUT THAT IN THIS
COMMITTEE, OVER THE YEARS. SO SO
I'M INTERESTED IN NOT I'M
INTERESTED IN EFFICIENT LEAST
IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT, AND
NOT HAVE NOT DUPLICATION. SO ARE
YOU GOING TO COME BACK TO US
WITH SOME REAL NUMBERS OF LIKE,
HEY, YOU KNOW, YEAH, THIS
PROGRAM IS REALLY POPULAR, BUT
THIS IS WHAT THIS IS HOW WE'RE
DOING IT. WE'RE RUNNING UP AND
DOWN THE STREET PICKING, YOU
KNOW, AND THAT'S A PERSON THAT'S
A VEHICLE THAT'S EXCHANGING. I
MEAN, THERE'S A LOT OF MOVING
PIECES THERE. AND IT SEEMS TO ME
THAT MAYBE THE WASTE HAULER
WOULD BE A BETTER WAY TO COLLECT
THE STUFF. AND MAYBE COMPENSATE
THEM. JUST A THOUGHT. AND IN
EVERY COMMUNITY THAT HAS
CURBSIDE RECYCLING, THE CURBSIDE
PROGRAM CAN TAKE CRV MATERIAL.
THIS THE ONLY DIFFERENCE HERE IS
THAT THE CONSUMER WOULD BE
GETTING THE CRV INSTEAD OF THE
WASTE HAULER. SO THAT'S THAT'S
THE MODEL THAT THE PILOTS. BUT
TO YOUR QUESTION ON THE PILOTS
AND OVERALL ANALYSIS, THE PILOTS
ARE EXTENDED THROUGH JUNE 2026.
AND AT THAT TIME, WE CAN DO A
LITTLE BIT MORE OF A THIS IS
WHAT WORKED HERE. THIS IS WHAT
WORKED IN OTHER COMMUNITIES. AND
HERE ARE THE LESSONS LEARNED AND
THE COST TO, THE PROGRAM. YES.
THANK YOU. OKAY. YEAH. I WANT TO
TALK ABOUT THE COMMINGLE RATE,
BUT BUT I CERTAINLY I THINK IT'S
APPROPRIATE IT IS APPROPRIATE TO
DO A FULL ANALYSIS AND
INCLUDING, YOU KNOW, POLLUTION
AND CARBON, YOU KNOW, IMPACTS
ASSOCIATED WITH, WITH PICKUP. SO
I AGREE WITH THAT SENTIMENT.
CERTAINLY ALL RIGHT. COMMINGLE
RATE, OKAY. SO I THINK YOU ALL
KNOW THAT THERE ARE A NUMBER OF
STAKEHOLDERS THAT HAVE BEEN
RAISING CONCERNS. YOU KNOW, AND
THE RECYCLE IS NOT GOING TO
RECALCULATE THE COMMINGLE RATE
SOON ENOUGH, I KNOW THAT, THAT
THE AT LEAST MY UNDERSTANDING IS
THE CURRENT PLAN IS NOT TO
RECALCULATE UNTIL SOMETIME IN
2025, AND IT WAS LAST
RECALCULATED, I THINK JULY
FIRST, 2023. SO YOU ALL USE DATA
COLLECTED OVER A 12 MONTH PERIOD
TO, TO CALCULATE THE RATE. AND
SO YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A 12
MONTH SAMPLE THAT ACCOUNTS FOR
ALL THE NEW PRODUCTS AND CHANGES
OF THE PROGRAM UNDER SB 13 AND
SB 353, IN EARLY 2025. SO I'D
LOVE IF YOU JUST PROVIDE AN
UPDATE ON HOW THINGS STAND ON
THIS. AND, AND THEN ALSO IF IT'S
POSSIBLE TO UPDATE THE COMMINGLE
RATE SOONER THAN 2025 AND WHAT
ALSO WHAT THE CONSEQUENCES MIGHT
BE TO OF RECALCULATING THE RATE
TOO SOON, SO YEAH, LET ME START
WITH THOSE QUESTIONS AND, GO TO
A COUPLE MORE. YEAH THANK YOU.
AND AS YOU MENTIONED, THE
COMMINGLED RATE IS WE DO AN
ANNUAL SURVEY EVERY SINGLE YEAR
ON WHAT'S COMING BACK IN
CURBSIDE. AND LOOK AT THE
PERCENTAGE OF CRV IN THAT
MATERIAL. AND AND THAT'S
ANALYZED AGAIN OVER 12 MONTHS.
AND THEN WE LOOK AT IF THERE'S
BEEN ANY MAJOR CHANGES AND THEN
CONSIDER A RATE CHANGE AS
MENTIONED. 1013 IS A NEW
PROGRAM. THERE ARE A LOT OF
UNKNOWNS WITH THE PROGRAM, BUT
WE DON'T HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON
CONSUMER BEHAVIOR, UNDER THE NEW
PROGRAM. AND SO THAT'S WHERE
WE'RE LOOKING AT A 12 MONTH
PERIOD, WHICH SHOWS SEASONALITY
AND GEOGRAPHICAL DIFFERENCES,
ETC, OVER THIS NEXT YEAR AND
WE'LL CONSIDER THAT FOR THE RATE
IN 2025, AS YOU MENTIONED. AND
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THOSE WHO WHO
FEEL AS THOUGH YOU'RE NOT
RECALCULATING THE RATE SOON
ENOUGH? WELL AGAIN, WE WANT TO
BE AS ACCURATE AS POSSIBLE AND
RIGHT NOW, AGAIN, IT WOULD BE A
COMPLETE GUESS ON WHAT CONSUMERS
ARE GOING TO DO WITH THE NEW
CONTAINERS IN THE PROGRAM. SOME
OF THOSE CONTAINERS HAVE A 25
CENT REDEMPTION, WHICH IS WAY
MORE THAN THAN WE'VE EVER SEEN
IN THE PAST. AND ONE, OF COURSE,
MOST OF THOSE BOTTLES ARE $0.10.
WE DO SEE A LOT OF WINE IN
CURBSIDE, BUT WHICH MEANS THAT
CONSUMERS WANT TO RECYCLE IT.
AND IT MAKES SENSE THAT SOME OF
THOSE CONSUMERS ARE GOING TO
WANT TO TAKE THOSE BOTTLES TO
RECYCLING CENTERS. AND SO REALLY
TRYING TO FIGURE THAT OUT, IT
WOULD BE A RANDOM GUESS FOR US
TO TRY TO CONCLUDE WHAT THE
CONSUMERS ARE GOING TO DO.
TRADITIONALLY IN OUR PROGRAM, WE
SEE ABOUT 60% OF THE GLASS
REDEEMED AT RECYCLING CENTERS
VERSUS CURBSIDE, WHICH IS ABOUT
30, AND THEN 10% OF OUR OTHER
COMMUNITY PROGRAMS, ETC. BUT
MOST OF THE MATERIAL DOES COME
THROUGH OUR RECYCLING CENTERS.
YEAH. AND THAT'S WHAT WE EXPECT
TO HAPPEN UNDER THIS PROGRAM AS
WELL. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU FOR
THAT. AND I WOULD I WANT TO GO
ON TO THE QUESTION OF QUALITY OF
MATERIAL, YOU KNOW, I KNOW I
KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF PRESSURE
TO UP THE RATE AND, BUT THERE
BUT, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE
CONCERNS IS JUST THE, THE EXTENT
TO WHICH YOU MAY BE GETTING A
LOT OF POOR QUALITY MATERIALS
THAT JUST SIMPLY AREN'T
RECYCLABLE. AND, SO, SO, YEAH,
SO, SO TO WHAT EXTENT OR WHEN
YOU DO LOOK AT COMMINGLED RATES,
ARE YOU ABLE TO LOOK AT THE
QUALITY OF THE MATERIAL? THAT'S
AN EXCELLENT QUESTION. OUR
METHODOLOGY WAS ESTABLISHED IN
THE 90S, AND WE HAVE NOT UPDATED
THAT METHODOLOGY FOR QUITE SOME
TIME. BUT WE DO NOT CONSIDER
QUALITY WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT
THE CURBSIDE RATE. SO IT'S
REPRESENTATION OF THE AMOUNT OF
MATERIAL IN THE CURBSIDE BALE.
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROCESS,
WE DON'T LOOK AT THE QUALITY OF
THE MATERIAL, THROUGH THAT
PROCESS. SO I MEAN, ISN'T THAT
KIND OF CRAZY GIVEN YOUR GOALS,
IT'S A IT'S A PART OF THE
PROCESS. AND WE DO RECOGNIZE
THERE IS A DIFFERENCE IN QUALITY
BETWEEN OUR RECYCLING CENTERS.
AGAIN, THEY HAVE VERY STRICT
RULES ABOUT HOW THEY'RE TO
MANAGE MATERIAL. AND AS A
RESULT, THE MATERIAL THAT COMES
OUT OF RECYCLING CENTERS IS
EXTREMELY HIGH QUALITY AND IT'S
ABLE TO BE RECYCLED AT A VERY
HIGH RATE, WHICH MEANS IT
ACTUALLY BECOMES OTHER PRODUCTS.
RIGHT, WE DON'T SEE THAT SAME
WHETHER YOU'RE LOOKING AT GLASS
OR PLASTIC, THERE IS A
DIFFERENCE IN THE QUALITY THAT
COMES THROUGH THE CURBSIDE
PROGRAM. RIGHT. AND SO HOW SO
WHAT'S THE PLAN TO ADDRESS THAT?
I MEAN, YOU MENTIONED THE REGS
YOU'RE WORKING OFF OF ARE FROM
THE 90S, WE GOT TO DO BETTER. I
MEAN, YOU KNOW. IN ORDER TO
CONSIDER THAT AGAIN, WE WOULD
NEED TO LOOK AT OUR METHODOLOGY
AND GO THROUGH AND UPDATE THE
METHODOLOGY. AND WHO DOES THAT,
IN THE PAST, WHEN IT WAS
ORIGINALLY SET, IT WAS WE HAD A
CONTRACT AND DID AN ANALYSIS
WITH, I BELIEVE IT WAS UC
BERKELEY. IT WAS ONE OF THE UCS.
YES. DIDN'T DID THE RESEARCH
STUDY BACK IN THE EARLY. SO HOW
DO WE ENCOURAGE THAT PROCESS
ALONG? AND, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT
BIG THINGS COMING DOWN THE
PIPELINE WITH SB 54 AND OTHER,
YOU KNOW, I THINK YOU'RE FEELING
A LOT OF MANY MEMBERS OF THE
LEGISLATURE REALLY WANT TO SEE
THIS SYSTEM WORK BETTER. AND I'M
SITTING NEXT TO A GREAT CHAMPION
ON THAT TOPIC, TOO. YOU GET A
LOT OF JUST CRAP THAT'S GETTING
PUSHED INTO THE SYSTEM, MAKING
IT HARDER FOR OUR WHOLE SYSTEM
TO WORK AND MAKING IT HARDER FOR
YOU TO DO YOUR JOB. AND SO HOW
DO WE HOW DO WE ENCOURAGE THIS
REEVALUATION ASAP? WELL, THAT'S
SOMETHING WE CAN GO BACK AND
LOOK AT OUR AUTHORITY AND WHAT
WE'RE ABLE TO DO. AGAIN, IT
WOULD BE A WELL, WE'LL WE'LL
NEED TO LOOK AT WHAT WE CAN DO
TO UPDATE THE METHODOLOGY, AND
WE CAN DEFINITELY GET BACK TO
YOU. OKAY. I'D LOVE TO PARTNER
WITH YOU. I'M SURE MY COLLEAGUES
FEEL THE SAME WAY, WE WANT TO
SEE THE SYSTEM WORK BETTER.
THANK YOU, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT,
IT'S NOT NOT WORKING AT TIP TOP
RIGHT NOW. AND THERE'S SOME REAL
CHANGES, I THINK, THAT NEED TO
BE MADE. AND I LOOK FORWARD TO
THE LEADERSHIP ROLE THAT YOU'RE
GOING TO PLAY. WE COULD PLAY
TOGETHER ON THIS TOPIC. THAT'S
THAT'S THAT'S MY LINE OF
QUESTIONING. AND I APPRECIATE
THE CHAIR'S INDULGENCE. SENATOR
BREAKSPEAR. YES. THANK YOU. YES.
THANK YOU. I AM A NEW MEMBER OF
THIS BUDGET SUB AND A RELATIVELY
NEW LEGISLATOR. THIS IS MY
SECOND YEAR, I'M VERY INTERESTED
IN US AS A STATE DOING BETTER.
AND I APPRECIATE THE COMMENTS
ABOUT WHAT OREGON IS DOING. AND
HAVING BEEN IN OREGON. MY SISTER
LIVES IN PORTLAND AND WITNESSED
SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE
HAPPENING IN THE PRIVATE
COMPANIES THAT ARE ABLE TO FILL
IN THE GAPS WHERE OUR WASTE
HAULERS ARE NOT SERVING THE
COMMUNITIES. I THINK OUR WASTE
HAULERS ARE DOING REALLY
IMPORTANT WORK AND THE
COMPLIANCE WITH SB 1383 AND
UPCOMING SB 54 IS IT'S REALLY
IMPORTANT, BUT I THINK I JUST
WANT TO MAKE THE GENERAL
COMMENTS THAT THAT CAL RECYCLES
ROLE IS SO PIVOTAL IN DRIVING.
WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF THIS AND
MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE NOT, YOU
KNOW, DISTRACTED WITH ANCILLARY
THINGS AND REALLY GETTING AT
PEOPLE WANT TO SAVE THE PLANET.
THEY WANT TO RECYCLE. THEY WANT
THEIR WINE BOTTLE TO BE
REUTILIZED INTO ANOTHER WINE
BOTTLE AND HOW IS THE BEST WAY
FOR US TO FACILITATE THAT? IT
SEEMS LIKE WE USED TO HAVE THESE
RECYCLING CENTERS THAT HAVE
LARGELY CLOSED. I MEAN, IN MY
COMMUNITY, THE NUMBER WHEN I
SERVED AS THE MAYOR OF MY CITY,
THE NUMBER OF TIMES I RECEIVED
COMPLAINTS ABOUT THAT AROUND THE
COVID TIME AND BEFORE THAT, LIKE
WHAT? WHY IS IT THAT WE'RE NOT
ABLE TO REVITALIZE THOSE, AND,
AND HAVE THAT BE SOMETHING
THAT'S A NORMAL PART OF OUR, OF
OUR SYSTEM THAT PEOPLE CAN
EASILY ACCESS RECYCLING CENTERS,
BUT BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW,
RECOGNIZING THAT WE'RE NOT WE'RE
WE ARE REALLY FALLING SHORT OF
OUR ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS. AND AND
HEARING FROM YOU, WHAT IS THE
BEST THING THAT THE LEGISLATURE
CAN DO TO TRY TO SUPPORT THAT,
AND BEING FOCUSED ON THAT END
GOAL OF NOT HAVING SO MUCH STUFF
LANDFILLED. I MEAN, REALLY
ULTIMATELY THE LANDFILLING OF
JUST VAST AMOUNTS OF RECYCLABLE
AND COMPOSTABLE OR DIGESTIBLE
MATERIAL THAT'S CREATING METHANE
AND THAT IS NOT BEING UTILIZED.
YOU KNOW, IT'S A ONE WAY SYSTEM
THAT IS NOT SERVING US IN ANY
WAY. SO YOU KNOW, THE COMPLEXITY
AROUND THIS CAN BE HARD TO
FIGURE OUT WHERE EXACTLY TO
MOVE. BUT I TO ME, IT SEEMS LIKE
WE CAL RECYCLE IS SO CENTRAL TO
THAT. SO I JUST I WANTED TO
SUPPORT YOUR WORK BUT ALSO SAY
THAT I HOPE THAT WE'RE, THAT
WE'RE REALLY BEING CLEAR EYED
ABOUT WHERE WE NEED TO DO BETTER
AND, AND FOR THE EXPERTS WHO
WORK IN IT EVERY DAY, HOW WE CAN
HOW YOU CAN HELP US GET THERE.
ABSOLUTELY THANK YOU FOR THAT,
SENATOR. IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE
ARE DEFINITELY COGNIZANT OF IS,
YOU KNOW, DEVELOPING THE
CIRCULAR ECONOMY, NOT JUST
FOCUSED ON COLLECTION OR ANY ONE
PROGRAM, BUT HOW DO WE GET TO
OUR OVERALL GOALS AND THE
LEGISLATURE AND THROUGH THE
GOVERNOR'S BUDGET LAST YEAR, DID
DID DIRECT CALRECYCLE TO DEVELOP
A ZERO WASTE PLAN, WHICH WE WILL
BE COMING BACK IN TO THE
LEGISLATURE WITH IN 2026. SO
WE'RE DEVELOPING THAT PLAN NOW
AND LOOKING AT JUST WHAT YOU'RE
TALKING ABOUT. WHERE ARE THOSE
GAPS? WHY AREN'T WE MEETING OUR
OUR ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS, WHERE
WE ARE FALLING SHORT, AND HOW
CAN WE FILL THOSE GAPS AND GET
TO OUR OVERALL GOALS? THANK YOU.
EXCELLENT. WELL, VERY ROBUST
DISCUSSION AND WE HAVE A LOT OF
PASSION ON THIS ISSUE HERE. AND
I APPRECIATE ALL YOUR WORK. WE
DO HAVE A WHOLE OPEN
RECOMMENDATION, ON THAT. SO
WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ISSUE.
BUT THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR YOUR
TIME. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK
YOU. THE NEXT ISSUE IS ISSUE 23
PLUGGING AND WELL REMEDIATION.
AND SO, I WILL ASK THE
DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION TO
COME ON UP. AND THAT'S MISTER, I
BELIEVE YOU ARE THE STATE OIL
AND GAS SUPERVISOR. IS THAT
CORRECT? CORRECT. EXCELLENT.
THANK YOU. YEAH, MAYBE YOU
COULD. YEAH, YEAH. GO AHEAD AND
GIVE US SOME ADDITIONAL
COMMENTS. THAT'D BE WONDERFUL.
SURE. GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU.
MY NAME IS DOUG ITO. I'M THE
STATE OIL AND GAS SUPERVISOR FOR
THE CALIFORNIA GEOLOGIC ENERGY
MANAGEMENT DIVISION, OR CAL GEM,
AS PART OF THE DEPARTMENT OF
CONSERVATION, THIS PARTICULAR
BUDGET PROPOSAL REQUEST, THE
DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION IS
REQUESTING $7.5 MILLION FOR
FISCAL YEARS 2425 AND 2526 FROM
THE OIL, GAS AND GEOTHERMAL
ADMINISTRATIVE FUND TO IMPLEMENT
MANDATES RELATED TO THE PLUG IN
ABANDONMENT OF HAZARDOUS AND
IDLE DESERTED WELLS, ACROSS THE
STATE. IN ADDITION, IT'S
CONSISTENT WITH THE PROPOSED
SHIFT OF THE 23, 24, 50,000,001
TIME GENERAL FUND APPROPRIATION
FOR THIS PURPOSE TO THE,
GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION FUND IN
2425, THE DEPARTMENT IS ALSO
REQUESTING A TRAILER BILL
LANGUAGE TO AMEND SECTION 3258,
FOR CONSISTENCY WITH THIS
CHANGE. THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
FOREIGN FINANCE. ANY COMMENTS?
ZACK? THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE
AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS YOU
MAY HAVE. THANK YOU. LUKE
KUSHMARO, THE LEGISLATIVE
ANALYST OFFICE. WE DO NOT HAVE
ANY CONCERNS WITH THIS PROPOSAL,
BUT AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU. OKAY, GREAT, YOU KNOW
, DO YOU HAVE, A QUESTION? SO
AGAIN, THIS IS, 7.5 MILLION
ANNUALLY FOR TWO YEARS, AND THE
PROPOSAL INCLUDES A ONE TIME
SHIFT OF $50 MILLION FROM
GENERAL FUND TO GRF FOR THESE
PURPOSES. OBVIOUSLY, THIS IS
VERY, IMPORTANT TOPIC. AND, OUR
COLLEAGUE, SENATOR LAMONT HAS
BEEN A BIG, BIG LEADER ON THIS
EFFORT IN THE, IN THE, IN THE
SENATE, BUT MY QUESTION FOR THE
ADMINISTRATION AND FOR THE
DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE IS WHY DO
YOU BELIEVE THAT GRF, FUNDS ARE
AN APPROPRIATE, GENERAL FUND
REPLACEMENT FOR A TOPIC SUCH AS
THIS? PLUGGING WELLS AND SITE
REMEDIATION THAT THE DEPARTMENT
OF FINANCE. SO, BROADLY
SPEAKING, THE ADMINISTRATION
LOOKED AT WHAT GENERAL FUND
PROGRAMS STILL HAVE FUNDING
AVAILABLE THAT ALIGN WITH THE
ADMINISTRATION'S PRIORITIES,
INCLUDING THOSE THAT SUPPORT
EQUITY, MEET GREENHOUSE GAS,
GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION GOALS
AND OR HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY BEEN
FUNDED OUT OF GRF, I JUST NOTE
THAT THE STATE THE STATE HAS
DOCUMENTED OVER 17,000 WELLS
THAT HAVE BEEN IDLE FOR OVER 15
YEARS AND OVER 5000 WELLS THAT
ARE ORPHANED, DESERTED, OR
POTENTIALLY DESERTED. WELLS
WHICH LEFT UNREMEDIATED AS YOU
MAY ALL KNOW, THESE WELLS AND
FACILITIES CAN CONTAMINATE
WATERWAYS AND SOILS, SERVE AS A
SOURCE OF CLIMATE AND AIR
POLLUTANTS, AND CAN PRESENT
PHYSICAL HAZARDS TO PEOPLE AND
WILDLIFE. SO ACCORDINGLY, WE
FEEL AS THE ADMINISTRATION THAT
THIS IS CONSISTENT WITH THE
PROGRAM BEING SUPPORTED THROUGH
GRF. OKAY, I APPRECIATE THAT. I
MEAN, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THERE
ARE ONE OF THE ONE OF OUR,
PRIORITIES AROUND PLUGGING THEM
IS THEIR ARE THEIR METHANE LEAKS
FROM ABANDONED AND UNPLUGGED
WELLS. SO, OBVIOUSLY RELATED TO
CLIMATE FROM THAT SENSE, BUT
THERE CERTAINLY ARE OTHER MORE
FOCUSED DIRECT PROGRAMS ON, ON
CLIMATE MITIGATION THAT THAT,
YOU KNOW, WE'LL GET PUSHED OUT
OF GRF BECAUSE OF THIS, WHICH IS
SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO KEEP
IN MIND. I THINK THAT'S, YOU
KNOW, ON THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE,
PROBABLY THE ONLY QUESTIONS I
HAVE. DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS
FROM MY COLLEAGUES? SENATOR
DARLING, THANK YOU. SO I'M.
FIRST OF ALL, I GOT A COUPLE
QUESTIONS. I'VE BEEN ON THIS
COMMITTEE NOW FOR SOME TIME, AND
SENATOR STERN AND I, OVER THE
YEARS, WE'VE HAVE FUNDED
POSITIONS FOR CAL CHEN TO GO OUT
AND ACTUALLY. SO I WANT TO FIRST
LET'S TALK ABOUT THE MONEY,
ISN'T THERE A FUND AVAILABLE
THAT THE ACTUAL OIL REFINERS AND
OIL PRODUCERS PUT INTO TO DO THE
LEGACY OR WELLS THAT WERE THAT
NOBODY'S RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT
WERE DONE? A LONG, LONG TIME AGO
? AS PART OF THE IDA WELL
MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, YES. SO
THERE AND THAT'S FUNDED NOT BY
GRF FUNDS. THAT'S FUNDED BY
PRODUCERS AND REFINERS THAT PUT
INTO THE FUND TO TAKE CARE OF
THOSE THAT THAT WAS SETTLED SOME
TIME AGO. CORRECT THAT'S
CORRECT. HOW MANY OF THOSE WELLS
HAVE WE ACTUALLY MITIGATED AND
CAPPED. AND IN THE LAST YEAR,
WELL, SPECIFIC TO THE GENERAL
FUND AMOUNT AND. NO, NO, I'M
TALKING ABOUT HOW THE LET'S JUST
PUT IT THIS WAY, HOW MANY WELLS
HAVE BEEN DONE IN CALIFORNIA IN
THE LAST 12 MONTHS. SO WE ARE IN
THE FINAL STAGES OF A CONTRACT
THAT WE STARTED BACK IN 20 2223,
IN THE CAT CANYON AREA OF
CALIFORNIA, IT WAS A TOTAL OF
172 WELLS. WE'VE PLUGGED AND
ABANDONED NEARLY 170 WITH THE
REST OF THEM ANTICIPATED TO BE
DONE BY THE END OF THIS YEAR. SO
SINCE AND THAT CAME OUT OF WHICH
FUND, THAT IS A COMBINATION OF
BOTH STATE, FEDERAL AND THE
INDUSTRY FUNDS AND HOW MANY
WELLS ARE LEFT TO PLUG IN TOTAL
IN THE STATE. YEAH, THERE THERE
ARE MANY. I DON'T HAVE AN EXACT
NUMBER FOR YOU. IN ADDITION, ONE
OF THE NUMBERS THAT WE HAD
PUBLISHED PREVIOUSLY, 5300, I
BELIEVE, ORPHANED WELLS, WE ARE
CONTINUALLY REEVALUATING THAT.
WE ARE ALSO TAKING A LOOK AT THE
IDLE WELL TRENDS IN THE STATE,
WHICH, AS OPERATORS GO, DEFUNCT
AND IT BECOMES A RESPONSIBILITY
OF THE STATE TO TAKE A LOOK AT,
WE ADD THOSE TO THE LIST. SO THE
NUMBER IS SHIFTING, BUT WE COULD
PROVIDE A CURRENT NUMBER TO YOU
AS A FOLLOW UP. WELL, BECAUSE
I'VE BEEN, MONITORING THIS THE
WHOLE TIME I'VE BEEN ON THIS
COMMITTEE BECAUSE WE EVERY YEAR
WE ADD MORE POSITIONS TO WE HAVE
ADDED LIKE SINCE COVID, WHICH IS
2019. WHEN I CAME ON TO THIS
COMMITTEE, WE ASKED FOR LIKE 50
POSITIONS EVERY YEAR. AND EVERY
YEAR I GO, HOW MANY DID YOU HIRE
IN ONE YEAR? IT WAS LIKE THREE
PEOPLE. THE NEXT YEAR IT WAS
THREE, BUT WE STILL ASKED FOR
ANOTHER 50 POSITIONS, AND I'M
INTERESTED IN GETTING THE WORK
DONE. AND SO I KNOW THAT THERE
ARE WELLS THAT ARE, RESPONSIBLE
BY SOMEBODY WHO ACTUALLY DRILLED
THE WELL, AND THEY HAVE TO TAKE
CARE OF THE WELL. THEN THERE'S
WELLS THAT OR I GUESS ORPHAN
WELLS. WELLS THAT WERE DRILLED
100 YEARS AGO THAT THAT NOBODY
OWNS AND OR THERE'S NO THERE'S
NO FUND THERE FOR IT TO, TO PICK
UP. AND THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT
WE ARE, WE'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR,
FOR TAKING CARE OF. SO THAT'S MY
CONCERN IS I WANT TO MAKE SURE
THAT WE GET THIS JOB DONE. I
MEAN, TO ME, IT'S LIKE WE'VE
BEEN MESSING AROUND FOR A LONG
TIME, AT LEAST THE FIVE YEARS
I'VE BEEN IN THIS COMMITTEE
TALKING ABOUT IT. AND WE DID 170
WELLS. WELL THERE HAVE BEEN MANY
WELLS PLUGGED AND ABANDONED. NOT
NECESSARILY THROUGH THIS
PARTICULAR FUND, BUT OTHER FUNDS
AND OPERATORS HAVE, AS PART OF
THE IDA WELL MANAGEMENT PROGRAM,
FUNDED THE PLUG AND ABANDONMENT
OF THOSE WELLS AS WELL. SO AND
WHO KEEPS TRACK OF ALL THAT?
DOES DAUGER DO THAT OR CAL CHEN
DAUGER WAS THE PREVIOUS NAME OF
CAL JIM. SO WE HAVE THOSE
RECORDS AND WE CAN PROVIDE AN
UPDATED. I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE
THAT INFORMATION BECAUSE, YOU
KNOW, WE HAD A BILL THAT LIMÓN
HAD A BILL UP JUST THE OTHER
DAY, AND WE TALKED ABOUT
CONTAMINATION OF GROUNDWATER AND
I'M CONCERNED ABOUT FRESH WATER,
NOT NOT THE DEEP STUFF THAT THE
WATER THAT COMES WITH THE OIL.
I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE WATER
THAT IS ABOVE THAT. AND I WAS
THE ONLY REPUBLICAN IN THIS
WHOLE LEGISLATURE THAT VOTED FOR
SB FOUR, WHICH WAS A BILL THAT
FRAN PAVLEY RAN THAT SAID, HEY,
WHAT ARE YOU PUTTING IN THE
GROUND? BECAUSE I WAS CONCERNED
ABOUT IT. SO I'M NOT WANTING TO
SHUT DOWN WELLS THAT ARE TAKING
WATER. THAT'S WITH THE OIL AND
PUTTING THE WATER BACK DOWN
WHERE THE OIL IS AT. I JUST WANT
TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE TAKING
CARE OF OUR FRESH WATER, WHICH
IS WHAT OUR COMMUNITIES USE, AND
OUR AG PEOPLE USE. AND I THINK
THAT'S WHAT THE SENATOR LIMÓN
WAS TRYING TO GET OUT THE OTHER
DAY. SO AT THE SAME TIME, WE
NEED TO GET RID OF THESE ORPHAN
WELLS AND PLUG THEM. AND SO I'M
NOT SATISFIED WITH THE AMOUNT OF
WELLS THAT ARE GETTING DONE WITH
THE AMOUNT OF MONEY WE PUT INTO
THE PROCESS. AND IS IT A LACK OF
MONEY, OR IS IT A LACK OF
PEOPLE? THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING
TO FIGURE OUT BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN
ADDING PEOPLE EVERY YEAR, AND AT
SOME POINT WE ADDED THE
POSITIONS, BUT THEY DON'T GET
FILLED. SO ARE YOU DO YOU HAVE
ANY OPEN POSITIONS? DO YOU HAVE
WE HAD 24 VACANCIES ACROSS CAL
JAM CURRENTLY, AND ARE YOU
ASKING FOR MORE POSITIONS THIS
YEAR? WE ARE OKAY. SO IF I, IF I
MIGHT YEAH I WANT TO I WANT TO
HELP YOU TELL ME WHAT YOU I MEAN
WE ALLOCATED POSITIONS EVERY
YEAR AND SOME YEARS WE DIDN'T
GET BUT THREE POSITIONS FILLED
AND THE OIL FOLKS PUSHED BACK ON
THAT BECAUSE THEY'RE PAYING THE
BILL. THEY PAY THEY THEY'RE THE
ONES THAT PAY THE BILL ON SOME
OF THIS, NOT THE NOT THE MAYBE
THE GRF FUNDS, BUT THEY DO PAY
INTO THE PROGRAM. RIGHT. AND I
WOULD BE HAPPY TO PROVIDE A MORE
DETAILED, OVERVIEW OF KIND OF
WHERE ALL THE POSITIONS WENT AND
WHAT THEY'RE CURRENTLY DOING.
BUT, IN BROAD TERMS, YOU KNOW,
MANY OF THOSE POSITIONS HAVE
GONE OUT INTO THE FIELD TO
ADDRESS FIELD INSPECTIONS, TO DO
THE WITNESSING OF OPERATIONS
THAT THE OPERATORS DO ON A PER
WELL BASIS, I DID WANT TO
HIGHLIGHT THAT THIS YEAR, AT THE
END OF LAST YEAR, WE DID KICK
OFF OUR STATE ABANDONMENT
PROGRAM, WHICH IS A FRAMEWORK
WHERE WE'RE GOING TO BE USING
FUNDS THAT WE GET EITHER STATE,
FEDERAL OR, THE, THE, THE
FUNDING FROM THE OPERATORS TO
PLUG IN ABANDONED ORPHAN WELLS.
WE HAVE THREE CONTRACTS THAT ARE
CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS. ONE OF
THEM IS ON THE VERGE OF BEING
COMPLETED FOR SOUTHERN, CENTRAL
AND NORTHERN DISTRICTS TO PLUG
SEVERAL HUNDRED WELLS OVER THE
NEXT YEAR OR TWO, AND THAT'S
PART OF THE GENERAL FUND MONEY,
BUT IT'S ALSO FEDERAL GRANTS
THAT WE'VE BEEN RECEIVING. AND
THEN ALSO THE MONEY FROM THE
OPERATORS. OKAY. SO, I WOULD
LOVE TO SEE MORE INFORMATION.
UNFORTUNATELY THIS IS BE THE
LAST TIME WE GET AN OPPORTUNITY
TO OR I GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO
WEIGH IN BECAUSE I'M GOING TO BE
TERMING OUT AFTER THIS YEAR. BUT
I REALLY THINK THAT FOR THE
PUBLIC'S, YOU KNOW, THAT WE A
LOT OF THE LEGISLATORS, YOU
KNOW, TAKE TARGET AT OIL
PRODUCERS IN CALIFORNIA, BUT
THEY'RE AT THE TABLE. AND WHAT I
HEAR FROM THEM IS THAT THEY'RE
FRUSTRATED THAT THEY'RE PAYING
AND NOTHING'S GETTING THEY'RE
NOT GETTING THE WORK DONE THAT
NEEDS TO GET DONE. ON THE BANDIT
WELLS AND THAT PART OF IT. AND
AT THE SAME TIME, AS A SOMEBODY
WHO USES DIESEL ON MY FARM EVERY
DAY, I PAY INTO THE GRF FUND.
AND IF WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT
THE ENVIRONMENT, WE NEED TO TAKE
CARE OF THESE ABANDONED WELLS
THAT ARE THE MAY BE CAUSING SOME
OF OUR ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS.
AND THAT THOSE FUNDS. SO THE
FUNDS YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE,
WHICH I THINK SHOULD GO TO MAYBE
SOME OF THOSE PROGRAMS, IF WE
CAN REDUCE, THE POLLUTION. SO
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN, FOR
ALLOWING ME. YEAH, I'D LOVE TO
HAVE SOME MORE BACKGROUND. AND
IF IT'S YOU REALLY BE
TRANSPARENT IF YOU ARE ASKING
FOR POSITIONS. BUT YOU CAN'T
FILL THEM, THEN WE NEED TO FIND
OUT WHY IS THE TALENT NOT THERE
OR YOU HARD TO WORK FOR, OR
WHAT'S THE DEAL? I MEAN, THAT'S
WHAT WE SAY IN THE PRIVATE
WORLD. MAYBE YOUR PAY IS GOOD,
BUT THEY JUST DON'T LIKE WORKING
FOR YOU OR WHAT'S WHAT'S THE
ISSUE? BECAUSE EVERY YEAR YOU
ASK FOR MORE POSITIONS AND EVERY
YEAR I ASK HOW MANY ARE FILLED.
AND THERE'S ALWAYS VACANT
POSITIONS AND OBVIOUSLY I'M GLAD
THAT THERE'S ONLY 24, BECAUSE IN
THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS THERE
WERE 50 OR MORE, AND YOU'RE
ASKING FOR ANOTHER 50 POSITIONS.
YEAH, WE ARE ABOUT A 14% VACANCY
RATE, AND MANY OF THE VACANCIES
ARE BEING FILLED BY PEOPLE THAT
ARE INSIDE CAL JAM. AND SO WE DO
HAVE SOME OF A KIND OF A
PROMOTION AND, INTERNAL,
FLIPPING OF POSITIONS WHICH
CREATE THE VACANCIES. BUT I
UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, WE ARE
VERY SENSITIVE OF THAT AND, ARE
PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION TO MAKING
SURE THAT OUR HIRING PROCESS IS
EFFICIENT. THANK YOU, YEAH. I
JUST WANT TO SAY I DO APPRECIATE
THE LINE OF QUESTIONING. AND,
BECAUSE THEY CERTAINLY WERE NOT
GOING TO APPROVE FOR MYSELF ANY
BUDGET UNTIL WE REALLY SEE SOME
OF THE FIRM NUMBERS ABOUT THAT.
YOU REFERRED TO, THAT YOU'LL GET
TO US ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY
HAVE BEEN PLUGGED, HOW MANY
REMAIN TO BE PLUGGED BECAUSE WE
JUST REALLY WANT TO SEE THAT
THAT DATA AND I KNOW THAT,
THERE'S BEEN CONCERNS THAT A LOT
OF THE REPORTS ARE OFTEN LATE,
AND I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S
STAFFING OR, OR WHATEVER, BUT
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I, THAT I,
THAT I, THAT I HAVE CONCERNED
AND I KNOW, I KNOW THE
DEPARTMENT FEEL LIKE THAT WE'RE
SORT OF ACCELERATING THE, THE
PLUGGING. AND I KNOW INDUSTRY
FEELS THAT, THAT IT'S NOT
ACCELERATING. SO, I THINK
THERE'S A BIT OF A DISCREPANCY
THERE. SO ANYWAY, WE'D LOVE TO
SEE, THE NUMBERS ABOUT, YOU
KNOW, HOW MUCH HAS BEEN DONE,
HOW MUCH REMAINS TO BE DONE, AND
YOU'RE KIND OF OVERALL ESTIMATE
OF THE SIZE OF THE, OF THE ISSUE
AT THIS MOMENT AS BEST AS YOU
CAN RIGHT NOW, THE. YEAH. SO I
THINK WE'LL LEAVE THAT, THAT FOR
, FOR RIGHT NOW. BUT HOW LONG DO
YOU THINK THAT WILL TAKE TO GET
THE REPORTING OF THAT? IT
SHOULDN'T TAKE LONG. WE HAVE WE
HAVE THOSE NUMBERS BACK AT THE
OFFICE. OKAY. GREAT. EXCELLENT,
EXCELLENT, OKAY. WELL, WITH
THAT, WE DO HAVE A HOLD OPEN
RECOMMENDATION HERE, SO WE'LL
LOOK FORWARD TO FOLLOWING UP.
AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
THANK YOU, THANKS. WE'LL NOW
MOVE TO ISSUE 24. AND I'LL ASK
THE, PARKS AND RECREATION.
FOLKS, TO COME UP, I BELIEVE MR.
MISTER DEWEY, ASSISTANT DEPUTY
DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES AND
DEVELOPMENT, GO AHEAD WHEN
YOU'RE READY. SO THERE WE GO.
GOOD MORNING, CHAIR MEMBERS. MY
NAME IS BRIAN DEWEY. I'M THE
ASSISTANT DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR
FACILITIES AND DEVELOPMENT
DIVISION AT CALIFORNIA STATE
PARKS. I'M GOING TO PROVIDE A
BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE PROJECT AT
MALAKOFF DIGGINS STATE HISTORIC
PARK, AND ALSO TRY TO, CLARIFY
AND PROVIDE SOME BACKGROUND AS
TO WHY THIS PROJECT IS SO URGENT
AND NEEDED AT THIS AT THIS TIME,
STATE PARKS IS REQUESTING 16
MILLION, I'M SORRY, 6 MILLION
GENERAL FUND IN THE BUDGET YEAR
AND 1.5 MILLION GENERAL FUND AND
25, 26 AND 2627 TO INSTALL AND
MAINTAIN IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE
NEEDED TO ADDRESS THE MOST
SIGNIFICANT ONGOING IMPACTS
CAUSED BY LEGACY MINING
ACTIVITIES AT THIS PARK AND HELP
THE DEPARTMENT COMPLY WITH CLEAN
WATER ACT AND CENTRAL VALLEY
REGIONAL WATER QUALITY CONTROL
BOARD DISCHARGE REQUIREMENTS.
MALAKOFF DIGGINS IS ONE OF THE
DEPARTMENT'S MOST ICONIC AND
HIGHEST RISK SITES. LEGACY. MINE
SITES PRIMARILY BECAUSE OF THE
SITE'S HISTORY AND GEOLOGICAL
FEATURES, INCLUDING HIGHLY
EROSIVE SOILS, PRESENCE OF TOXIC
CHEMICALS IN THE SOIL, AND ITS
LOCATION WITHIN THE WATERSHED.
TO DATE, THE STATE HAS STATE
PARKS, HAS BEEN ABLE TO AVOID
WATER BOARD PENALTIES AND FINES,
LARGELY BECAUSE OF THE PROGRESS
AND EFFORTS WE HAVE MADE TO
IMPROVE WATER QUALITY OVER THE
YEARS. THE CURRENT DISCHARGE
PERMIT EXPIRES IN 2027, AND ALL
RENEWAL OPTIONS HAVE BEEN
EXHAUSTED. THE NEXT PHASE OF
IMPROVEMENTS ARE EXPECTED TO
ACHIEVE COMPLIANCE WITH THE
DISCHARGE LIMITS FOR COPPER,
ZINC, NICKEL AND MERCURY. IF
CONSTRUCTED BEFORE THE CURRENT
PERMIT EXPIRES. WHILE THE
PROJECT IS NOT EXPECTED TO
ACHIEVE MINIMUM WATER QUALITY
REQUIREMENTS FOR SEDIMENT, THE
INITIAL PROJECT WILL
SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE AMOUNT
OF SEDIMENT COMING OUT OF THE
PIT. IF THIS PROJECT IS DELAYED,
A YEAR OR MORE, IT WILL NOT BE
POSSIBLE FOR THE DEPARTMENT TO
ACHIEVE SUBSTANTIAL COMPLIANCE
BY THE 2027 DEADLINE, LIKELY
RESULTING IN SIGNIFICANT
PENALTIES. BUT MOREOVER, THE
WATER QUALITY QUALITY ISSUES I
JUST MENTIONED AND HEALTH RISKS
WILL PERSIST UNTIL THE SOURCE IS
ADDRESSED. AND WITH THAT, I'LL
PAUSE FOR QUESTIONS. THANK YOU.
ANY COMMENTS FROM FANS, FROM THE
LAO ANY? HELEN CHRISTINE, WITH
THE LEGISLATIVE ANALYST'S
OFFICE, WE DON'T HAVE ANY
CONCERNS ON THE PROPOSAL. OKAY
MY COLLEAGUES HAVE ANY QUESTIONS
OR COMMENTS? THIS IS MY
DISTRICT. I CAN TALK. I'M. IT'S
IN MY DISTRICT. IT'S SOMETHING
WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON FOR A LONG
TIME, TRYING TO GET THE MERCURY
THAT GETS INTO THE WATER SOURCE,
QUITE FRANKLY. AND, YOU KNOW,
THE SOONER WE GET IT DONE, THE
LESS IT'S GOING TO COST US. AND
WE NEED TO GET IT DONE.
ABSOLUTELY. SO YEAH, I JUST WANT
I SUPPORT THIS WORK. I'VE BEEN
OUT TO THIS PARK, IT REALLY, YOU
KNOW, IT'S AN IMPORTANT PART OF
OUR SYSTEM, AND IT TELLS AN
IMPORTANT STORY. AND THERE'S A
LOT OF ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION
ISSUES THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED
AS YOU'RE DESCRIBING. SO I
CERTAINLY WILL SUPPORT THIS
WORK. THANK YOU. ARE THERE ANY
OTHER FUNDS BESIDES GENERAL
FUNDS THAT COULD BE USED FOR.
YEAH. SO WE, LOOKED AT
ALTERNATIVE FUNDING SOURCES. WE
ALSO ATTEMPT TO TRY TO FIND, AND
HOLD, POTENTIAL LIABLE, LIABLE
PARTIES, RESPONSIBLE. BUT IN
THIS CASE, WE DON'T WE DON'T
HAVE THAT. I HAVE, A NUMBER OF
OCCASIONS REACHED OUT TO THE
DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION. THEY
DO HAVE SOME FUNDS FOR LEGACY
MINES, BUT GIVEN THE MAGNITUDE
OF THE ISSUES HERE AT THIS, AT
THIS SITE, THOSE FUNDING SOURCES
WERE NOT APPROPRIATE FOR, FOR
THIS PROJECT. LIZZY, YOUR
DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE WOULD JUST
ADD THAT, AS YOU KNOW, THE
ADMINISTRATION HAD A VERY HIGH
BAR FOR PROPOSING NEW GENERAL
FUND. AND WE BELIEVE THAT THIS
MEETS THAT HIGH BAR. OKAY. I DO
APPRECIATE THAT. AND YOU KNOW,
OBVIOUSLY MY COLLEAGUES JOINED
IN ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS
WORK. WE STILL DO HAVE A HOLD
OPEN. SO WE'LL KEEP THAT AS A
RECOMMENDATION FOR NOW. BUT
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. JUST
FOR A POINT OF REFERENCE, THE
STATE PARK SYSTEM DOES NOT COME
TO US VERY OFTEN ENOUGH. QUITE
FRANKLY, GIVEN ALL THE MASSIVE
MACRO ISSUES. THROUGHOUT THE
SYSTEM AND, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF
OTHER PEOPLE ARE VERY, YOU KNOW,
DON'T HESITATE TO COME AND TALK
TO US, BUT YOUR AGENCY IS VERY
PROBABLY, PERHAPS TOO JUDICIOUS.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, I'M HOPEFUL
WE'LL BE ABLE TO HELP WITH THIS
AND OTHER PROJECTS AROUND THE
SYSTEM, QUITE FRANKLY. YEAH, I
KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF A LOT OF.
NO, BUT THANK YOU, GREAT.
APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. YOU'RE
WELCOME, WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON
TO ISSUE 25, CAPITAL OUTLAY,
PROJECTS. AND, WE'LL ASK, FOLKS
FROM THE CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION
CORPS AND CAL FIRE TO, TO COME
ON UP.
DIRECTOR PATTON OKAY, GREAT,
WILL YOU BE LEADING US OFF HERE
TODAY? I WILL, MA'AM, WE HAVE
DIRECTOR TYLER AS WELL. THANK
YOU FOR BEING HERE. YEAH. GO
AHEAD. GOOD MORNING, CHAIR
BECKER AND MEMBERS OF THE
COMMITTEE. MY NAME IS J.P.
PATTON. I'M THE DIRECTOR OF THE
CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION CORPS.
AND I'M JOINED BY LARRY NOTICE,
OUR SENIOR DEPUTY DIRECTOR.
THANK YOU FOR CONSIDERATION OF
THIS BUDGET REQUEST OF $5.9
MILLION OF PUBLIC BUILDING
CONSTRUCTION FUNDS FOR WORKING
DRAWINGS TO BUILD A NEW
RESIDENTIAL CENTER IN AUBERRY,
CALIFORNIA, LOCATED IN FRESNO
COUNTY. THE NEW RESIDENTIAL
CENTER SUPPORTS PROGRAM NEEDS BY
ENHANCING OUR ABILITY TO PROVIDE
ESSENTIAL SERVICES, INCLUDING
HOUSING, OUR TYPE ONE FIRE
CREWS. FRESNO COUNTY HAS BEEN
HIGHLY IMPACTED BY WILDFIRES, SO
THE PARTNERSHIP WITH CAL FIRE TO
HOUSE FIRE CREWS AT THIS
LOCATION WILL SUPPORT THE
REGION'S EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
AND RESPONSE CAPABILITIES. THE
CS RESIDENTIAL CENTERS FEATURE
PROMINENTLY IN OUR ABILITY TO
RECRUIT AND RETAIN CORPS
MEMBERS, YET OUR TEN RESIDENTIAL
CENTERS ACROSS THE STATE HAVE A
SIX MONTH WAITING LIST FOR NEW
PLACEMENTS. OUR RESIDENTIAL
CENTERS ABILITY TO INCREASE
PARTICIPATION IN THE PROGRAM
WILL ENABLE THE C.C.C. TO
ADDRESS THE ABUNDANT
CONSERVATION FIRE PREPAREDNESS
AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE NEEDS OF
THE REGION. EACH C.C.C. CREW
PROVIDES ABOUT $1 MILLION OF
VALUE ANNUALLY THROUGH OUR
NATURAL RESOURCES AND EMERGENCY
RESPONSE WORK, THE COST
EFFECTIVENESS OF THE
CONSERVATION CORPS WORK, AS WELL
AS THE INDIRECT IMPACTS OR
BENEFITS OF EDUCATION, WORKFORCE
TRAINING AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT.
ASPECTS OF THE PROGRAM WOULD
HAVE AN OUTSIZED BENEFIT IN THE
FRESNO COUNTY AREA, PROJECT
COSTS HAVE INCREASED FROM
INITIAL ESTIMATES DUE TO THE
INCLUSION OF NEW FIRE FACILITIES
ON SITE AND EXACERBATING
INFLATION IMPACTS AS WELL.
HOWEVER WE BELIEVE FOLLOWING
THROUGH ON THE STATE'S
COMMITMENT TO THIS PROJECT IS A
SOUND INVESTMENT BOTH FOR THE
STATE AS A WHOLE AND
PARTICULARLY FOR THE UNDERSERVED
FRESNO REGION. AND WITH THAT,
I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY
QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE.
THANK THANK YOU, DEPARTMENT OF
FINANCE, ANYTHING TO ADD? VICTOR
LOPEZ, DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE?
NOTHING TO ADD. HAPPY TO
SUPPORT. ANY QUESTIONS? GREAT
HELEN. CHRISTINE, WITH THE
LEGISLATIVE ANALYST'S OFFICE. SO
I WOULD JUST NOTE, I DON'T KNOW
IF YOU'RE COVERING BOTH THE
C.C.C. AS WELL AS THE CAL FIRE
PROJECTS IN THIS ITEM, BUT WHILE
C.C.C. HAS ONE PROJECT, I
BELIEVE ONE CAP OUTLAY PROJECT
ALSO CAL FIRE HAS QUITE A NUMBER
OF PROJECTS. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU
WANT TO HEAR FROM THEM, OR DO
YOU WANT ME TO GIVE THE COMMENTS
ON. THAT'S A GOOD POINT. YEAH,
WE PROBABLY SHOULD HEAR FROM
DIRECTOR TYLER FIRST ON THOSE
AND THEN COMMENTS. THANK YOU.
GOOD MORNING, CHAIR BECKER AND
SENATORS OF THE COMMITTEE, JOE
TYLER, DIRECTOR AT CAL FIRE,
TODAY WE PRESENT TO YOU TEN
CAPITAL OUTLAY PROJECTS AND
TOTALING $36.2 MILLION IN
GENERAL FUND, $87.83 MILLION AND
PUBLIC BUILDING TRUST OR PUBLIC
BUILDING CONSTRUCTION FUND FOR
FISCAL YEAR 2425. IT'S IMPORTANT
TO NOTE THAT CAL FIRE HAS OVER
3000 STRUCTURES ON OVER 635
FACILITIES, DECENTRALIZED ACROSS
THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. EACH
ONE OF THOSE FACILITIES
GENERALLY HAVE A MAXIMUM
LIFESPAN OF 50 YEARS. 63% OF OUR
FACILITIES WERE CONSTRUCTED
BEFORE 1960, AND 80% WERE
CONSTRUCTED PRIOR TO 1970. AND
BECAUSE OF OUR GROWTH IN THE
NEEDS AND THE DEMANDS OF THE
FIRE YEAR AND OUR FIRE
PREVENTION ACTIVITIES, CAL FIRE
IS EXPERIENCING A HIGHER RATE OF
DETERIORATION OF THIS
FACILITIES. THE PROPOSALS,
OUTLINED IN THE 2425 GOVERNOR'S
BUDGET WILL TACKLE CRITICAL
AREAS ESSENTIAL FOR ENHANCING
CAL FIRE'S INFRASTRUCTURE,
LEADING TO INCREASED SAFETY,
EFFICIENCY AND OPERATIONAL
PREPAREDNESS. WITH ME TODAY IS
ASSISTANT DEPUTY DIRECTOR
MICHELLE VALENZUELA OF CAPITAL,
FINANCE AND SUSTAINABILITY FOR
CAL FIRE, ABLE TO ANSWER ANY
SPECIFIC QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU. AND,
FORMER FINANCE. STILL NOTHING I
MEANT YEAH, WE'RE GOOD. ALL
RIGHT. SO NOW WE'LL GO BACK TO
THANK YOU SO MUCH. SO WE JUST
HAVE SOME OVERARCHING COMMENTS.
WE THINK THAT MANY OF THESE
PROJECTS MAY, MAY, MAY
DEFINITELY HAVE SOME VALUE.
HOWEVER, WE RECOMMEND THAT THE
LEGISLATURE CONSIDER WHETHER
THEY ALL NEED TO HAPPEN THIS
YEAR JUST IN LIGHT OF THE
SERIOUS BUDGET, PROBLEMS THAT
THE STATE IS POTENTIALLY FACING,
AND, AND, AND COLLECTIVELY, WHEN
TAKEN TOGETHER, THESE PROJECTS
WOULD ADD SOME SIGNIFICANT
PRESSURE TO THE GENERAL FUND,
NOT JUST IN THE BUDGET YEAR, BUT
MANY OF THESE PROJECTS ARE
ANTICIPATED TO BE FINANCED. AND
SO THEY'LL PUT SOME PRESSURE ON
ON THE OUT YEAR, GENERAL FUND
CONDITION AS WELL. AND THEN IN
SOME CASES, FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE
CASE OF THE C.C.C. FACILITY,
THERE ARE ANTICIPATED TO BE
ADDITIONAL OPERATIONS COSTS.
ONCE THIS FACILITY IS UP AND
RUNNING, IT WILL NEED TO BE
STAFFED AND THERE'LL BE SOME
ADDITIONAL COSTS THERE AS WELL,
SO JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT
IN LIGHT OF THE BUDGET
CONDITION, WHILE MANY OF THESE
PROJECTS ARE MERITORIOUS, AND WE
KNOW THAT THERE ARE SOME TOUGH
DECISIONS AHEAD FOR THE
LEGISLATURE. THANKS. SO MUCH.
GOT IT. YEAH. SO CLOSE TO 40
MILLION ANNUALLY. GENERAL FUND
OVER THE NEXT FEW DECADES TO PAY
FOR DEBT SERVICE ON LEASE
REVENUE BONDS, ALONG WITH
ADDITIONAL OPERATING COSTS IN
THE CASE OF THE AUBREY
RESIDENTIAL CENTER. SO THOSE
WERE, I BELIEVE, THE NOTES
THERE. LET ME TURN TO I SEE MY
COLLEAGUES HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ON
THIS. SO THERE'S A FEW
QUESTIONS. SENATOR DARLING, I
ACTUALLY DON'T HAVE QUESTIONS.
I'M IN 100% SUPPORT. I JUST WANT
TO LET THE LEGISLATURE, THE
MEMBERS KNOW NUMBER ONE, I MEAN,
WE TALK ABOUT THE OUTGO HERE,
BUT WE DON'T TALK ABOUT WHAT
THEY DO, WE FUNDED NEW
HELICOPTERS, IN THE STATE, WHICH
NEED DIFFERENT TYPES OF
FACILITIES, QUITE FRANKLY. AND
THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO, TO
OPERATE THEM AT THE SAME TIME,
WITH THE NEW UPGRADES AND THE
THINGS THAT HAPPEN ON THE GROUND
IN STRATEGICALLY PLACES
THROUGHOUT THE STATE, ONE FIRE
CAN COST THE GENERAL FUND. I
MEAN, HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF
DOLLARS IN A FEW WEEKS. AND SO
THIS IS, I CALL THIS PREVENTIVE
MAINTENANCE AT THE END OF THE
DAY, THIS IS, WELL, MONEY. AND
THE QUICKER WE GET ON THE GROUND
AND GET THESE PROJECTS BUILT,
WITH INFLATION THE WAY IT IS,
THE BETTER OFF WE ARE TO GET IT
DONE. NOW FURTHER THAN KICKING
THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD. AND TRUST
ME, WE WILL HAVE FIRES. WE HAVE
A LOT OF FUEL OUT THERE AND WE
WILL NEED THESE FACILITIES, AND
THIS WILL ACTUALLY SAVE US
MONEY. IF WE SPEND THE MONEY
NOW. SO I WILL BE ADVOCATING FOR
THIS ALL THE WAY THROUGH. I
THINK THIS IS JUST GOOD BUSINESS
PRACTICE. AT THE END OF THE DAY,
I KNOW THAT WE HAVE A TIGHT TIME
FRAME OR THE BUDGET'S TOUGH, BUT
IT'S GOING TO BE TOUGHER IF WE
HAVE A HUGE FIRE AND WE HAVE TO
COME FIND THOSE RESOURCES. IF
YOU CAN GET ON THE FIRE QUICK
WHEN IT'S SMALL, IT CAN MAYBE
COST US $10,000 TO PUT THE FIRE
OUT VERSUS HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS
IF IT GETS OUT OF CONTROL. SO
THIS IS JUST A REALLY GOOD I'M
100% SUPPORTIVE. GREAT.
APPRECIATE THAT. AND POINTS
CERTAINLY WELL TAKEN THAT I
AGREE WITH. GENERALLY I DO HAVE
A COUPLE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS.
FIRST, FOR DIRECTOR PATTON, THE
APPEARS THAT THE PROJECT COST
HAS DOUBLED FOR THE, OPERATING
AUBREY RESIDENTIAL CENTER. WHY
IS THAT? THANK YOU FOR THE
QUESTION. IN 2019, THE C.C.C.
EMBARKED ON AN INQUIRING THE
AUBREY FACILITY, INITIALLY TO
HOUSE OUR FORESTRY CORPS CREWS.
AND THEN THERE WAS A DECISION TO
PIVOT AND ADD IN SOME FACILITIES
AND INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT
CAL FIRE CREWS AS WELL. SO THAT
WAS A PIECE OF THE INCREASE. THE
OTHER PIECE OF IT HAS TO DO WITH
INFLATION PRESSURES. THE PROJECT
HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED
BY DISRUPTIONS AND INFLATION
AFFECTING MATERIALS, COSTS,
SERVICES, TRANSPORTATION OF
GOODS AND THIS CHALLENGE ADDED
ADDITIONAL MILLIONS OF DOLLARS
TO THE PROJECT. AND THAT IS A
FIGURE THAT ALIGNS WITH BROADER,
OBSERVED STATE CAPITAL OUTLAY
PROJECT COSTS REFLECTED IN THE
CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTION COST
INDEX. OKAY. HOW CONFIDENT ARE
YOU IN THE CURRENT ESTIMATES?
VERY CONFIDENT. OKAY. GOOD TO
HEAR, IN TERMS OF CAL FIRE, YOU
MENTIONED FACILITIES STATEWIDE.
WHAT WAS THAT NUMBER AGAIN? IT'S
A LITTLE FINICKY SOMETIMES.
THERE IT IS. SORRY ABOUT THAT.
SO THERE ARE OVER 635 FACILITIES
WITH OVER 3000 STRUCTURES
LOCATED WITHIN THOSE FACILITIES
BUILT IN THE 60S AND 70S.
PRIMARILY, I GET TO GET THAT,
AND SO HOW MANY HOW MANY CAPITAL
PROJECTS TOTAL IS CAL FIRE
WORKING ON RIGHT NOW? GOOD
MORNING. MY NAME IS MICHELLE
VALENZUELA, ASSISTANT DEPUTY
DIRECTOR OF CAPITAL, FINANCE AND
SUSTAINABILITY AT CAL FIRE. CAL
FIRE CURRENTLY HAS 43 ACTIVE
CAPITAL OUTLAY PROJECTS IN
VARIOUS STAGES OF THE PROJECT
LIFE CYCLE, WITH AN ESTIMATED
PROJECT COST OF $1.642 BILLION.
SO, AS YOU PREVIOUSLY HEARD,
OVER 635 FACILITIES WITH 80% OF
THOSE EXCEEDING THAT 50 YEAR
LIFE SPAN, WE HAVE A LARGE
BACKLOG OF CRITICALLY NECESSARY
CAPITAL PROJECTS AND WILL
CONTINUE TO HAVE AN INCREASED
NEED FOR CAPITAL OUTLAY FUNDING
TO ADDRESS THE DECLINING STATE
OF THE CURRENT INFRASTRUCTURE.
CAN YOU TELL US SPECIFICALLY THE
ISHI CONSERVATION CAMP KITCHEN
REPLACEMENT AND THE DEPARTMENT
HASN'T BEEN ABLE TO OBTAIN
INSURANCE, NECESSARY TO SELL
BONDS TO FINANCE THE PROJECT?
THAT'S WHAT I WAS TOLD. IS THIS
AN ISOLATED INCIDENT, OR ARE
THERE CONCERNS THAT OTHER CAL
FIRE FACILITIES MAY GET A
SIMILAR PREDICAMENT? VICTOR
LOPEZ, DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE, TO
BEGIN WITH, WITH THE INSURANCE
INDUSTRY, THEY WEREN'T
INTERESTED IN SELLING INSURANCE
POLICIES IN THE REGION DUE TO
THE FIRE. THE PERCEIVED FIRE
RISK IN THE AREA, ALTERNATIVE
OPTIONS SUCH AS THE CALIFORNIA
FAIR PLAN DO NOT PROVIDE
SUFFICIENT COVERAGE TO MEET THE
REQUIREMENT OF THE BOND
UNDERWRITER. ADDITIONALLY, THIS
IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT THIS
IS INSTANCE HAS HAPPENED. THIS
IS FAIRLY, INFREQUENT. AND DGS,
CAL FIRE, ALONG WITH THE
DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE, LOOK AT
ANY, LOOK AT IF THERE'S ANY
PROJECTS THAT FACE THE SAME
RISK. YEAH YEAH. I MEAN, IT'S
IRONIC, AND I GUESS IT
HIGHLIGHTS THE PROBLEM THAT
WE'RE TRYING TO SOLVE IF
INSURANCE FOR CAL FIRE
FACILITIES CAN'T GET FIRE
INSURANCE OR FIRE FACILITIES.
BUT, THE WHAT HAPPENS IN THAT
CASE THEN DO WE SELF-INSURE OR
DON'T INSURANCE OR WHAT HAPPENS
THEN? MIKE MCGINNIS DEPARTMENT
OF FINANCE. SO WHEN THIS
HAPPENS, WE SWAP THE PROJECT
OVER TO CASH FUNDING, IN THIS
CASE GENERAL FUND. AS WE'RE
UNABLE TO SELL THE BONDS AND GET
THE DEBT FINANCING. OKAY. SO
THIS ONE WILL BE CASH FUNDED.
THAT'S THE PROCESS RIGHT NOW.
EXACTLY. YEAH. YEAH. WELL DOES
HIGHLIGHT THE PROBLEM FOR SURE.
ARE WE FINDING THAT IN OTHER
FACILITIES AS WELL OR IS THAT
ISOLATED. THIS IS THE SECOND
PROJECT THAT I'M AWARE OF WHERE
THIS HAS HAPPENED. IT'S A
RELATIVELY NEW PHENOMENON. SO
WE'RE EVALUATING ALL OF THE
PROJECTS. WE BEING THE
DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE, THE
DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL SERVICES,
AND, CAL FIRE AS WELL, ARE
LOOKING TO MAKE SURE THAT ANY
PROJECTS OUT THERE THAT ALREADY
HAVE APPROPRIATIONS FROM THE
PUBLIC BUILDING CONSTRUCTION
FUND OR THAT ARE SEEKING
APPROPRIATIONS THIS YEAR, ARE
ABLE TO OBTAIN FIRE INSURANCE.
TYPICALLY, THIS HASN'T BEEN AN
ISSUE. AND SO WE HAVE WAITED
UNTIL CLOSER TO THE POINT OF
SELLING THE BONDS TO LOOK INTO
THIS ISSUE. BUT GIVEN RECENT
TRENDS IN THE INSURANCE
INDUSTRY, IT'S BEEN PRUDENT TO
START LOOKING SOON. OKAY I WILL
NOTE I HAVE A BILL ON INSURANCE
AND FIRE INSURANCE, PARTICULARLY
IN THE FEATURED IN THE
SACRAMENTO BEE TODAY, BUT, YOU
KNOW, THIS IS A, YOU KNOW,
OBVIOUSLY PART OF A LARGER
ISSUE. WE NEED TO GET AHOLD OF.
AND REALLY, THE BILL IS ACTUALLY
ABOUT TRYING TO GET RECOGNITION
FOR THE INVESTMENTS WE HAVE
COLLECTIVELY MADE AS PART OF
THIS COMMITTEE AND AS PART OF
THE LEGISLATURE, ABOUT 3.6
BILLION, I THINK, SINCE 2017,
IN, YOU KNOW, DIRECT FIRE
REMEDIATION FROM, YOU KNOW, KIND
OF ON THE GROUND, AND, YEAH,
TRYING TO GET THE INDUSTRY TO
RECOGNIZE THAT, OR MAKE SURE TO
TAKE THE ACCOUNT. YES, SIR. SIR.
WELL, I THINK IT'S JUST THIS
REALLY SHOULD BE DAYLIGHT OUT.
THERE'S A STORY RIGHT HERE. I
MEAN, WE CAN'T GET IN FIRE
INSURANCE AT A FIRE STATION.
IT'S GOING TO BE MANNED BY
FIREFIGHTERS. THAT'S THAT'S
WHERE WE ARE IN CALIFORNIA.
THAT'S TO ME, IS JUST CRAZY.
YEAH, WELL, CERTAINLY PART OF
THE BIGGER ISSUE WHICH WHICH
AGAIN, A NUMBER OF BILLS THIS
YEAR, BUT HOPEFULLY WE WILL
CONTINUE. WE WILL MAKE SOME
SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS THIS YEAR,
THE WELL GREAT. WELL THANK YOU,
TO THE, THE CONSERVATION CORPS,
I BELIEVE YOU'LL STAY UP HERE
FOR THE KIND OF REMAINING FOCUS
OF CAL FIRE. THANK YOU, DIRECTOR
PATTON, SO, YEAH, WE WILL HOLD
OPEN ON THAT, ITEM AS WELL. AND,
WE'LL MOVE TO, ITEM 26. BEFORE I
DO THAT, I JUST WANT TO ASK
DIRECTOR TYLER A COUPLE, THINGS
I WAS BRIEFED RECENTLY ABOUT THE
ALERT CALIFORNIA PROGRAM, WHICH
IS A COLLABORATION BETWEEN CAL
FIRE AND THE UC SAN DIEGO
SCRIPPS INSTITUTE, EMPLOYING A
COMBINATION OF CAMERAS, LIDAR,
MULTISPECTRAL DATA COLLECTION TO
AID IN THE PREDICTION,
DETECTION, AND SUPPRESSION OF
WILDFIRES, AND, TIME MAGAZINE, I
BELIEVE, HIGHLIGHTED THIS ONE OF
THE BEST INVENTIONS OF 2023. YOU
KNOW, KIND OF BROADLY AND, YOU
KNOW, CERTAINLY COULD SAVE THE
STATE A LOT OF MONEY WHEN
COMPLETED AND BEEN FOCUSED IN MY
DISTRICT, FOCUSED A LOT ON
WILDFIRE, TECHNOLOGY. WE'VE DONE
A TOWN HALLS ON IT, I UNDERSTAND
THE PROGRAM NEEDS ABOUT 20
MILLION MORE TO COMPLETE THE
COLLECTION OF THE DATA FOR THE
PROGRAM, AS WELL AS MAP THE
ENTIRE STATE WITH LIDAR AND
MULTI SPECTRAL, WHAT IT SAYS
THAT THAT FUNDING IS THAT AND IS
THE FUNDING INCLUDED IN THIS
YEAR'S WILDFIRE BUDGET, THANK
YOU, SENATOR BECKER, THERE IS NO
SPECIFIC EARMARK IN THE
GOVERNOR'S PROPOSED BUDGET. IS
CAL FIRE'S FIRST MEETING TO
DISCUSS THIS SPECIFIC NEED WITH
ALERT CALIFORNIA OCCURRED ON
FEBRUARY 7TH, 2024. OKAY, SO IS
IT SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE
CONTEMPLATING? WHERE DOES IT
FALL UNDER THE GENERAL RANGE OF
PRIORITIES? YOU KNOW, IN TERMS
OF THE WHERE DOES THIS THE
COMPLETION OF THIS, YOU KNOW,
KIND OF FALL AMONG YOUR
PRIORITIES? I APPRECIATE YOU
ASKING THAT QUESTION EVEN MORE,
BECAUSE THAT REALLY TALKS ABOUT
THE HISTORY OF IT. YEAH, WE
ENTERED THIS PROGRAM ABOUT FIVE
YEARS AGO WITH FUNDING APPROVED
BY THE LEGISLATURE AND THE
ADMINISTRATION OF THE AMOUNT OF
$5.4 MILLION TO ADD 100 CAMERAS
AND ASSOCIATION WITH, INVESTOR
OWNED UTILITIES AND OTHER
PRIVATE, NON-GOVERNMENTAL AND
GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
ACROSS THE STATE SINCE THEN,
THAT 100 CAMERAS WENT TO 104,
WHERE TODAY THE STATE AND
SPECIFICALLY CAL FIRE IS FUNDING
207 OF THOSE CAMERAS. AND THERE
ARE 1068 CAMERAS ACROSS THE
STATE CURRENTLY. NOW, THERE ARE
STILL SOME HOLES IN THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA. WE JUST ENTERED INTO
ANOTHER MULTI-YEAR AGREEMENT
WITH ALERT CALIFORNIA AND UC SAN
DIEGO, TO CONTINUE THIS WORK
THAT'S BEEN GOING ON. AND WITHIN
THAT ADDS YET ANOTHER 100
CAMERAS TO THE SYSTEM THAT WILL
BE FUNDED AND ESTABLISHED BY,
CAL FIRE ALERT CALIFORNIA
DESIRES, AS YOU SAID, TO OBTAIN
ADDITIONAL LIDAR DATA,
MULTISPECTRAL DATA TO, OPERATE,
MAINTAIN AND INSTALL THE CAMERA
SYSTEM, WHICH WE FEEL THE
ADDITION AND THIS NEW MULTI-YEAR
CONTRACT ACTUALLY ADDRESSES THAT
PIECE. AND WE CONTINUE TO HAVE A
STRONG WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH
THEM, AS YOU SAID, TIME
MAGAZINE, REALLY SHOWED IT AS
ONE OF THE TOP INNOVATIONS OF
2023. AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO STOP
THERE BECAUSE, BECAUSE WHEN WE
ENTERED THIS, THERE WERE A LOT
OF FALSE POSITIVES. AND AT THE
TIME WHEN WE FIRST ENTERED THIS
RELATIONSHIP OF 100 CAMERAS, I
MADE IT CLEAR TO THE LEGISLATURE
THAT WE COULD ONLY USE THEM AS
VALIDATION CAMERAS, NOT AS
DETECTION CAMERAS. WILL
TECHNOLOGY HAS SURPASSED THAT
NOW, AND THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT
ONE OF THE GREAT INNOVATIONS OF
2023. WE HAVE INSTANCES IN
RIVERSIDE AND IN, NEVADA AND,
AND, PLACER COUNTIES WHERE THESE
CAMERAS HAVE ACTUALLY PICKED UP
FIRES AND STARTED RESOURCES
TOWARDS THEM BEFORE THE FIRST
911 CALLER, BUT BASED ON THEIR
NEEDS, IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO
NOTE THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF
EFFORTS IN THIS SPACE. AND IT IS
ABOUT BRINGING US ALL TOGETHER
TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS OPEN
SOURCE DATA AVAILABLE. AS AN
EXAMPLE, SEE NRA PARTNERED WITH
USGS AND THEIR 3D ELEVATION
PROGRAM TO START COLLECTING $40
MILLION, IN IN IN LIDAR DATA
ACROSS THE CASCADES IN THE
NORTHERN SIERRAS AND TO FILL
GAPS UP AND DOWN THE STATE. AND
THEN THEY'RE ALSO WORKING WITH
NASA AMES TO UTILIZE THE
SUPERCOMPUTING CAPABILITIES TO
BE ABLE TO FURTHER EXPAND THIS
TOGETHER. MORE RECENTLY, WE
LEARNED AND I DON'T KNOW WHY WE
DIDN'T KNOW THIS AHEAD OF TIME,
BUT IT'S INTERESTING WHAT YOU
LEARN THAT THE UNIVERSE OF
WASHINGTON HAS ANNUAL LIDAR DATA
OF THREE QUARTERS OF OUR STATE
FROM 2009 TO 2019, SO WE ENTERED
INTO A, INTERAGENCY AGREEMENT
WITH THEM. WE SENT THEM THE
HARDWARE OF TERABYTE, TERABYTE
HARD DRIVES TO WASHINGTON FOR
THEM TO PUT THE DATA ON THERE,
BRING IT BACK TO CALIFORNIA SO
WE CAN EVALUATE THAT AGAIN. IN
THE END, ALERT. CALIFORNIA IS A
STRONG PARTNER TO US, AND HAS
PROVEN RESULTS, WORKING WITH US
TOGETHER. SO WE WILL WORK WITH
THE PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE. WE'LL
CONTINUE TO EVALUATE THEIR
PROPOSAL AND WORK WITH THE WITH
THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND
THE PROGRAM. YEAH. WELL, I
APPRECIATE THAT. I DO BELIEVE
WELL, JUST I'D SAY GENERALLY
SPEAKING, AND I THINK WE NEED TO
TELL THIS STORY MORE THAT WE, DO
HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE WILDFIRE
STRATEGY WITH THE AERIAL
RESOURCES. AND I JUST GOT A
REPORT UPDATE ON THAT, WITH THIS
TECHNOLOGY THAT YOU'RE EMBRACING
, AND OBVIOUSLY WITH THE ALSO
EXPANDED, KIND OF MAN AND WOMAN
POWER ON THE GROUND, THAT WE
REALLY DO HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE,
APPROACH. AND AGAIN, ALSO THE
3.6 BILLION WE'VE DONE IN
TREATMENT OF, FOREST AREAS. SO,
GOOD, YOU KNOW, HOPE TO BE ABLE
CERTAINLY PLAN TO KEEP TELLING
THAT STORY. AND THIS IS I'VE
LEARNED SOME STUFF, EVEN FROM
WHAT YOU JUST SAID, WHICH IS
WHICH WILL BE PART OF IT, AS YOU
MENTIONED, JUST JUST YOU SAID
THERE'S, 207 CAL FIRE CAMERAS
RIGHT NOW, AS PART OF YOU SAID
1608 OR IS 1068, 1068. THERE'S
1068 CAMERAS THROUGHOUT THE
STATE RIGHT NOW IN PARTNERSHIP
WITH. YOU CAN COUNT UTILITIES
AND OTHER THINGS. CORRECT. THE
STATE IS SPONSORING 207 OF THOSE
CAMERAS CURRENTLY. OKAY. TOTAL.
YEAH GOOD, EXCELLENT. WELL GOOD.
VERY INTERESTING. AND, YOU KNOW,
I'D LOVE TO STAY IN TOUCH ON IT
AS, AS THAT EVOLVES, BUT,
REALLY, REALLY HELPFUL TO GET
THAT UPDATE AND APPRECIATE YOU
EMBRACING THAT, TECHNOLOGY, OUR
FIRST ITEM FOR YOU SPECIFICALLY
IS AROUND THE RAMONA AIR ATTACK
BASE. DO YOU WANT TO, COULD YOU
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT,
CERTAINLY. AND HAPPY TO DO THAT
AS, AS AS DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE
IS SHIFTING THE DEPARTMENT OF
FORESTRY AND FIRE PROTECTION IS
REQUESTING $12 MILLION, A ONE
TIME GENERAL FUND IN FISCAL YEAR
24, 25, TO, ADDRESS, DEGRADING
CONCRETE, RECONFIGURED LOADING
PITS AT THE RAMONA AIR TECH
BASIN, REPAIR THE RETARDANT
LOADING OPERATIONS THAT MEETS
BETTER TACTICAL OBJECTIVES AND
INCREASES OUR OPERATIONS. NOW
MORE SPECIFICALLY, THE RAMONA
AIR ATTACK BASE IS THE
SOUTHERNMOST BASE, IN THE STATE
OF CALIFORNIA. IT CAN ACCEPT
LARGE NOT JUST ABOUT OUR C-130S,
BUT IT CAN ACCEPT LARGE AIR
TANKERS AT THAT LOCATION, THE
NEXT CLOSEST LOCATION THAT CAN
ACCEPT LARGE AIR TANKERS IS IN
SAN BERNARDINO, AT THE SAN
BERNARDINO AIRPORT. IT'S A
FOREST SERVICE OPERATED AIR BASE
. WHEN WE ARE ADDRESSING THE
CURRENT CONFIGURATION OF THE
RAMONA AIR ATTACK BASE, IT HAS
HISTORICALLY HAD TWO 1200 GALLON
S-2T AIR TANKERS. IT IS
SCHEDULED TO RECEIVE ONE OF THE
FIVE C-130 AIR TANKERS, TO HAVE
A TOTAL OF THREE AIR TANKERS
FLYING OUT OF THE RAMONA AIR
ATTACK BASE, HERE SOON. SOON
WITH THAT WILL REQUIRE A
RECONFIGURATION OF THE PIT
LOCATIONS TO BE ABLE TO
ADEQUATELY AND MORE
EXPEDITIOUSLY FILL ALL THREE OF
THOSE AIR TANKERS, AT THE SAME
TIME. SO WE ARE HAPPY TO ANSWER
ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. YOU
SAID TWO C-130S, TWO C-130. AND
WHAT WAS THE OTHER KIND OF
AIRCRAFT YOU SAID THERE?
TANKERS? IT IS, IT IS CURRENTLY
STAFFED WITH TWO S-2T GRUMMAN
AIR TANKERS THAT CAN HOLD UP TO
1200 GALLONS. AND THEN WHEN
THEIR C-130 COMES ONLINE, THAT
C-130 WILL HOLD 4000 GALLONS.
AND THEY WILL THEN FLY THREE AIR
TANKERS OUT OF THE RAMONA AIR
ATTACK BASE. GREAT. THE THREE
BEING THE TWO GRUMMAN AND THE
ONE 230. YEAH OKAY. GREAT. OKAY
EXCELLENT. Dð, WAS THERE A
CONCRETE MIX? OH, SORRY. I GUESS
BEFORE THAT, LET'S SEE IF
THERE'S ANY ADD ON FROM JAMIE
GONSALVES. DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE
. NO COMMENTS AT THIS TIME, BUT
HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU, MR. GONZALEZ. HELEN.
CHRISTINE, AGAIN, WE DIDN'T HAVE
ANY SPECIFIC CONCERNS, ALTHOUGH
PROBABLY THE COMMENTS THAT WE
HAD ON THE CAP OUTLAY PROJECTS
THIS IS VERY SIMILAR TO A CAP
OUTLAY PROJECT. SO IT'S SORT OF
IN THE SPIRIT OF THOSE. BUT NO
SPECIFIC CONCERNS. OKAY. GOT IT,
GOT IT, GOT IT, WAS THERE AN
ISSUE WITH THE CONCRETE MIX AT,
AT THE, AT THE BASE? THAT PART
OF THE DAMAGE QUESTION HERE.
YES. SO THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH
THE CONCRETE MIX. THEY HAD TO
CREATE CONTROL JOINTS DUE TO THE
CONCRETE MIX. OKAY. THAT WAS THE
, ISSUE. AND DOES THE TIMELINE
LINE UP WITH THE RECEIPT AND
RETROFIT OF THE C-130S? SO IT IS
IMPORTANT, THANK YOU FOR THAT
QUESTION. IT IS IMPORTANT, TO
ADD THAT FOREIGN OBJECT DEBRIS
CREATES DAMAGE ON ON A RUNWAY.
AN AIR TANKER ENGINE FOR AN S2
IS $1 MILLION. AN AIR TANKER
ENGINE ON A C-130 IS $2 MILLION,
SO, SO, SO THE C-130 THAT IT'S
GOING TO THAT WILL RECEIVE WE
RECEIVED TITLE AND OWNERSHIP OF
ALL SEVEN C-130S FROM THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN DECEMBER
OF 2023. THAT TOOK IT OUT OF THE
FEDERAL CONTRACTING PROCESS AND
PUT IT UPON THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA. CURRENTLY, THE FIRST
OF THOSE SEVEN C-130S IS UP ON
JACKS, AND MCCLELLAN HAS THE
BELLY CUT OPEN, AND IT'S
ANTICIPATED IN LATE 2024 TO HAVE
THE FIRST OPERATIONAL C-130.
THAT FIRST C-130 WILL GO TO
MCCLELLAN. SO WE CAN KEEP AN EYE
ON IT. THE SECOND C-130 WILL
THEN UNDERGO CONSTRUCTION. THE
IMPORTANCE OF THIS IS THAT
RAMONA, WHEN CONFIGURED
CORRECTLY, AND THE ISSUES ARE
ADDRESSED, CAN ACCEPT ANY
EXCLUSIVE USE. LARGE AIR TANKER
OR THE C-130 AIR TANKER THAT IS
LOCATED AT MCCLELLAN COULD BE
PRE-POSITIONED AND MOVED TO
RAMONA BASED ON FIRE ACTIVITY.
OKAY, THANKS. I KNOW PLANNING A
VISIT TO MCCLELLAN SOON, SO
IT'LL BE. GOOD TO SEE. GOOD TO
SEE. YEAH GOOD. WE'LL KEEP
TRACK. ANY OTHER COMMENTS FROM
MY COLLEAGUES? OKAY EXCELLENT.
GOOD. WELL, WE WILL HOLD OPEN
RECOMMENDATION ON ON THAT ONE AS
WELL, AND MOVE ON TO ISSUE 27,
WHICH IS THE CAL FIRE TRAINING
FACILITY. THE NEW FACILITY,
MAYBE YOU COULD TELL US A LITTLE
BIT ABOUT THAT. THANK YOU.
CHAIR, TO HAVE THE RIGHT PEOPLE
HERE FOR YOU AT THIS MOMENT, I'M
GOING TO DEFER TO MICHELLE TO
OPEN IT. AND I'M GOING TO BRING
A SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT, DEPUTY
DIRECTOR, MATTHEW SOLEY, TO
ANSWER SPECIFIC QUESTIONS. OKAY
GREAT. CAL FIRE CURRENTLY HAS
ONE STATE OWNED TRAINING
FACILITY, THE IONE TRAINING
CENTER, WHICH WAS CONSTRUCTED IN
THE 1960S. THE IONE TRAINING
CENTER DOES NOT HAVE THE
CAPACITY TO EXPAND TO MEET CAL
FIRE'S TRAINING NEEDS. SINCE THE
EARLY 2010, STAFFING LEVELS HAVE
INCREASED NEARLY TWO FOLD AND
WILL WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE
ONCE THE REDUCTION IN THE
WORKWEEK TAKES EFFECT.
ADDITIONALLY, IN ADDITION TO THE
WORKWEEK, OR SORRY, THE WORKWEEK
REDUCTION WILL RESULT IN A
APPROXIMATELY 2500 ADDITIONAL
PERSONNEL ADDING TO THE TRAINING
NEEDS OF THE DEPARTMENT. WITH
THE INCREASE IN WILDFIRES, Dð,
DECREASED WORKWEEK AND CLOSURE
OF THE CONSERVATION CAMPS,
THERE'S AN INCREASED TRAINING
DEMAND AND THE IONE TRAINING
CENTER DOES NOT HAVE THE
CAPACITY TO FILL FULFILL THE
TRAINING NEEDS, CAL FIRE IS
CURRENTLY LEASING TEMPORARY
FACILITIES TO MEET THE TRAINING
NEEDS OF THE DEPARTMENT. OKAY.
THANK YOU. NO COMMENTS FROM
FINANCE AT THIS TIME OR
CHRISTINE AGAIN. SO IN ADDITION
TO THE OVERARCHING COMMENTS THAT
I GAVE PREVIOUSLY ON THE OTHER
CAPITAL PROJECTS, WE DO HAVE A
SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATION TO HOLD
THIS ITEM OPEN UNTIL THE
DEPARTMENT COMES FORWARD WITH
TWO STUDIES THAT THE LEGISLATURE
HAS ALREADY FUNDED ON THIS
PROJECT, SO THERE'S BOTH A STUDY
OF THE IONE FACILITY, WHICH THE
LEGISLATURE FUNDED IN THE
DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN CONDUCTING.
AND THEN THERE'S A SECOND, STUDY
THAT THE LEGISLATURE FUNDED LAST
YEAR. SO YOU MAY RECALL WE
DISCUSSED THIS FACILITY, AT SOME
LENGTH WITH THE COMMITTEE LAST
YEAR, AND WE OUR OFFICE HAD
RAISED SOME, SOME QUESTIONS
ABOUT, BOTH SORT OF WHETHER, YOU
KNOW, WHAT THE LONG TERME NEEDS
WERE AND WHETHER THIS WAS THE
MOST APPROPRIATE WAY TO ADDRESS
THOSE NEEDS. SO THIS STUDY, THAT
THE LEGISLATURE FUNDED WOULD
PROVIDE ANSWERS TO THOSE
QUESTIONS AS WELL AS HELP GIVE
SOME MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE
EXPECTED COSTS AND SCOPE OF THE
PROJECT AND THIS WILL HOPEFULLY
HELP INFORM THE LEGISLATURE'S
DECISIONS ABOUT EXACTLY HOW MUCH
MONEY TO PROVIDE, AND SORT OF
WHAT THE WHAT THE WHAT THE
OVERALL GENERAL FUND KIND OF
CONTRIBUTION WILL HAVE TO BE TO,
TO SUPPORT THIS PROJECT. SO WE
THINK IT'S PREMATURE TO, TO
APPROVE THIS PROJECT UNTIL THOSE
STUDIES HAVE BEEN RECEIVED AND
YOU'VE HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW
THEM, NOW WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE
DEPARTMENT IS, IS ALMOST
COMPLETED WITH THEM. THEY'RE
ALMOST READY FOR ACTION, THAT
THEY'VE MAYBE BEEN COMPLETED AND
WILL BE FORTHCOMING SOON. SO
WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT THAT WILL BE
BEFORE THE ADOPTION OF THE
BUDGET, SO THAT WILL GIVE YOU
THE INFORMATION YOU NEED TO MAKE
THE MOST INFORMED DECISIONS.
THANKS THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SO
WHAT IS THE STATUS OF THIS STUDY
AND THE MASTER PLAN? BECAUSE THE
POINT THAT LAO SEEMS TO RAISE
IS, SEEMS TO BE A GOOD ONE. WHY
WOULD WE FUND THIS WHEN WE'VE
REQUESTED A STUDY? WE'RE WAITING
FOR THE STUDY. WHY WOULD WE
APPROVE THIS NOW, WHEN WE'RE
HAVEN'T GOTTEN THE STUDY? WHERE?
THE MASTER PLAN? YES. SO THERE
ARE THE TWO STUDIES. THE MASTER
PLAN IS EXPECTED TO ANALYZE THE
EXISTING IPHONE TRAINING CENTER
IN AN EFFORT TO DETERMINE
POTENTIAL FOR CAPACITY EXPANSION
AT THAT PARTICULAR LOCATION. THE
SECOND STUDY, AS YOU MENTIONED,
IS THE ADDITIONAL TRAINING
CENTER. AND THE INTENT OF THAT
STUDY IS TO ESTIMATE THE FUTURE
GROWTH IN CAL FIRE STAFFING AND
ASSOCIATED TRAINING NEEDS. AND
EVALUATE MULTIPLE POTENTIAL
ALTERNATIVES TO BUILDING AN
ADDITIONAL TRAINING CENTER, WITH
AN ADDITIONAL TRAINING CENTER
BEING ONE OF THOSE OPTIONS. SO
CAL FIRE HAS RECEIVED BOTH OF
THE STUDIES JUST RECENTLY, AND
IT'S CURRENTLY STILL BEING
REVIEWED TO DETERMINE WHAT
ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK AND COMMENTS
THAT THE DEPARTMENT WANTS TO
PROVIDE TO FINALIZE THAT STUDY.
SO WHEN CAN WE EXPECT BOTH OF
THEM EITHER OR EITHER OF THEM TO
BE COMPLETED, WE'RE HOPING TO
GET THEM TO YOU WITHIN THE
COMING WEEKS AND WEEKS. OKAY
OKAY, THAT IS GOOD. WE'LL LOOK
FORWARD TO THOSE. ANY OTHER
QUESTIONS FROM MY COLLEAGUES,
COULD WE HAVE A HOLD UP ON ON
THIS? WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING
THOSE AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN THEN,
YOU KNOW, MOVE FORWARD ON ON
THIS AS WELL. APPRECIATE IT.
THANK YOU, WE'RE GOING TO MOVE
OVER TO OUR LAST ITEM, ON THE 66
HOUR WORK WEEK. AND, WITH
DIRECTOR TYLER COME BACK UP.
THANK YOU. GREAT. WE APPRECIATE
IT. WE ALL HERE MANY STORIES,
AND I HEAR MANY STORIES
PERSONALLY ABOUT, YOU KNOW, LONG
HOURS FROM AND THE IMPACT ON
LIVES AND ESPECIALLY IN THE. YOU
KNOW, THE PREVIOUS COUPLE, THE
COUPLE YEARS WE HAD RIGHT BEFORE
THESE WHERE WE HAD, LOTS AND
LOTS OF FIRES. I PERSONALLY
HEARD A LOT OF STORIES ABOUT
IMPACT ON PEOPLE'S LIVES AND
SUCH, AND WHY DON'T YOU GO
PLEASE GO FORWARD AND TELL US
ABOUT THIS ITEM. THANK YOU.
SENATOR BECKER AND MEMBERS OF
THE COMMITTEE AGAIN, JOE TYLER,
DIRECTOR AT CAL FIRE, SO THE
HEALTH AND WELLNESS OF OUR
EMPLOYEES IS OF SIGNIFICANT
IMPORTANCE. AND THEREFORE, OUR,
LOOKING AT WAYS TO REDUCE THOSE
IMPACTS OF THOSE LONG SEASONS
ARE EQUALLY IMPORTANT. THE
GOVERNOR'S BUDGET FOR THIS YEAR
INCLUDES $199 MILLION. Ã
GENERAL OF GENERAL FUND AND 338
POSITIONS IN FISCAL YEAR 24, 25
TO IMPLEMENT THE SHIFT TO A
REDUCED WORKWEEK, SHIFTING FROM
A 72 HOUR WORKWEEK TO A 66 HOUR
WORKWEEK FOR OUR EMPLOYEES THAT
WAS RATIFIED BY THE BARGAINING
UNIT, EIGHT MEMBERS, FOR THEIR
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING, AS
WELL AS APPROVED IN 2022 BY THE
LEGISLATURE AND THE
ADMINISTRATION. THE COST OF THE
PROPOSAL WOULD INCREASE TO THE
IN THE COMING YEARS. THAT WOULD
RISE TO UPWARDS OF SIX OR, I'M
SORRY, $770 MILLION 2457
PERMANENT POSITIONS BY 2829. DUE
TO THE COMPLEXITY OF THIS ISSUE
AND THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT HAD
GONE INTO IT, I ASSIGNED OUR
NORTHERN REGION CHIEF SITTING
BESIDE ME, GEORGE MORRIS, THE
MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITY OF
CONCEPTUALIZING WHERE THIS WAS
GOING TO GO AND PUTTING IT
FORWARD. SO I HAVE HIM SITTING
HERE BESIDE US TODAY, AND IF
POSSIBLE, I WOULD LIKE TO HE'D
JUST A COUPLE OF MINUTES, FIVE
MINUTES TO ALLOW HIM TO OPEN FOR
YOU AND PROVIDE DETAIL. SURE.
WHY DON'T WE DO THAT? AND WE'VE
GOT A HANDOUT AS WELL, THAT
WE'VE RECEIVED NOW. HÌ. GOOD
MORNING, CHAIR BECKER. MEMBERS
OF THE COMMITTEE, MY NAME IS
GEORGE MORRIS, AND I HAVE THE
HONOR OF SERVING AS CAL FIRE'S
NORTHERN REGION CHIEF. I'M GOING
TO WALK YOU THROUGH A HIGH LEVEL
OVERVIEW OF THE PLAN TO
IMPLEMENT THE REDUCTION IN THE
CAL FIRE FIREFIGHTER WORKWEEK.
THE PLAN IS DESIGNED TO BE
PHASED IN OVER FIVE YEARS,
REDUCING THE DUTY WEEK FROM 72
HOURS TO 66 HOURS IN COMPLIANCE
WITH THE 2022 BARGAINING UNIT.
EIGHT MOU BETWEEN THE STATE AND
CAL FIRE FIREFIGHTERS. LOCAL
2881. THE OBJECTIVES OF THE PLAN
ARE TO INCREASE RECRUITMENT AND
RETENTION, PROVIDE VACANCY
RELIEF, MAXIMIZE THE PLAN'S C
BENEFITS, AND IMPLEMENT A
TRANSITIONAL WORKWEEK IN NEAR
ALIGNMENT WITH INDUSTRY
STANDARDS FOR BACKGROUND, THE
2022 BARGAINING UNIT EIGHT MOU
REQUIRED CAL FIRE TO DEVELOP THE
PLAN IN CONSULTATION WITH LABOR
TO PRESERVE THE INTERESTS OF THE
STATE AND LABOR THROUGH THE
DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. WHERE
POSSIBLE, THE DEPARTMENT OF
FORESTRY AND FIRE PROTECTION
BEGAN THE USE OF THE 72 HOUR
WORKWEEK IN 1977, TRANSITIONING
FIRE PROTECTION EMPLOYEES AT
THAT TIME FROM A 96 HOUR
WORKWEEK. ALL FIRE PROTECTION
PROPOSALS SUBMITTED BY CAL FIRE
SINCE 1977 WERE DEVELOPED WITHIN
THE PARADIGM OF A 72 HOUR
WORKWEEK, SO IMPLEMENTING THE 66
HOUR WORKWEEK REQUIRES
ADJUSTMENTS TO PREVIOUS
INITIATIVES TO ACCOUNT FOR THE
CHANGE IN WORKWEEK AND ITS
IMPACTS. THE DEPARTMENT
ACCOUNTED FOR SYSTEMIC
CONSIDERATIONS WHICH, IF
UNADDRESSED, ARE EXACERBATED AND
WOULD COMPROMISE THE SUCCESSFUL
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PLAN.
THESE SYSTEMIC CONSIDERATIONS
INCLUDED THE IMBALANCE RATIO
BETWEEN FIRE CAPTAIN AND FIRE
APPARATUS ENGINEER, RELIEF
PERSONNEL SHORTAGE TRAINING
CAPACITY, AND THE CHALLENGE OF
DEVELOPING THIS PLAN WITHIN THE
REALITY OF A FIRE YEAR. IN THE
PROCESS OF DEVELOPING THE PLAN,
CO-BENEFITS OF THE WORKWEEK
EMERGED PRIMARILY THROUGH THE
MECHANISM FOR CORRECTING THE
CAPTAIN AND ENGINEER RATIO
IMBALANCE, SO FOR THE SYSTEMIC
CONSIDERATIONS, NUMBER ONE
IMPROVE THE RATIO BETWEEN
CAPTAIN AND ENGINEER THE CAPTAIN
TO ENGINEER IMBALANCE IS AN
INSURMOUNTABLE OBSTACLE TO
EFFECTIVELY IMPLEMENTING THE 66
HOUR WORKWEEK WITHOUT
SIGNIFICANT INTERVENTION.
ENGINEERS ARE THE FEEDER RANK
FOR THE FIRE CAPTAIN POSITION.
THE RATIO BETWEEN CAPTAIN AND
ENGINEER AT THIS MOMENT IS THREE
CAPTAINS FOR EVERY TWO ENGINEERS
AND ENGINEER MUST SUCCESSFULLY
COMPLETE A 36 MONTH
APPRENTICESHIP AS A PREREQUISITE
FOR BECOMING A FIRE CAPTAIN.
PRIOR TO THIS PROPOSAL, THERE
WAS NO FEASIBLE WAY TO CORRECT
THE IMBALANCE WITHIN THE LEGACY
STAFFING PARADIGM WITH A NEW
STAFFING PARADIGM, THE
DEPARTMENT WILL CORRECT THE
IMBALANCE BY SUBSTANTIAL
INCREASING THE NUMBER OF
ENGINEERS WHILE ONLY INCREASING
NECESSARY CAPTAINS, INVERTING
THE RATIO TO 0.9 CAPTAINS FOR
EVERY 1.1 ENGINEERS CONSIDER.
OPTION TWO IS THAT THE CURRENT
STAFFING PARADIGM IS
INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE 66 HOUR
WORKWEEK. TRADITIONAL STAFFING
IS A TERME USED TO DESCRIBE FIRE
ENGINE STAFFING. AS ONE CAPTAIN
AND ENGINEER AND ONE OR MORE
FIREFIGHTERS PER FIRE ENGINE.
MUNICIPAL FIRE DEPARTMENTS
ACROSS CALIFORNIA AND OUR NATION
UTILIZE THIS STAFFING MODEL
BASED ON NATIONAL FIRE
PROTECTION ASSOCIATION
STANDARDS. 1710. THE DEPARTMENT
HAS UTILIZED THE LEGACY STAFFING
MODEL OF ONE COMPANY OFFICER
THAT'S A CAPTAIN OR ENGINEER,
AND TWO FIREFIGHTERS TO STAFF
ITS 356 FIRE ENGINES. THE MODEL
PLACES THE BURDEN OF DRIVING AND
FIRE ENGINE PUMP OPERATIONS ON
THE COMPANY OFFICER, AND IN THE
CURRENT MODEL, THE COMPANY
OFFICER MAY TAKE INITIAL COMMAND
OF AN INCIDENT WHILE CONDUCTING
PUMPING OPERATIONS WHILE THEIR
FIREFIGHTERS ADVANCED FIRE
CONTROL LINES ON SUPERVISED THE
RISK ASSOCIATED ASSOCIATED WITH
FIREFIGHTERS ADVANCING FIRE
LINES WITHOUT THE LEADERSHIP OF
AN EXPERIENCED COMPANY OFFICER
CREATES A CRITICAL FIREFIGHTER
SAFETY LIABILITY, WHICH THIS
PLAN ADDRESSES AS A KHÓ BENEFIT.
CONSIDER OPTION THREE WAS TO
MAINTAIN VACANCY TRAINING, LEAVE
AND DISABILITY BACKFILL
CAPABILITY. THE CONCEPT OF
RELIEF IS THE ESSENTIAL
COMPONENT OF FIXING THE CAPTAIN
TO ENGINEER RATIO, AND, AND THIS
PLAN PLACES THE ENGINEER
CLASSIFICATION IN A 4.0 STAFFING
FACTOR AND THE CAPTAIN AND
FIREFIGHTER CLASSIFICATIONS AT A
3.11 STAFFING FACTOR
CONSIDERATION FOUR IS TO PROVIDE
FOR ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT STAFF
AND PROGRAMMATIC SUPPORT OF
ADDITIONAL FIREFIGHTING
PERSONNEL AND CONSIDERATION.
FIVE WAS TO PROVIDE SUFFICIENT
TRAINING CAPACITY TO IMPLEMENT
THE PLAN AND KEEP PACE WITH
NORMAL ATTRITION. THE SUCCESS OF
THIS PLAN DEPENDS ON THE ABILITY
OF THE DEPARTMENT TO HIRE AND
TRAIN SUFFICIENT PERSONNEL
ANNUALLY TO ENSURE COMPLETE AND
FULL IMPLEMENTATION BY YEAR
FIVE. THIS PLAN ACCOUNTS FOR AN
ADDITIONAL TEMPORARY TRAINING
SITE AT THE FORMER CASTLE AIR
FORCE BASE, AND THIS WILL
INCREASE THE NUMBER OF COMPANY
OFFICER AND FIREFIGHTER
ACADEMIES. ALL INITIAL TRAINING
REQUIRED FOR COMPANY OFFICERS
FOR THE PLAN ELEMENTS. IT WILL
BE PHASED IN OVER FIVE YEARS.
THE PLAN IS BUILT FROM A
FOUNDATION OF EXISTING
INITIATIVES SUCH AS THE RELIEF,
BCP, DIRECT MISSION SUPPORT AND
THE CREWS BC PEACE AND
INTEGRATES WITH THEIR MULTIYEAR
FUNDING IMPLEMENTATION. IT
INCLUDES NINE PERSONNEL MONTHS
PER FIREFIGHTER, ONE TO REDUCE
DEPENDANCE ON ANNUAL ONE TIME
STAFFING ENHANCEMENT REQUESTS,
AND THIS IS CONSISTENT WITH THE
MAY 2023 LÀ REPORT. IT INCLUDES
A PROPORTIONATE INCREASE IN
CONTRACT COUNTY FUNDING, AN
INCREASE IN ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
FOR PROGRAMMATIC SUPPORT OF
ADDITIONAL FIREFIGHTING
PERSONNEL, MULTIYEAR TRAINING
PLAN AND DEVELOPMENT OF
ADDITIONAL TRAINING CENTER,
TECHNICAL SERVICES STAFF AND
SPECIAL REPAIRS FUNDING.
EMERGENCY VEHICLES, UTILITY
VEHICLES AND FLEET SUPPORT AND
UNIT LEVEL TRAINING CAPACITY.
Kò. THE C BENEFITS OF THE PLAN
INCLUDE DECREASED RELIANCE ON
ANNUAL ONE TIME STAFFING
ENHANCEMENT REQUESTS, SURGE AND
OVERHEAD SUPERVISION CAPACITY
FOR LARGE INCIDENT SUPPORT
BUILDS, UNIT LEVEL TRAINING
CAPACITY AND BUILDS ADDITIONAL
PERMANENT STAFF THAT WILL
INCREASE BASE LEVEL STAFFING
FROM 65 ENGINES TO 153. IT
CREATES BASE AND PEAK STAFFING
LEVELS AND REMOVES THE
TRANSITION PERIOD, EXTENDING
AVIATION CONTRACTS TO ALIGN WITH
THE STAFFING LEVELS. IT IMPROVES
FUEL REDUCTION OUTPUT AND
IMPROVEMENTS IN FIREFIGHTER
HEALTH AND WELLNESS PROMOTIONS
TO ENGINEER AND TRADITIONAL
STAFFING MAY BE MORE APPEALING
TO CANDIDATES. GUIDED UNDER THE
LEADERSHIP OF A FIRE CAPTAIN,
AND IT WILL BRING THE DEPARTMENT
IN CLOSER ALIGNMENT TO THE
INDUSTRY STANDARD WORKWEEK AND
SCHEDULE AND WORKWEEK PARITY. IT
MAY ATTRACT FORMER PREVIOUSLY
TRAINED EMPLOYEES BACK TO THE
DEPARTMENT, WHO SEPARATED FOR
OTHER DEPARTMENTS WITH MORE
ATTRACTIVE WORKWEEKS AND
COMPENSATION, SO, IN SUMMARY,
THE 66 HOUR WORKWEEK IS A STEP
TOWARDS THE INDUSTRY STANDARD
WORKWEEK FOR FIRE PROTECTION
PERSONNEL. THE TRANSITION
MAXIMIZES THE CAPABILITY OF FIRE
PROTECTION PERSONNEL AND CREATES
SIGNIFICANT CO-BENEFITS BEYOND
THE BENEFIT OF A REDUCED
WORKWEEK. CHAIR BECKER. MEMBERS
OF THE COMMITTEE, I APPRECIATE
YOUR TIME AND ATTENTION AND
WELCOME ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE.
THANK YOU, THANKS FOR THAT
OVERVIEW. CERTAINLY HELPFUL.
WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE,
FIRST, THANK YOU, CHAIR STEVE
BENSON WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF
FINANCE. NOTHING TO ADD TO THE
OVERVIEW, BUT OF COURSE,
AVAILABLE TO HELP OUT WITH
ANSWERING QUESTIONS. THANK YOU.
TO THE LEO. THANK YOU. MR.
CHAIR, SO I THINK YOU SHOULD ALL
HAVE A COPY OF THE BRIEF THAT WE
PREPARED, WHICH I THINK IS ALSO
IN YOUR AGENDA, BUT IT'S COLOR
HERE, SO HOPEFULLY IT'S A LITTLE
EASIER TO READ. IT'S ALSO ON OUR
WEBSITE, I'LL JUST TRY TO
SUMMARIZE. IT REALLY QUICKLY, AS
QUICKLY AS I CAN. THIS IS A
COMPLICATED PROPOSAL. I KNOW
THERE'S A LOT, LOT IN HERE, WE
THINK PRIORITIZING THE HEALTH
AND WELFARE OF FIREFIGHTERS
CERTAINLY MAKES SENSE.
FIREFIGHTERS HAVE ENDURED REALLY
DIFFICULT FIRE SEASONS AS YOU
ALL KNOW, VERY, VERY WELL,
PARTICULARLY OVER THE LAST FEW
YEARS, AND WE THINK IT MAKES
SENSE THAT THE LEGISLATURE WOULD
HAVE WANTED TO PRIORITIZE THAT
IN PASSING THE MOU IN SEPTEMBER
2022, AND THAT MOU INCLUDED A
PROVISION RELATED TO THE 66 HOUR
WORKWEEK, WITHOUT. WITH THAT
SAID, THE LANDSCAPE HAS REALLY
CHANGED IN THE LAST YEAR AND A
HALF, AND A COUPLE OF KEY WAYS.
SO ONE WAY WE WANTED TO
HIGHLIGHT AND I KNOW OUR OFFICE
HAS TALKED AT LENGTH WITH, WITH
ALL OF YOU ABOUT THIS, BUT THE
CONDITION OF THE GENERAL FUND
HAS DETERIORATED SIGNIFICANTLY
IN THE LAST 18 MONTHS, MAKING IT
MUCH MORE LIKELY THAT THE
LEGISLATURE IS GOING TO HAVE TO
MAKE REALLY TOUGH DECISIONS
RELATED TO POTENTIALLY MAKING
CUTS TO PROGRAMS, INCLUDING
POTENTIALLY ONGOING PROGRAMS, AS
WELL AS POTENTIALLY CONSIDERING
ADDITIONAL REVENUE INCREASES.
SECOND, THE MAGNITUDE OF THESE
COSTS OF THIS PROPOSAL, HAVE
BECOME MUCH CLEARER SINCE THE
LEGISLATURE ADOPTED THIS MOU
SPECIFICALLY, WHEN THE
LEGISLATURE CONSIDERED THIS MOU,
THERE WAS NO COST ESTIMATE THAT
WAS PROVIDED BY THE
ADMINISTRATION FOR THIS
PROVISION, AND THE REASON FOR
THAT IS THAT THIS PARTICULAR
PROVISION, UNLIKE THE OTHER
PROVISIONS OF THE MOU, THIS
PARTICULAR PROVISION WOULDN'T
TAKE EFFECT UNTIL AFTER THE
TERMS OF THE MOU. SO THIS MOU
THAT CAL FIRE CURRENTLY HAS
EXPIRES IN JUNE. THIS WOULDN'T
TAKE EFFECT UNTIL AFTER THAT. SO
BECAUSE OF THAT, THE
ADMINISTRATION DIDN'T PROVIDE A
COST ESTIMATE JUST BECAUSE
THAT'S THEIR, THEIR, THEIR
POLICY IS TO PROVIDE A COST
ESTIMATE FOR THE TERMS OF THE
MOU. SO THERE WAS REALLY NO GOOD
SENSE OF THE COST FOR THAT
REASON. AS WELL AS BECAUSE THERE
WASN'T REALLY A LOT OF
SPECIFICITY ABOUT HOW THIS WOULD
BE IMPLEMENTED, THAT WAS LEFT TO
THIS COMMITTEE. THAT WAS
CREATED. AND SO THERE WASN'T A
GOOD SENSE OF EXACTLY, YOU KNOW,
WHAT THE DEPARTMENT WOULD DO TO
IMPLEMENT THIS CHANGE OUR
OFFICE. BECAUSE OF THAT, OUR
OFFICE WASN'T ABLE TO PROVIDE A
VERY GOOD COST ESTIMATE EITHER,
WE SAID IT WOULD LIKELY BE IN
THE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF
DOLLARS, BUT WE REALLY DIDN'T
HAVE A GOOD SENSE OF EXACTLY HOW
THIS WOULD BE IMPLEMENTED AND
WHAT THE COST WOULD BE. WE NOW
KNOW THAT WHEN FULLY
IMPLEMENTED, THIS IS GOING TO BE
A VERY SIGNIFICANT PROPOSAL IN
TERMS OF COSTS, EVENTUALLY
TOTALING ABOUT $750 MILLION FROM
THE GENERAL FUND, $770 MILLION
FROM ALL FUNDS. SO IT'S QUITE A
SIGNIFICANT PROPOSAL. IT WOULD
INCREASE STAFF LEVELS AND BUDGET
FOR THE DEPARTMENT BY ABOUT 20.
AND THIS COMES ON THE HEELS OF
SOME PRETTY SIGNIFICANT
INCREASES IN BUDGET AND STAFFING
THAT THE DEPARTMENT HAS SEEN
OVER THE LAST FIVE AND TEN YEAR
PERIOD. SO THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT
INCREASE, AND IT WOULD HAVE A
LOT OF BOTH DIRECT AND INDIRECT
IMPACTS ON THE DEPARTMENT. SO
YOU HEARD A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
THEM, AND BUT THERE'S A WHOLE
WHOLE HOST OF THINGS IN TERMS OF
HOW THEY ARE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW,
HOW MANY ENGINES ARE OPERATED
FOR A PERIOD OF TIME, HOW FOLKS,
MOVE IN AND OUT OF THEIR OF
THEIR, THE PERIODS OF TIME THAT
THEY'RE, THAT THEY'RE OPERATING
THE ENGINES. A LOT OF DIFFERENT
IMPLICATIONS. AND THERE ARE ALSO
POTENTIAL IMPLICATIONS ON OTHER
ENTITIES, MANY OF THESE WE DON'T
FULLY UNDERSTAND NOW, CERTAINLY
LEGISLATURE PROBABLY DIDN'T HAVE
INFORMATION AT THE TIME THIS THE
MOU WAS CONSIDERED, BUT ONE I
JUST WANTED TO FLAG, FOR
EXAMPLE, AS AN EXAMPLE, IS THAT
CAL FIRE CURRENTLY PROVIDES
SERVICE FOR A NUMBER OF LOCAL
AGENCIES. THEY CONTRACT WITH CAL
FIRE TO PROVIDE FIRE PROTECTION
SERVICES AS WELL AS SOME OTHER
SERVICES. IN CERTAIN CASES, WE
EXPECT THAT THIS PROPOSAL WILL
INCREASE THE COST OF CAL FIRE
CREWS. SO ONCE THOSE CONTRACTS
WITH LOCAL AGENCIES COME UP FOR
RENEWAL, WE THINK THERE'S A GOOD
CHANCE THAT THE DEPARTMENT WILL
HAVE TO INCORPORATE THOSE
ADDITIONAL COSTS, INTO THOSE
AGREEMENTS THAT MAY MAKE IT LESS
DESIRABLE FOR SOME LOCAL
AGENCIES TO CONTRACT WITH CAL
FIRE. SO THAT'S JUST ONE EXAMPLE
OF THE VARIETY OF POTENTIAL
IMPLICATIONS THIS COULD HAVE,
BECAUSE THIS REALLY IS A VERY,
IMPACTFUL, SIGNIFICANT PROPOSAL
FOR THE DEPARTMENT, SO WE THINK
THAT GIVEN THIS ALTERED CONTEXT,
THE LEGISLATURE FACES A REALLY
KEY DECISION ABOUT WHETHER IT
THINKS THAT THE LEGISLATURE CAN
CONTINUE TO SUSTAIN THIS
PROPOSAL, RECOGNIZING THAT YOU
MAY HAVE TO MAKE SOME CUTS OTHER
PLACES OR RAISE SOME REVENUE TO
SUSTAIN IT. SO JUST THINKING
ABOUT YOUR PRIORITIES IS THIS IS
THIS A TOP PRIORITY? AND I THINK
IF I LEAVE YOU WITH ONE POINT
THAT I REALLY WANT TO EMPHASIZE
IT IS THAT OUR RECOMMENDATION IS
THAT YOU NOT CONSIDER THIS A
DECISION THAT'S ALREADY BEEN
MADE, THE LEGISLATURE ALWAYS HAS
THE POWER OF THE PURSE. IT'S
YOUR MOST YOU KNOW, IT'S ONE OF
YOUR MOST. OF COURSE, YOU KNOW
BETTER THAN I DO, IMPORTANT
CONSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES.
AND YOU CAN ALWAYS DECIDE TO
CHOOSE CHOOSE TO FUND OR NOT
FUND MÐI USE. BUT THIS
PARTICULAR MOU HAD AN UNUSUAL
PROVISION. IT WAS THIS MOU WAS
UNUSUAL IN A LOT OF WAYS, BUT
ONE OF THE PROVISIONS THAT WAS
VERY UNUSUAL IS THAT IT INCLUDED
INCLUDED SPECIFIC LANGUAGE THAT
THIS SPECIFIC PROVISION WAS
SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION IN THIS
BUDGET, SO IN THAT WAY, IT
SEEMED THAT THE MOU ENVISIONED
THAT THE LEGISLATURE MIGHT HAVE
TO MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT WHETHER
THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT THE
GENERAL FUND COULD SUPPORT. SO
WE THINK THAT THE LEGISLATURE IS
NOT CERTAIN IF THE GENERAL FUND
CAN SUPPORT THIS. WE CONSIDER WE
SUGGEST DEFERRING THIS DECISION,
POTENTIALLY FUNDING IT IN A
FUTURE YEAR WHEN THE GENERAL
FUND IS, YOU KNOW, THE CONDITION
OF THE GENERAL FUND IS CLEAR.
AND WE THINK THAT WOULD PROVIDE
YOU WITH MORE FLEXIBILITY
BECAUSE IF WE THINK IF THE
LEGISLATURE APPROVES THIS IN
THIS BUDGET, IT'S GOING TO BE
REALLY HARD TO KIND OF PULL BACK
IF THE CONDITION OF THE GENERAL
FUND CONTINUES TO DETERIORATE,
SO WE THINK THERE ARE SOME OTHER
THINGS THE LEGISLATURE COULD DO
TO IMPROVE HEALTH AND WELLNESS
OF FIREFIGHTERS IN THE INTERIM,
IF THAT WERE THE CHOICE THAT THE
LEGISLATURE WANTED TO TAKE,
HOWEVER, IF THE LEGISLATURE
WANTS TO PRIORITIZE THIS AND
ADOPT THIS PROPOSAL, WE JUST
HAVE SOME PRETTY MINOR
RECOMMENDATIONS RELATED TO
ADDING SOME REPORTING LANGUAGE,
FOR EXAMPLE, ONE OF THE THINGS
WE THAT, THIS PROPOSAL DOES IS
IT INCREASES YEAR LONG YEAR
ROUND STAFFING QUITE A BIT. SO A
LOT OF NOW THE DEPARTMENT'S VERY
OR PRETTY RELIANT ON SEASONAL
STAFFING. AND SO THIS WOULD
GREATLY INCREASE THE NUMBER OF
PERMANENT FIREFIGHTERS. AND IN
SO DOING THERE WOULD BE, WE
THINK, A LOT MORE FIREFIGHTERS
THAT WOULD BE AVAILABLE IN THE
OFF SEASON WHEN TYPICALLY THERE
AREN'T AS MANY FIRES AND
AVAILABLE TO DO OTHER KINDS OF
PRIORITY WORK. SO IT COULD BE IT
COULD BE WILDFIRE RESILIENCE,
WORK COULD BE DEFENSIBLE SPACE
INSPECTIONS COULD BE SOME OF THE
PRIORITIES THE LEGISLATURE HAS.
IT'S NOT THE MOST THE CHEAPEST
WAY TO ACCOMPLISH THOSE
PRIORITIES, BUT WE THINK THAT IS
THAT COULD BE A CO-BENEFIT. SO
THE REPORTING LANGUAGE THAT WE
RECOMMEND, WE THINK WILL HELP
THE LEGISLATURE GET A BETTER
HANDLE ON HOW MUCH OF THOSE
BENEFITS ARE ACTUALLY
ACCOMPLISHED. AND, YOU KNOW,
THERE IS A LITTLE BIT OF THE YOU
GET WHAT YOU MEASURE, AND SO WE
WOULD BE HOPEFUL THAT THAT
POTENTIALLY SOME OF THOSE
CO-BENEFITS MIGHT BE ENHANCED,
THROUGH THAT REPORTING
MECHANISM. SO HAPPY TO TAKE
QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. I THINK
ONE QUESTION THAT OUR
CONSULTANTS WEREN'T ABLE TO GET
THROUGH IS HOW DOES THIS COMPARE
WITH, OTHER STATES. AND IN TERMS
OF ANY OF THE FACTORS WE'RE
LOOKING AT HERE? SORRY, THAT'S A
THAT'S ACTUALLY AN EXCELLENT
QUESTION. AND I MAY HAVE TO
DEFER TO THE DEPARTMENT. THIS IS
ONE WE ASKED WE ACTUALLY ASKED
THE DEPARTMENT, AS PART OF
REVIEWING THIS PROPOSAL, BECAUSE
I THINK THERE'S A QUESTION OF
SORT OF WHAT'S THE MOST
COMPARABLE RIGHT WITH LOCAL
AGENCIES. THEY TEND TO HAVE A
SHORTER WORKWEEK, 56 HOURS, I
BELIEVE IT IS. AND SO THAT'S
KIND OF STANDARD IN THE LOCAL
AGENCIES. THE FEDS, THEY THEY
HAVE A DIFFERENT MODEL TOO.
RIGHT. BUT AND IN GENERAL, THEY
TEND TO HAVE AND ACTUALLY LOCALS
TEND TO HAVE PRETTY GOOD PAY AND
THEY TEND TO BE, I THINK,
PERHAPS MORE COMPETITIVE THAN
CAL FIRE. THE FEDS ARE KIND OF A
DIFFERENT STORY. THEY TEND TO
HAVE LOWER PAY, AS I UNDERSTAND
IT, AND BENEFITS, AND THEIR
WORKWEEK ISN'T ISN'T QUITE,
ANALOGOUS TO CAL FIRES TO EITHER
AGENCY. AND THEN WE WEREN'T ABLE
TO GET GOOD INFORMATION ON OTHER
STATES. WE CONTACTED NCCUSL.
THEY DIDN'T, WHICH IS THE
NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STATE
LEGISLATURES. AND WE WEREN'T
ABLE TO GET REALLY GOOD
INFORMATION. CAL FIRE, I DEFER
TO THEM. BUT IN THE RESPONSE, WE
DIDN'T GET A LOT OF DETAIL THERE
EITHER. IT SOUNDED LIKE THERE
WASN'T REALLY LIKE OTHER STATES
REALLY DIDN'T HAVE SOMETHING
THAT WAS QUITE COMPARABLE TO CAL
FIRE, AND SO I, I DEFER TO THE
DIRECTOR IF HE HAS A DIFFERENT
ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO
ADD, BUT I HAD HOPED FOR Þ WE
COULD COMPARE CAL FIRE. WHAT CAL
FIRE DOES TO WHAT OREGON DOES,
OR WASHINGTON OR COLORADO,
BECAUSE TO ME, IT SEEMS LIKE
THOSE STATES MIGHT BE MORE
COMPARABLE THAN, YOU KNOW, YOUR
LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT, WHICH HAS
SOME SIMILARITIES TO CAL FIRE,
BUT, YOU KNOW, ALSO HAS SOME
DIFFERENCES AS AS MANY OF YOU
KNOW, LOCAL AGENCIES ALSO DO A
LOT OF WORK. THAT'S NOT QUITE
AKIN TO WHAT CAL FIRE DOES. SO,
SO I DEFER TO THE DIRECTOR TO
SEE IF HE HAS ANYTHING ELSE TO
ADD ON THAT POINT. WE CAN MOVE
FORWARD OR UNLESS THERE'S
ANYTHING ELSE YOU HAVE ON THAT.
YEAH. WHAT DO YOU HAVE? DO YOU
HAVE A RESPONSE TO THAT? I'M
SORRY. I KNOW SO, SO, SO
LARGELY, MISS KIRSTEN IS
CORRECT. WHEN WE LOOK AT THE
STATE OF CALIFORNIA, YOUR
MUNICIPAL AGENCIES ARE IN A 56
HOUR WORKWEEK. CAL FIRE IS ON A
72 HOUR WORKWEEK, AND OUR
FEDERAL PARTNERS, AS AN EXAMPLE,
OUR FOREST SERVICE PARTNERS,
THEY WILL RUN A LARGE SEASONAL
WORKFORCE AS WELL. MANY TIMES
THEY'RE HAVING, THEY'RE HAVING
RECRUITMENT RETENTION ISSUES
RIGHT NOW TO KEEP APPARATUS
STAFFED. AND WE SEE THAT THROUGH
SOME CONTINUING RESOLUTIONS AND
THROUGH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT,
THROUGH THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE FUNDING
FOR THOSE FIREFIGHTERS. BUT THEY
HAVE A VARIETY OF METHODS,
ACROSS, ACROSS REGION FIVE,
ACROSS CALIFORNIA AS WELL. ONE
OF THE DIFFERENCES THAT I FIND
WHEN, WHEN ONE OF OUR FEDERAL
AGENCIES CAN STAFF FULLY ONE OF
THEIR APPARATUS, THEY ARE
LARGELY STAFFING WITH A FIRE
EQUIPMENT OPERATOR AND ASSISTANT
FIRE EQUIPMENT OPERATOR. SO A
FIRE CAPTAIN, AN ENGINEER, THE
EQUIVALENT AND USUALLY 3 TO 4
FIREFIGHTERS, WHEN THEY CAN
STAFF THAT FIRE ENGINE AND
THEY'RE NOT GOING THROUGH THE
STRUGGLES SPECIFICALLY TO THE
QUESTION ABOUT OTHER STATES AND
OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, I CAN TELL
YOU, WORKING CLOSELY WITH CASEY
CASEY, THE STATE FORESTER, AND
THE STATE OF NEVADA, THEY RUN
SIMILAR, TO THEIR OPERATIONAL
RESPONSIBILITIES AS THE FOREST
SERVICE DOES IN CALIFORNIA. NOT
TO THE SIGNIFICANCE OF WHAT CAL
FIRE IS. AND COMPASS TO DO TO
MEET OUR MISSION ACROSS THE
STATE. SO THEY RUN MUCH OF THE
SAME, OPERATIONAL SCHEDULE AS
THE UNITED STATES FOREST
SERVICE. AS FOR OREGON, I WOULD
HAVE TO GO BACK AND GET DETAILS
ON THAT. AND THE FORCE, THE US
FOREST SERVICE IS DOING
SEASONALLY AT THIS POINT, THEY
HAVE A LARGE SEASONAL WORKFORCE,
AND THEN THEY HAVE A SMALLER
PERMANENT WORKFORCE AS WELL. IF
I COULD JUST AND, CHIEF, ONE OF
THE THINGS THAT I'VE LEARNED IN
THE CONVERSATION WITH CAL FIRE
AS WELL IS THAT CAL FIRE IS A
FULL SERVICE FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR
THE STATE, THE FOREST SERVICE
AND OTHER STATES DON'T DO THAT
MODEL. SO IT'S ALSO VERY
DIFFICULT TO COMPARE THEM
BECAUSE THE SCOPE OF THEIR
RESPONSIBILITIES ARE VERY
DIFFERENT, GREAT. WELL, I'LL
OPEN THIS UP. I CERTAINLY HAVE
SOME QUESTIONS. AND, YOU KNOW,
AS MENTIONED, I'VE HEARD A LOT
OF MOVE OVER TO THE LEFT BECAUSE
YOU CAN'T LOOK TO THE RIGHT.
WELL, YOU'RE USUALLY OVER THERE.
I ALWAYS LOOK FOR YOU FIRST.
YEAH, BUT, YOU KNOW, AS I SAID,
YOU KNOW, MANY PERSONAL STORIES
ON THIS, AND, AND GREAT
APPRECIATION. HOWEVER, IT IS A
SIGNIFICANT, AMOUNT OF MONEY, AS
DISCUSSED. SO WE WANT TO ASK
SOME QUESTIONS. WE'LL START WITH
. YEAH. I WOULD LIKE TO WEIGH IN
AS SOMEBODY WHO HAS NOW BEEN IN
THE SENATE ON THIS COMMITTEE,
STOOD ON THE STEPS WITH SENATOR
MCGUIRE, WHO WAS ON THIS
COMMITTEE WITH ME, TALKING ABOUT
, YOU KNOW, FIREFIGHTERS WITH
PTSD, SUICIDE. LONG LONG HOURS,
NOT LONG HOURS, NOT ONLY LONG
HOURS, BUT 70, 80 DAYS ON
WITHOUT TIME OFF. AND I KNOW
THAT WE HAVE NOT SEEN A
SIGNIFICANT FIRE IN CALIFORNIA.
I MEAN, A MAJOR DIXIE FIRE IN A
COUPLE OF YEARS. BUT THEY WILL
COME BACK. AND I WANT TO JUST,
YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T REALLY
COMPARE CALIFORNIA TO OREGON OR
NEVADA. WE HAVE 40 MILLION
PEOPLE AND WE HAVE THE SIERRAS,
AND WE HAVE A LOT OF SRA, WHICH
THEY'RE MANDATED TO DEFEND ON
TOP OF A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT AND
FOREST SERVICE GROUNDS THAT THEY
WORK TOGETHER WITH. SO IT'S
REALLY NOT APPLES TO APPLES.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT CALIFORNIA AND
YOU WANT TO COMPARE IT TO
ANOTHER STATE. SO I THINK THAT
NEEDS TO BE, THOUGHT ABOUT IN
THIS PROCESS. AND ALSO, I KNOW
THIS IS NOT THIS IS GOING TO
COST SOME MONEY. THERE'S NO
DOUBT ABOUT IT. THIS IS THIS IS
A PRICE TAG. THAT IS. BUT WE
WHAT DID WE ASK THEM TO DO? WE
ASKED THEM 4 OR 5 YEARS AGO TO
GO BACK AND DO AN MOU. THE
LEGISLATURE ASKED FOR THIS
PROCESS, QUITE FRANKLY, BECAUSE
WE WERE GRAPPLING WITH HOW ARE
WE GOING TO REALLY DO THIS IN A
WAY? AND THEY, TO THEIR CREDIT,
CAME BACK NOT AT A 56 HOUR
WORKWEEK, WHICH IS WHAT MOST OF
OUR LOCALS DO. THEY CAME BACK
WITH TEN HOURS MORE THAN THAT, A
66 HOUR WORKWEEK. SO THEY REALLY
REDUCED FIVE HOURS. NOW, ARE
THERE SOME STAFFING THINGS? AND
WE'VE WE'VE DISCUSSED THOSE
THINGS TOO, ABOUT SAFETY AND HOW
YOU RUN YOUR ENGINES. AND I JUST
WANT TO SAY THIS FOR THE RECORD,
AND I DON'T CARE WHO'S LISTENING
AT THE FOREST SERVICE. THEY
DON'T PUT FIRES OUT. THEY MANAGE
THEM. THESE GUYS GO PUT FIRES
OUT. AND WE'VE AND I'VE HAD THE
BATTLES WITH EVERY SINGLE FIRE
IN MY DISTRICT WHERE WE'VE HAD
TO, HAD, MULTI-AGENCY FIRES.
WHERE THE FOREST SERVICE, THEY
BURNT DOWN THE TOWN OF
GREENVILLE TO TELL YOU THAT
RIGHT NOW. AND IF OUR GUYS WERE
THERE, WE WOULD HAVE PUT IT OUT.
AND SO YOU CAN'T COMPARE WHAT
THE WHAT CAL FIRE GUYS DO TO THE
FEDERAL FOREST SERVICE. AND THEY
HAVE A WHOLE DIFFERENT MODEL.
THEY'RE ON TWO WEEKS. THEY BRING
IN A WHOLE DIFFERENT CREW. THAT
COULD BE FROM SOME OTHER STATE
THAT DOESN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE
SIERRAS LOOK LIKE. IF THEY'RE
FIGHTING IN THE POCONOS, WHERE
THE MOUNTAINS ARE 1100 FEET
HIGH. AND THESE ARE THESE ARE
THIS IS THE SIERRAS, IT'S A
DIFFERENT WORLD. SO I'M FOR
THIS. I THINK WE'VE ASKED THEM
TO DO IT. I THINK WE'VE PUT THEM
IN A POSITION WHERE,
UNFORTUNATELY, WE HAVE A BUDGET
DEFICIT. BUT WE SHOULD HAVE DID
THIS FIVE YEARS AGO. WE WOULDN'T
BE HERE RIGHT NOW. WE WERE WE
WERE GRAPPLING WITH IT 5 OR 6
YEARS AGO, AND WE KEPT KICKING
THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD. AND HERE
WE ARE NOW. I AGREE WITH THE LAO
THAT, YEAH, THERE WERE SOME
UNKNOWNS OUT THERE, BUT WE KNOW
ONE THING CALIFORNIA WILL BURN
AGAIN AND WE ARE GOING TO PUT
THESE GUYS IN A POSITION OF
CATASTROPHIC EVENTS WHERE THE
FIRES AREN'T THE SAME AS THEY
WERE EVEN 20 YEARS AGO. WE ARE
SEEING FIRES THAT MOVE FAST, AND
WE HAVE TO HAVE THE RIGHT
STAFFING, AND WE HAVE TO HAVE
PEOPLE THAT ARE ABLE TO BE ALERT
AND BE ABLE TO DO THEIR JOBS IN
A IN A WAY THAT IS SAFE. SO. SO
FOR ME, I THINK THAT, YEAH, IT'S
GOING TO COST SOME SIGNIFICANT
AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL SEE SOME
MORE OF OUR LIDAR RADAR STUFF
THAT YOU'RE DOING THAT AND
TECHNOLOGY, QUITE FRANKLY HELP
US. WE DON'T HAVE TO DO WE DON'T
HAVE TO HAVE AS MANY PEOPLE
BECAUSE WE KNOW IN ANY BUSINESS,
WHETHER IT'S THIS GOVERNMENT OR
PRIVATE BUSINESS, PEOPLE ARE THE
BIGGEST COST. THE INFRASTRUCTURE
ITSELF IS NOT THAT BIG OF A
COST, BUT IT'S THE PEOPLE.
HOPEFULLY WE'LL SEE THE
TECHNOLOGY COME AROUND WHERE WE
DON'T HAVE TO HAVE AS MANY
PEOPLE TO DO THE KIND OF WORK IN
THE FUTURE THAT WE NEED TO DO TO
GET. AND ON TOP OF THAT,
HOPEFULLY WE'LL DO SOME REALLY
GOOD. FUEL REDUCTION PROJECTS
OUT THERE. SO THE FIRES AREN'T
INTENSE AS THEY ARE BECAUSE
WE'VE HAD 100 YEARS OF FIRE
SUPPRESSION, WHICH WASN'T GOOD
FOR THE SIERRAS. AND WE NEED TO
ACTUALLY DO SOME OF THAT. AND WE
SAW THAT, I MEAN, BOTH THE WELL,
I DON'T KNOW ABOUT SENATOR
BLACKFORD, BUT THE OTHER TWO
MEMBERS ON THIS COMMITTEE SIT ON
THOSE COMMITTEES WITH ME, WHERE
WE TALK ABOUT THOSE OTHER ISSUES
ABOUT DOING FIRE MANAGEMENT. SO
FOR ME, I JUST WANT THE RECORD
TO GO. I'M ALL IN. I THINK WE
SHOULD DO THIS. I THINK, YEAH,
THERE'S A COST, BUT WE NEED TO.
WE NEED TO BEAR THAT COST AND DO
WHAT'S RIGHT, THANK YOU, SENATOR
DONNELLY, TO MY COLLEAGUES,
QUESTIONS. YEAH THANK YOU. I
APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION. ALL
OF IT, AND I JUST WANTED TO
NARROW IN ON THE PART THAT THE
LÀ FOCUSED ON ABOUT IF THE
LEGISLATURE APPROVES THE
PROPOSAL, IMPORTANT TO MAXIMIZE
THE BENEFITS. I THINK THAT
SECTION ABOUT TRACKING, TO ME,
THIS SEEMS LIKE IT COMES UP
ACROSS A LOT OF DIFFERENT AREAS
OF THE STATE BUDGET THAT WE NEED
TO HAVE MORE ACCOUNTABILITY WHEN
WE DO PUT MORE MONEY INTO THINGS
, WHERE IS IT BEING SPENT AND IS
IT ACHIEVING GOALS? AND WHEN WE
HAVE MULTIPLE GOALS, WHICH OF
COURSE, FIREFIGHTER WELL-BEING
IS REALLY IMPORTANT GOAL. BUT
THE WILDFIRE AND THE RESILIENCE
PART IS ALSO A REALLY IMPORTANT
GOAL. SO I JUST WANTED TO ME, IT
SEEMS LIKE IT MIGHT BE A GOOD
IDEA FOR CAL FIRE TO EVEN
PROPOSE HOW THEY WOULD DO THIS.
AND I WANTED TO GET YOUR
RESPONSE TO IT WHEN THE LAO SAYS
, WILDFIRE RESILIENCE ACTIVITIES
ARE CURRENTLY NOT WELL TRACKED,
CAL FIRE DOES NOT SYSTEMATICALLY
TRACK THE AMOUNT OF TIME ITS
CREWS SPEND ON WILDFIRE
RESILIENCE WORK VERSUS OTHER
PURSUITS, WHICH MAKES VERIFYING
THE EXTENT TO WHICH FIREFIGHTERS
ACTUALLY SPEND TIME ON THESE
ACTIVITIES DIFFICULT. MOREOVER
WHILE CAL FIRE CURRENTLY TRACKS
AND REPORTS THE OVERALL NUMBER
OF ACRES TREATED AS A RESULT OF
ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN BY THE
DEPARTMENT, IT DOES NOT REPORT A
BREAKOUT OF HOW MANY ACRES WERE
TREATED DIRECTLY BY CAL FIRE
PERSONNEL, EITHER BY
FIREFIGHTING CREWS OR BY
DEDICATED FUEL REDUCTION CREWS,
COMPARED TO THOSE TREATED BY
PARTNERS THAT RECEIVE GRANTS
ADMINISTERED BY CAL FIRE. ABSENT
SUCH INFORMATION, DETERMINING
WHETHER CHANGES IN THE NUMBER OF
ACRES TREATED ARE A RESULT OF
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES BEING
CONDUCTED BY FIREFIGHTERS,
INCLUDING PERSONNEL ADDED AS A
RESULT OF THE 66 HOUR WORKWEEK
PROPOSAL OR STEM FROM OTHER
STATE INVESTMENTS SUCH AS THE
FUNDING PROVIDED IN RECENT
WILDFIRE RESILIENCE PACKAGES,
WILL CONTINUE TO BE CHALLENGING
AND THEN, IT SUGGESTS, SHOULD IT
FUND THE WORK, WE CHANGE, THE
LEGISLATURE COULD USE IT AS AN
OPPORTUNITY TO HOLD CAL FIRE
MORE ACCOUNTABLE FOR ACHIEVING
DEMONSTRABLE WILDFIRE
RESILIENCE. CO-BENEFITS BY
REQUIRING MORE DETAILED
REPORTING OF HOW CAL FIRE
FIREFIGHTERS SPEND THEIR TIME,
INCLUDING THE AMOUNT OF TIME
SPENT ON WILDFIRE RESILIENCE
ACTIVITIES AND THE NUMBER OF
ACRES TREATED BY CAL FIRE
FIREFIGHTERS. SO I JUST WANTED
TO HEAR YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT,
BECAUSE I DO THINK HAVING BEEN
IN A LOCAL GOVERNMENT WITH A
FIRE DEPARTMENT, THAT WAS REALLY
CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TO SO MANY
ASPECTS OF THE CITY'S SAFETY AND
WELL FUNCTIONING, THAT, YOU
KNOW, THE DISCUSSION ABOUT WHERE
WHAT ARE PEOPLE WORKING ON AND
WHAT KIND OF SUPPORT IS NEEDED
FROM PEOPLE WHO WHO AT VARIOUS
HOURS, I MEAN, IT CAN BECOME
EXTREMELY DETAILED, BUT JUST THE
BOTTOM LINE OF THIS HUGE
ADDITIONAL COST, MAKING SURE
THAT WE ARE ABLE TO MAKE OUR
ENVIRONMENT MORE RESILIENT AND
CLEAR AND DO FOREST THINNING AND
THESE THESE OTHER ACTIVITIES. TO
ME, THAT SEEMS LIKE A REALLY
IMPORTANT ASPECT. AND I JUST
WANTED TO SEE IF YOU HAD A
RESPONSE TO THAT, IF YOU EMBRACE
IT, IF YOU ARE RELUCTANT AND SEE
IF IT WAS SOMETHING THAT YOU
MIGHT EVEN SUGGEST AND PROMOTE
ON YOUR OWN. SO IT IS SO
CRITICALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO
PROVIDE THE TRANSPARENCY TO THE
PUBLIC AND TO THE LEGISLATURE,
AND YOUR POINTS TO ME ARE WELL
TAKEN. THERE ARE A LOT OF
ACTIVITIES THAT ARE GOING ON
ACROSS THE STATE. BUT PERHAPS
THEY'RE DIFFICULT TO FIND. AND
THAT IS SOMETHING THAT I AM
EMBRACING TO RISE IT TO A
SURFACE SO IT CAN BE MORE EASILY
FOUND. THERE ARE OVER $818
MILLION IN GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
IN WILDFIRE PREVENTION ACROSS
THE STATE. AND AS WE HEARD
EARLIER, OVER $2.8 BILLION HAVE
BEEN INVESTED BY THIS
ADMINISTRATION IN, ON THAT. AND
THAT'S A LOT OF WORK TO GET OUT
THE DOOR, WHETHER WE'RE DOING IT
OR WHETHER OUR, OUR GRANTEES ARE
DOING THAT. SO THERE ARE EFFORTS
THAT HAVE GONE IN PLACE. THE
ESTABLISHMENT OF AB NINE CREATED
THE COMMUNITY WILDFIRE
PREPAREDNESS AND MITIGATION
PROGRAM, AND THEY ARE WORKING
STRONG ON REALLY IDENTIFYING THE
PREVENTION EFFORTS AND FUELS
REDUCTION EFFORTS THAT ARE GOING
ON. AND THEY'RE EXPANDING THAT.
THEY PROVIDE ANNUALLY A FIRE
PREVENTION ACTIVITIES REPORT.
THOSE ARE POSTED ON THE WEBSITE,
AND THEY'RE PROVIDED TO THE
LEGISLATURE AS WELL, THE
WILDFIRE FORCE RESILIENCE TASK
FORCE, HAS 99 ACTION ITEMS. WE
ARE INCLUDED IN THAT AS PART OF
CAL FIRE. TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE
MORE TRANSPARENCY, THERE HAVE
BEEN TWO, PUBLIC DASHBOARDS THAT
ARE AVAILABLE. SOMETIMES THEY
ARE DIFFICULT TO FIND. ONE IS,
THE DASHBOARD UNDER THE
INTERAGENCY TRACKER, THAT IS RAN
BY THE WILDFIRE FORCE RESILIENCE
TASK FORCE, TO BE ABLE TO SEE
EVERY PROJECT THAT'S ON THE
GROUND. WHAT THE DOLLARS ARE,
WHAT THE PROJECT FOOTPRINT IS,
AND WHAT THE TREATMENT FOOTPRINT
IS. BUT TO YOUR POINT, IT
DOESN'T SPECIFICALLY IDENTIFY
THAT CAL FIRE FIREFIGHTERS ARE
DOING THAT. SO I WILL TAKE THAT
TO HEART, FOR YOU, THERE IS ALSO
CAL MAPPER, WHICH IS
SPECIFICALLY, FOR CAL FIRE. AND
FOR REFERENCE, IF YOU WANT TO
SEE THE MORE GLOBAL PICTURE OF
INTER AGENCY, CAL MAPPER FEEDS
INTO THE INTERAGENCY TREATMENT
DASHBOARD. SO YOU COULD GO THERE
AND SEE THAT WE ARE WORKING ON A
PROCESS TO INCLUDE OUR FEDERAL
PARTNERS INTO THAT INTERAGENCY
TREATMENT DASHBOARD, AS WELL, TO
BRING EVEN MORE TRANSPARENCY.
BUT AGAIN, SENATOR BLAKE'S TO
YOUR POINT, WE WILL NEED TO GO
BACK AND PROVE SPECIFICALLY THE
HOURS OF WORK THAT CAL FIRE
FIREFIGHTERS ARE DOING. THANK
YOU. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, I
WHEN I WAS IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT,
I SERVED ON LAFCO AND AS PART OF
ONE OF THE MAIN THINGS WE DEALT
WITH DURING MY TIRM WAS A
VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT IN, IN
JULIAN, SWITCHING OVER TO CAL
FIRE. AND SO THE, THE REALITY OF
THE PROFESSIONAL, THE REALLY
HIGH QUALITY SERVICE, THE, THE
THERE WAS JUST NO QUESTION THAT
THERE WAS A TREMENDOUS VALUE
THAT CAL FIRE WAS PROVIDING,
THAT A VOLUNTEER DEPARTMENT
COULDN'T. AND I, I UNDERSTOOD IT
AT LEVELS THAT I HADN'T
PREVIOUSLY BEFORE. SO I
RECOGNIZE THAT THE THINGS THAT
YOU JUST LISTED OFF, THERE ARE
ALL SORTS OF GOOD, GOOD WORK
BEING DONE THAT, THAT YOU'RE
OVERSEEING. I THINK THE MAIN
POINT OF ME READING THAT, AND OF
FOCUSING ON IT, IS TO SAY THAT
WITH THIS, THIS HUGE AMOUNT OF
ADDITIONAL REQUESTED MONEY TO
MAKE SURE THAT IT'S NOT JUST
OVERSEEING OF OTHER PROGRAMS,
THAT IT ACTUALLY IS MAKING OUR
STATE MORE RESILIENT TO CLIMATE
CHANGE AND THAT THESE PEOPLE ARE
THE BOOTS ON THE GROUND, ARE
THERE BECAUSE AND I THINK PART
OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY PART IS TO
SAY THAT WE DON'T WANT TO DROWN
EVERYONE IN DATA. WE DON'T WANT
TO JUST HAVE ALL SORTS OF
DASHBOARDS THAT SAY ALL SORTS OF
DIFFERENT THINGS, AND YOU CAN'T
FIND YOUR BEARING. I THINK IT'S
TO SAY SPECIFICALLY WHERE WHAT
WHAT IS THIS MONEY FUNDING AND
HOW ARE WE SEEING THOSE BENEFITS
THAT ARE FOR FIREFIGHTER
WELL-BEING, BUT ALSO FOR THESE
COMMUNITY RESILIENCE, THINGS
THAT ARE SO IMPORTANT, SO, AND I
MEAN, IT'S A REALLY GOOD POINT
ABOUT THE FACT THAT ALTHOUGH
FIRE FIRE SEASON HAS EXTENDED IN
MANY WAYS, MONTHS ON EITHER END,
THERE ARE STILL PERIODS, YEAR
LONG PERIODS WHERE WE HAVE A LOT
OF WATER AND WE SHOULD BE DOING
PRESCRIBED BURNS AND FOREST
THINNING AND A LOT OF THESE
OTHER TYPE OF HARDENING AND A
LOT OF DIFFERENT PROJECTS THAT
NEED TO HAPPEN, AND MAKING SURE
THAT PEOPLE ARE WORKING ON THOSE
THINGS. SO, SO I JUST, YOU KNOW,
THAT'S REALLY THE MAIN THRUST OF
IT. MAY I OFFER A RESPONSE TO
PART OF YOUR STATEMENT? YEAH. SO
THANK YOU, SO THERE IS A C
BENEFIT THAT YOU JUST
IDENTIFIED. CAL FIRE IS THE LÀ
IDENTIFIED WORKS LARGELY ON HAS
BEEN WORKING LARGELY ON A
SEASONAL WORKFORCE. A
FIREFIGHTER ONE AS A SEASONAL
CLASSIFICATION, AS A NON-TESTED
CLASSIFICATION THAT CAN WORK
NINE MONTHS A YEAR, AT MOST NINE
MONTHS A YEAR. AND SO WE BRING
THOSE INDIVIDUALS ON AS WHAT WE
REFER TO AS THE TRANSITION
PERIOD UNTIL WE COME OUT OF THE
TRANSITION TRANSITION PERIOD,
WHICH EQUATES FOR THOSE NINE
MONTHS. AND I AGREE WITH YOU
THAT IT'S IN THOSE TRANSITION
AND THOSE BASE MONTHS IN WHICH
THE BEST FUELS WORK CAN BE
GETTING DONE BY OUR OUR HAND
CREWS, OUR FIRE ENGINES, OUR
FIRE PREVENTION FOLKS ASSIGNED
TO COMMUNITY WILDFIRE
PREPAREDNESS AND MITIGATION. AND
SO ONE OF THE CO-BENEFITS IS, IS
TRANSITIONING SOME OF THE
SEASONAL STAFF TO A MORE
PERMANENT WORKFORCE, THAT WOULD
THEN ALLOW FOR UP TO 153 FIRE
ENGINES AND MORE FIRE CREWS TO
BE ABLE TO GET THAT WORK OUT ON
THE GROUND. AND OUR
RESPONSIBILITY TO REPORT BACK TO
YOU WHAT THAT WORK IS. IT'S
GETTING DONE. THANKS I JUST WANT
TO FOLLOW UP A LITTLE BIT ON,
ON, ON SENATOR BLAKE'S FIRST
QUESTIONS AND MAYBE DIRECT THIS
TOWARD MISS KIRSTEIN, YOU'D
MENTIONED SOMETHING ABOUT THIS.
TRYING TO TAKE BETTER ADVANTAGE
OF CO-BENEFITS THAT COULD EXIST
DURING THE OFF SEASON. AND. BUT
YOU SAID IT'S AN EXPENSIVE WAY
TO DO IT. I MEAN, NOW, IF WE'RE
PAYING PEOPLE ANYWAY, WHY IS
THAT AN EXPENSIVE WAY OF DOING
IT? WELL, IF IT'S JUST IF IT'S A
C BENEFIT, THEN NO. IF YOU'RE
GOING TO DO IT ANYWAY AND HAVE
THOSE PEOPLE THEN, THEN YOU
MIGHT AS WELL HAVE THEM DO THIS
GOOD WORK. SO FROM THAT
PERSPECTIVE, IT'S PROBABLY A
CHEAP WAY, BUT IF YOU WERE JUST
TO SET OUT AND SAY, WHAT'S THE
WHAT'S THE MOST AFFORDABLE WAY
FOR A STATE TO DO WILDFIRE
RESILIENCE WORK, IT PROBABLY
WOULDN'T BE TO HIRE A LOT OF
PERMANENT FIREFIGHTERS BECAUSE
THEY'RE RELATIVELY EXPENSIVE. WE
HAVE OTHER WE HAVE C.C.C. CREWS.
WE HAVE THE MILITARY DEPARTMENT,
WE HAVE CDCR, TO SOME EXTENT,
ALTHOUGH OBVIOUSLY IN
DIMINISHING NUMBERS, AND WE HAVE
FIREFIGHTER ONE, YOU KNOW, THERE
THERE ARE OTHER WAYS YOU COULD
DO IT, SO THIS IF YOU WERE JUST
SETTING OUT TO DO THAT GOAL, YOU
PROBABLY WOULDN'T DO IT THIS
WAY. BUT IF YOU ALREADY WANT TO
DO THAT BECAUSE OF, YOU KNOW,
BECAUSE YOU WANT THE 66 HOUR
WORKWEEK, BECAUSE YOU YOU WANT
THESE, YOU WANT YOU WANT TO
ACHIEVE OTHER GOALS RELATED TO
HEALTH AND WELLNESS OF
FIREFIGHTERS, THEN ABSOLUTELY.
LET'S MAXIMIZE THOSE
CO-BENEFITS, YOU KNOW, AND MAKE
SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING THE MOST
FROM, FROM THESE INVESTMENTS.
OKAY. THAT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR
CLARIFYING. SURE JUST HAVE A WE
JUST LOOKED UP YOUR DASHBOARD
REAL QUICK HERE. ACTUALLY EMILY
DID I NOTICED THAT, SO I
ACTUALLY JUST FOR KNOWLEDGE FOR
THE MEMBERS, I ACTUALLY HAVE HAD
CAL FIRE. WE, I DID A 400 ACRE
BURN ON MY OWN PROPERTY AND THEY
CAME OUT AND ASSISTED ME,
OBVIOUSLY. SO YOU NEED TO
UNDERSTAND THAT THEY DON'T OWN
THE LAND. SO THEY'RE HAVING TO
WORK WITH THE LANDOWNER TO DO
THESE FUEL MITIGATION AND THE
LIKES OF THAT AND OR WORK WITH A
, A COMMUNITY SAFE FIRE PLAN OR
SOMETHING LIKE THAT, BUT JUST AS
A QUESTION FOR THE FOR US TO
UNDERSTAND, I SEE MOST OF ITS
HANDWORK IS THE IS THE WHICH IS
THE MOST EXPENSIVE OR THE MOST
TIME CONSUMING. I WOULD SAY. AND
THEN THE REST IS MAYBE FIRE. IS
IT BECAUSE THE IT'S HARD TO GET
THOSE WINDOWS TO BURN AND THE
AIR QUALITY PARTS OF THAT. AND
OR IS IT INSURANCE OR WHAT IS
IT. AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE
DRIVING FACTORS. WE DID DO SOME
LEGISLATION IN THE PAST FEW
YEARS WHERE, YOU KNOW, CAL FIRE
CAN GO HELP AND ASSIST AND NOT
BE LIABLE IF SOMETHING HAPPENS
AND THE LANDOWNER HAS TO TAKE
THAT RESPONSIBILITY, WHICH IS A
BIG RISK FOR THE LANDOWNER. NOW,
I'M A FARMER, WE AG BURN A LOT.
AND SO IT WASN'T TO ME. I HAD
THE EQUIPMENT TO DO WHAT WE
NEEDED TO GET DONE, AND I FELT
SAFE TO DO IT. BUT IN MOST
INSTANCES, IT'S PROBABLY NOT THE
CASE. SO CAN YOU TALK JUST A
LITTLE BIT ABOUT MAYBE THAT PART
OF IT? I KNOW THIS IS A BUT I
THINK WE NEED TO WE NEED TO DO
MORE OF IT QUITE FRANKLY. AND
HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET THAT DONE
THROUGH THE ADDED,
INFRASTRUCTURE THAT YOU HAVE. I
AGREE, SENATOR DAWLEY. THANK YOU
FOR THAT QUESTION. SO IN PART OF
YOUR QUESTION, YOU WERE
REFERRING TO THE PRESCRIBED FIRE
LIABILITY FUND, THAT AUTHORIZES
A PILOT PROGRAM THROUGH 28 THAT
AUTHORIZES $20 MILLION. AND FOR,
THIRD PARTY PRESCRIBED BURN
ASSOCIATIONS TO SIGN UP FOR
THAT, IT HAS BEEN MAXIMIZED, BUT
NOT EVER USED TO DATE. SO, SO
THAT IS A GOOD INSURANCE POLICY
THAT PEOPLE ARE FEELING
COMFORTABLE BURNING ON PRIVATE
LAND AND BEING ABLE TO KNOW THAT
THEY HAVE, A FUND THAT IS ABLE
TO ASSIST THEM. IT GIVES PERHAPS
SOME MORE CONFIDENCE TO BE ABLE
TO DO THAT SPECIFICALLY FOR CAL
FIRE. WE HAVE HAD SOME CRITICAL
YEARS, AND WE ALL KNOW THAT FROM
14, 18, 2021, WHICH REALLY
LIMITED THE ABILITY TO DO
PRESCRIBED FIRE ON THE GROUND ON
PRIVATE LAND, AS YOU REFERRED TO
NOW, ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS OF
A MODERATED FIRE YEAR IN 22 AND
23 WAS THE NUMBER OF PRESCRIBED
FIRE ACRES WE WERE ABLE TO BURN.
IN 22 WE WERE ABLE TO SEE TO HIM
THE COUNTY OF TEHAMA AND GLENN,
BURNING SIGNIFICANTLY BY CAL
FIRE AND ITS PARTNERS, AS WELL
AS SAN BENITO MONTEREY, AS AN
EXAMPLE, BURNING A LOT IN THE
MONTHS THAT WOULD WE WOULD
TYPICALLY BE AT PEAK STAFFING,
FOR WILDFIRE THREAT. NOW I GO TO
2023. IT WAS AMAZING TO WATCH
THE EFFORTS OF OUR EMPLOYEES IN
2023 BECOME EVEN MORE CONFIDENT
AND MORE COMFORTABLE WITH THE
BURN WINDOWS AND PRESCRIPTION TO
BE ABLE TO BURN AND THEY WERE
BURNING, MAYBE EVERY MONTH
EXCEPT FOR THE MONTH OF MAYBE
AUGUST, AND THEY WERE DOING
GREAT WORK, SO THEY WERE FEELING
MORE COMFORTABLE ABOUT THAT. CAL
FIRE BY 2025 HAS A GOAL OF
100,000 OF THE MILLION ACRE
STRATEGY MINIMUM TO BE ABLE TO
ACHIEVE, AND WE'VE HIT THE
100,000 ACRES ANNUALLY FOR THE
LAST THREE, IF NOT FOUR YEARS,
TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. AND WE
CAN'T JUST STOP THERE. THAT'S
JUST BECAUSE WE HIT A NUMBER. WE
DON'T STOP. WE HAD A GOAL TO HIT
AT LEAST 500 PROJECTS ANNUALLY,
AND BE ABLE TO BOTH DO HAND
THINNING AS YOU DESCRIBED AND
PRESCRIBED FIRE, SO REALLY, WE
HAVE CONTINUING TO BE DOING
GREAT WORK. I'LL JUST GIVE YOU
SOME STATS AS OF MARCH, 651
PROJECTS, OUR GOAL WAS 500, SO
BOTH KINDS OF BOTH KINDS. FUEL
REDUCTION, UP THROUGH FEBRUARY
RIGHT NOW, 64,400 ACRES OF OUR
100,000 ACRE GOAL. AND RIGHT
NOW, ALMOST 22,000 ACRES OF
PRESCRIBED FIRE BY CAL FIRE
ALONE, ON THE GROUND. BUT WE
ALSO ASSIST STATE PARKS, AND,
OUR, OUR NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES
AND OTHER ENTITIES IN THEIR
PRESCRIBED FIRE EFFORTS THAT
THEY ALSO, REPORT IN ON.
EXCELLENT. AND YOU SAID IT'S THE
MILLION, MILLION ACRE
RESTORATION TARGET BY BY 2024.
WHAT'S THE TIMELINE ON THAT? SO
THE SO THE GOAL OF THE WILDFIRE
FORCE RESILIENCE TASK FORCE, OUR
ACTION PLAN AND DIRECTION BY THE
ADMINISTRATION, WORKING WITH OUR
FEDERAL PARTNERS, WAS A MILLION
ACRE STRATEGY. BY 2025, 500,000
ACRES OF THAT IS THE
RESPONSIBILITY OF OUR FEDERAL
PARTNERS, 500,000 ACRES OF THAT
IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE
LOCAL, STATE AND PRIVATE
PARTNERS IN THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA. CAL FIRE'S
RESPONSIBILITY ON THAT IS A
MINIMUM OF 100,000 ACRES. GOT IT
. GOOD. I'M LOOKING AS I
MENTIONED, I PUT TOGETHER THIS
MY OWN SORT OF VERSION OF A
STRATEGY DOC ON THIS BECAUSE I
DO BELIEVE WE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE
VERY COMPREHENSIVE, APPROACH
WHICH HAS BEEN WORKING, BUT IT'S
GOOD TO FILL IN SOME OF THOSE
NUMBERS, ACTUALLY, I WAS LOOKING
AT THOSE, AND I'LL NOTE JUST AS
I'M LOOKING AT IT, THAT IT'S
INTERESTING. SO IN 2021, WE HAD,
SEVEN, ALMOST 7400 FIRES AND 2.5
MILLION ACRES BURNED, 3500
STRUCTURES DESTROYED, IN 2022,
WE ACTUALLY HAD MORE FIRES, 7477
AND ONLY 363,000 ACRES BURNED.
NOW PART OF IT. WE HAD BETTER
CONDITIONS, BETTER WEATHER, BUT
A LOT OF IT WAS THE OTHER WORK
THAT THAT THE DEPARTMENT IS
DOING, 2023, STILL OVER 7000
FIRES AND ONLY 323,000 ACRES
BURNED. AND AGAIN, I THINK
THAT'S AGAIN, WE'VE HAD SOME
BENEFICIAL WEATHER, BUT IT'S
ALSO EVIDENCE, I THINK, OF OUR
OF OUR OF OUR STRATEGY WORKING.
I DO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS MYSELF.
I WANTED TO ASK, YOU KNOW, WE
HAVE INCREASED POSITIONS,
SIGNIFICANTLY, 20, 21, 8100
POSITIONS, ROUGHLY 134 AND THEN
IN 22, 23, 11,000 POSITIONS. SO
WHAT HAS BEEN THE IMPACT ON KIND
OF HEALTH AND WELFARE AND
FATIGUE? AND HAVE WE SEEN FROM
THAT THOSE INCREASES? HAVE WE
SEEN IN, DOCUMENTED, IMPROVEMENT
OR HOWEVER YOU MEASURE IT? WELL,
THANK YOU, SENATOR. YOU KNOW,
DURING THAT THE LAST FIVE YEARS,
THERE ARE TWO INITIATIVES IN
PARTICULAR THAT HAVE BEEN
HELPFUL IN THAT ARENA. NUMBER
ONE IS THE BUILD OUT OF THE
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS
PROGRAM, WHICH ASSIGNED 29
PERSONNEL TO BREAK INTO TWO
DIFFERENT SPECIFIC DISCIPLINES.
ONE IS THE WELLNESS UNIT, THE
OTHER IS EMPLOYEE SUPPORT
SERVICES, THIS IS ALL HAPPENING
AT A TIME THAT THE FIRE SERVICE
IS BEGINNING TO DESTIGMATIZE,
POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS INJURY,
SEEKING HELP. IF YOU FEEL LIKE
YOU'RE IN THAT SPOT, YOU'RE
EXPERIENCING TRAUMA, WHICH
EMERGENCY RESPONSE IS INHERENTLY
TRAUMATIC, SO THIS WAS KIND OF
SET THE STAGE AS THESE THINGS
WERE BEING DESTIGMATIZE. AND SO
WE HAVE, THESE THIS UNIT THAT
PROVIDES SUPPORT TO OUR, TO OUR
PERSONNEL, YOU KNOW, WELLNESS IS
ABOUT NOT JUST YOUR BEHAVIORAL
HEALTH OR YOUR MENTAL HEALTH,
BUT ALSO YOUR PHYSICAL
CONDITION. OBVIOUSLY
FIREFIGHTING IS A IS CANCER
PRONE, BUT BY THE NATURE OF ITS
WORK. SO THESE TWO UNITS WORK IN
CONJUNCTION. SO FOR EMPLOYEE
SUPPORT SERVICES OVER JUST LAST
YEAR DID 79 TRAINING SESSIONS
FOR A TOTAL OF 220 222 HOURS IN
THE SUBJECTS OF RESILIENCE AND
COPING, HELPING THE HEALTHY
COPING MECHANISMS AND KINDRED
SUBJECTS, THEY MAKE MULTIPLE
CONTACTS. THEY ON AVERAGE MAKE
ABOUT 40 CONTACTS TO A HELPLINE
FOR FIREFIGHTERS THAT ARE IN
CRISIS. SO THESE ARE REALLY
POSITIVE STEPS THAT HAVE
HAPPENED. THE SECOND INITIATIVE,
BEYOND THAT SUPPORT NETWORK IS
THE RELIEF PCP, WHICH CAME
ONLINE IN 2022. AND WE'VE BEEN
HIRING IN EARNEST ON A MULTIYEAR
FIRING, HIRING PLAN ON THAT. AND
THAT HAS PROVIDED RELIEF AT A
3.11 STAFFING FACTOR FOR THE
FIRE. CAPTAIN AND PERMANENT FAA
POSITIONS. BUT IT DIDN'T TAKE
CARE OF THE SEASONAL WORKFORCE.
AND THERE. SO IF YOU COMBINE
THESE TWO INITIATIVES WITH THE
66, I THINK THE COMBINING THOSE
AND RELIEF IS BUILT, OR THE 66
IS BUILT AROUND THE SUCCESSES OF
RELIEF AND THOSE SAME TENANTS.
SO WE SHOULD SEE IMPROVEMENTS
THERE. IN TERMS OF OVERALL
WORKFORCE, WHAT IS THE KIND OF
WHAT'S THE ATTRITION RATE AND
VACANCIES, AND HOW ARE YOU
FEELING ABOUT OVERALL STAFFING
WITH THE POSITIONS THAT WE HAVE
RIGHT NOW? SO VACANCY REPORTS
REFLECT A MOMENT IN TIME. AND SO
THEY CAN APPEAR AS IF THE
DEPARTMENT HAS A VERY HIGH
VACANCY RATE DEPENDING ON THAT
MOMENT IN TIME. AND SO WE WOULD
PREFER TO GET YOU THAT
INFORMATION IN WRITING WITH SOME
WITH SOME FOOTNOTES TO EXPLAIN
THE VARIOUS PROGRAM AREAS WHERE
WE MAY HAVE VACANCIES. AS YOU
KNOW, WE MAY WE PROVIDE SERVICE
AND COOPERATIVE FIRE PROTECTION
AGREEMENTS AS WELL. THAT THAT
CARRY VACANCIES. AND THIS
PROPOSAL IN PARTICULAR IS
FOCUSING ON THE SCHEDULE B OR
THE STATE MISSION PORTION OF OUR
DEPARTMENT. OKAY. THAT'D BE
HELPFUL. TO GET THAT, JUST A
COUPLE MORE QUESTIONS THAT JUST
ON THE MRO, IT'S CONFUSING
WHETHER EMILIO TALKED ABOUT IT.
IT'S CONFUSING THE WAY THE MOU
IS STRUCTURED BECAUSE IT THIS
WOULDN'T TAKE EFFECT NOVEMBER
1ST, 2024. AND THEN THERE'S, A
NEW MOU, I GUESS I BELIEVE
YOU'RE SAYING. SO WHAT, WHAT IS
THE TIMELINE FOR THE NEXT MOU?
JUST SO I UNDERSTAND, STEPHEN
BENJAMIN DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE.
SO WE'LL ACKNOWLEDGE IT IS A BIT
TRICKY. SO UNFORTUNATELY OR I
GUESS CHARACTERIZE WHERE WE WANT
TO, BUT THE COLLECTIVE
BARGAINING PROCESS AND THE STATE
BUDGETING PROCESS ARE VERY
DISTINCT AND SEPARATE IN THE WAY
THAT THEY RUN. AND UNFORTUNATELY
THEY DON'T ALWAYS LINE UP WELL,
AND SO IT IS TRUE THAT THIS IS
IN AN MOU THAT'S EXPIRING. AND
IT'S ALSO TRUE THAT, THAT
BARGAINING UNIT IS UP FOR
NEGOTIATION. THIS, THIS YEAR.
AND IN FACT, THEY'VE HAD THEIR
SUNSHINE NOTICE DONE. THAT
PROCESS HAS BEEN KICKED OFF. BUT
THERE'S NOT LIKE A DEFINITIVE
TIMELINE. AND OBVIOUSLY THE
NATURE OF THE DISCUSSIONS THAT
THEY HAVE IS CONFIDENTIAL. SO
WE'RE NOT ABLE TO SPECULATE ON
WHAT THEY WILL DISCUSS AND WHAT
THE OUTCOMES OF THOSE
DISCUSSIONS WILL BE. SO IT'S
HARD TO SORT OF OPINE ON, YOU
KNOW, HOW ANY OF THOSE
NEGOTIATIONS WILL IMPACT THIS
PARTICULAR, YOU KNOW, PROPOSAL
JUST BECAUSE WE'RE NOT GOING TO
KNOW THE OUTCOMES OF THOSE
NEGOTIATIONS UNTIL THE PROCESS
IS DONE. AND UNFORTUNATELY, IT
IT DOESN'T LINE UP WITH THE
BUDGET PROCESS CLEANLY IN MOST
INSTANCES. GOT IT. SO THE
TIMELINE IS GOING TO START. SO
THEY'VE DONE THE SUNSHINE
NOTICE, WHICH I GUESS IS SORT OF
THE PUBLIC NOTICE THAT THEY'RE
KICKING THE PROCESS OFF. GOT IT.
I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY LIKE
MEETING TIMELINES AND STUFF. AND
THEN OF COURSE FLUCTUATES
SIGNIFICANTLY DURING THE
PROCESS. AND THERE'S CERTAINLY
NO DEFINITIVE TIMELINE FOR LIKE
WHEN IT HAS TO END, SO THAT'S,
THAT'S SORT OF THE CHALLENGES OF
LINING UP COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
WITH THE BUDGET PROCESS. OKAY.
OF THE RECOMMENDATION OR THE
RECOMMENDATIONS THAT, THAT, IN
THE LÀ REPORT, IN TERMS OF OTHER
THINGS AROUND HEALTH AND
WELLNESS, WELLNESS OR OTHER
OPTIONS AROUND HEALTH AND
WELLNESS, ARE THERE ANY OF THEM
THAT STICK OUT TO YOU AS, AS OR
I GUESS, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT
THOSE OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS THAT
ARE SO THANK YOU FOR THE
QUESTION. THE ADMINISTRATION DID
NOT CONSIDER OTHER OPTIONS FOR
HEALTH AND WELLNESS BEYOND THE
REDUCTION OF THE WORKWEEK AND
THE CO BENEFITS THAT CAME WITH
THAT. SO FOR SOME CONTEXT AROUND
THAT, YOU KNOW, FIREFIGHTERS,
WHEN THEY'RE ON SHIFT, WE STITCH
THREE 24 HOUR DAYS TOGETHER
RIGHT NOW FOR THAT 72 HOUR
WORKWEEK. AND THEY CANNOT LEAVE
THEIR WORKPLACE UNTIL THEY'RE
RELIEVED BY SOMEONE THAT'S
PROPERLY TRAINED AND PREPARED TO
DO THAT WORK. WE CALL IT POST
COVERAGE. SO SO IN TERMS OF THE
WELLNESS COMPONENT OF THIS,
ALLOWING THEM TO GET TIME AND
DISTANCE FROM THE SOURCE OF THE
TRAUMA THAT THEY EXPERIENCED,
WHICH IS THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE
ITSELF. IMAGINE HOW
DESTABILIZING THAT IS FOR
INDIVIDUALS WHEN THEY CANNOT
LEAVE THEIR WORKPLACE UNLESS
THEY'RE RELIEVED. AND SO THAT'S
A CHALLENGE FOR US, NOW IT WILL
BE A CHALLENGE IN THE FUTURE.
BUT WE BUILT IN THIS PLAN,
SUFFICIENT RELIEF AND A STAFFING
MODEL THAT WE THINK WILL REDUCE
WHAT WE CALL FORCED HIRES.
THAT'S WHAT A LOT OF OUR
EMPLOYEES ARE STUCK WITH.
MANDATORY OVERTIME. THEY HAVE TO
STAY IN THEIR IN THEIR PLACE.
THEY'RE MISSING MARKERS OF A
LIFE ALL THE MILESTONES OF LIFE.
THEY CAN'T THEY CAN'T BE WITH
THEIR FAMILIES. AND SO WE THINK
BY BY REDUCING THE WORKWEEK
THAT'S GOING TO HELP GET THEM
TIME AND DISTANCE FROM THAT
TRAUMA, HAVE A MORE MANAGEABLE
SCHEDULE, UNDERSTANDING KIND OF
RULES OF THE ROAD FOR THEM AND
THEIR FAMILY. AND I THINK THAT'S
GOING TO HAVE A LONG TERME AND
LASTING IMPACT ON THEIR HEALTH
AND WELLNESS. YEAH. THANK YOU,
THESE LAST COUPLE, WE WE'VE SEEN
A LOT OF PROPOSALS IN THIS, I
THINK KIND OF IN THE BUCKET OF
THE PREVENTION AND SUPPRESSION.
AND DON'T HEAR AS MUCH ABOUT THE
FORESTRY KIND OF PART OF THE
MISSION, WHICH CAL FIRE
OVERSEES. JUST KIND OF HOW IS
THE FORESTRY SIDE DOING FROM A
STAFFING PERSPECTIVE? DO YOU
HAVE THE SUFFICIENT PERSONNEL?
PERSONNEL ON THE FORESTRY SIDE?
I MEAN, IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S
MAYBE SOME OVERLAP HERE, TOO, IN
TERMS OF THE WORK THAT FOLKS CAN
DO. BUT I'M THINKING ABOUT MORE
LIKE THE SCIENCE OF CREATING AND
CRAFTING THOSE PLANS. AND SO FOR
THE DESIGN OF THIS PLAN, IT
DOESN'T SPECIFICALLY ADDRESS
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL OR
FORESTERS, BUT BECAUSE IT
FOCUSES ON POST COVERED
POSITIONS AND THOSE AREN'T. BUT
BY TAKING STEPS TOWARD PROVIDING
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR LONGER
DURATIONS, IT GIVES THAT
WORKFORCE TO DO THE FORESTRY
WORK ON THE GROUND. SO OUR
FORESTERS ARE HIGHLY TALENTED
AND TRAINED INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE
REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL
FORESTERS THAT GO THROUGH THE
PLANNING ELEMENTS. AS SENATOR
DAWLEY MENTIONED, WORKING WITH
LANDOWNERS, GETTING THOSE
AGREEMENTS SET, MAKING SURE THAT
ALL OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL
COMPLIANCE IS THERE. ALL OF THE
ARCHEOLOGY REVIEWS ARE HAPPENING
SO THAT WE ARE WE ARE AFFECTING
THE LAND IN AN APPROPRIATE WAY.
SO THEY'RE THEY ARE THE PLANNING
ELEMENT REALLY OF THAT. THE FIRE
PROTECTION RESOURCES ARE THE
WORKFORCE THAT GETS THAT WORK
DONE ON THE GROUND. SO I THINK
THERE'S A SYMBIOTIC PIECE THERE
WHERE THEY WILL ENHANCE THE
FORESTRY MISSION. OKAY THANK
YOU, WELL, AS MENTIONED, YOU
KNOW, AS I KIND OF STARTED OFF
AND, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I STAYED
THE SHERIDAN WHEN I'M HERE, A
LOT OF FOLKS KIND OF COME
THROUGH AND JUST HEARD A LOT OF
PERSONAL STORIES ABOUT THE
IMPACT OF THE STRESSORS ON
PEOPLE'S LIVES. YOU MENTIONED
LIVES, EVENTS, FAMILIES, AND,
CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND THE, THE
IMPETUS FOR ALL THIS. AND THE
WORK, YOU KNOW, THE PRESS
CONFERENCES SUCH THAT WERE
MENTIONED BY, BY SENATOR
DONNELLY. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE
YOU BEING HERE AND ANSWERING
THESE QUESTIONS, AND, AND WE DO
HAVE A HOLD OPEN RECOMMENDATION,
ON THAT. SO UNLESS THERE'S ANY
OTHER QUESTIONS FROM MY
COLLEAGUES, THANK YOU. THANK YOU
ALL FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU.
AND THANK FOR THE WORK THAT
YOU'RE DOING. THAT IS HAVING A
SIGNIFICANT IMPACT. AND AGAIN,
THE DATA BEARS THAT OUT. SO
APPRECIATE THAT. EXCELLENT. I
BELIEVE NOW WE'RE GOING TO MOVE
TO OUR VOTING COMMENT Þ PUBLIC
COMMENT. WE'LL DO PUBLIC COMMENT
FIRST AND THEN WE'LL MOVE TO
VOTING. SO I'LL, GO AHEAD. MR.
CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS OF THE
COMMITTEE, TERRY MCHALE, WITH
AARON REED AND ASSOCIATES
REPRESENTING CAL FIRE LOCAL
2881. REALLY APPRECIATE THE
THOUGHTFUL DISCUSSION TODAY.
DISCUSSION ON COMPARISON LENS.
LET'S JUST BE VERY, VERY CANDID
ABOUT COMPARISON LENS. 16 HOURS
A WEEK COMES OUT TO 64 HOURS A
MONTH. A CAL FIRE FIREFIGHTER
WORKS 700 HOURS MORE THAN A
LOCAL FIREFIGHTER TO THEIR NEXT
DOOR NEIGHBOR, WHO WORKS 40
HOURS A WEEK. THEY WORK 800
HOURS MORE FIVE MONTHS. AND
THAT'S JUST IF THEY STAY ON THE
SCHEDULE, IF THERE'S AN
EMERGENCY FIRE, A MAJOR FIRE
THAT TAKES PLACE AND THEY ARE
SENT OUT, THEY ARE NOT LET OFF
WORK, WHICH MEANS THAT THEY ARE
ON WORK FOR WEEKS AND MONTHS AT
A TIME WITHOUT GOING HOME. AND
THE CONSEQUENCES TO THE
MARRIAGES, TO THEIR HEALTH AND
SAFETY ARE PROFOUND. THINK OF
THIS WHEN THERE'S A MAJOR FIRE
AND YOU TURN ON THE NEWS AND THE
WEATHERMAN TELLS YOU, DON'T LET
YOUR KIDS GO OUTSIDE, DON'T YOU
GO OUTSIDE AND WORK OUT, WEAR A
MASK. OUR FIREFIGHTERS ARE ON
THAT FRONT LINE FOR WEEKS AND
MONTHS AT A TIME. WE JUST HAD A
CONSERVANCY HEARING IN WHICH
THEY TALKED ABOUT THE PROFOUND
CONSEQUENCES TO THE FIREFIGHTERS
WHEN THEY HIT THEIR 50S.
FOOTBALL PLAYERS WORK, WORRY
ABOUT WHAT CONCUSSIONS DO.
FIREFIGHTERS, WHEN THEY HIT 50,
AND THINK ABOUT THE PARTICULATES
THAT THEY HAVE BEEN BREATHING IN
AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH
THEY HAVE BEEN WORKING LIVE
EVERY MORNING WITH THE IDEA THAT
THEY'RE GOING TO COME DOWN WITH
CANCER, WALK OUT TO THE CAPITOL
GROUNDS, LOOK AT THAT WALL. BOTH
SIDES OF THE WALL ARE COVERED
WITH NAMES. MOST OF THOSE PEOPLE
DIED FROM CANCER. THERE WAS THE
QUICK TALK OF THE CO-BENEFITS.
THERE'S HUGE CO-BENEFITS TO
THIS. A 15 PERSON HAND CREW WITH
CAL FIRE CAN PERFORM 43,000
HOURS OF PREVENTION WORK EACH
YEAR, AND THAT PREVENTION WORK
INCLUDES CUTTING FUEL BREAKS,
MAINTAINING FUEL TREATMENTS,
DEFENSE SPACE INSPECTIONS,
PRE-PLANNING ALL OF THE THINGS
THAT THE SENATOR IS ASKING AND
THAT ARE NECESSARY TO BE DONE.
SENATORS, THIS IS LONG OVERDUE.
IF DICKENS WERE TO WRITE THE
STORY ABOUT FIREFIGHTERS, HE
WOULD CONCENTRATE SOLELY ON CAL
FIRE. LOCAL 2881. BY HIS OWN
NUMBERS, MORE THAN 400 FOR 400
COMPANY COMMANDERS HAVE LEFT CAL
FIRE IN THE LAST TWO YEARS TO
WORK FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT. WHY
VÌ? BECAUSE THEY WILL MAKE MORE
MONEY AND THEY WILL WORK FEWER
HOURS AND THE DANGERS PREVENTED
PRESENTED TO THEM ARE LESS.
FINALLY, IN TERMS OF THE IDEA OF
OTHER WAYS TO DEAL WITH THIS,
THERE IS NO OTHER WAY. THERE IS
NO OTHER WAY. THESE FIREFIGHTERS
NEED THIS RELIEF. AND IF WE GO
TO THE IDEA OF HAVING BRINGING
IN LOCALS, REMEMBER LOCALS MAKE
TWICE AS MUCH AS CAL FIRE MAKES.
ANY OTHER OPTION IS MORE
EXPENSIVE. I'D LIKE TO CLOSE
WITH THIS. NOT ONLY ARE OUR
FIREFIGHTERS, YOU KNOW, NOT PAID
APPROPRIATELY. ALSO, I THINK YOU
WATCH TODAY CHIEF TYLER AND THE
BRILLIANT WORK THAT HE DOES. AND
I THINK IT'S UNFORTUNATE THAT HE
DOESN'T MAKE AS MUCH AS THE OES
AND HIGHWAY PATROL. WE SHOULD
REVISIT ALSO TOP MANAGEMENT AND
WHAT WHAT CHIEF TYLER IS MAKING.
BUT THANK YOU FOR THE COURTESY.
THANK YOU FOR THE HELP AND THANK
YOU FOR THE SUPPORT. THANK YOU.
SENATOR BECKER AND COMMITTEE
MEMBERS, MY NAME IS BRIAN RICE.
I'M THE PRESIDENT OF THE
CALIFORNIA PROFESSIONAL
FIREFIGHTERS. I REPRESENT 36,541
PROFESSIONAL FIREFIGHTERS. AND
I'VE WORKED WITH REALLY EACH OF
YOU, SENATOR BLAKE SPEAR, ALLEN,
BECKER, AND THEN SENATOR DAWLEY.
WE STOOD SHOULDER TO SHOULDER
ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO ON THE
CAPITOL. AND I'VE CHANGED
EVERYTHING THAT I WANT TO SAY.
FIRST, I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU
TO THIS LEGISLATURE AND THE
GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA FOR SIX
YEARS AGO, BEGINNING THE PROCESS
OF MODERNIZING AND REALLY
PUTTING IN THE EFFORT FOR FIRE
PROTECTION IN THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA, NOT JUST FORESTRY
MANAGEMENT AND MITIGATION AND
FUEL REMOVALS, BUT IN PERSON,
EXCUSE ME, IN FACILITIES AND
EQUIPMENT AND AIR ASSETS. AND
NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
PERSONNEL. THIS IS THE LAST
PIECE. AND IF YOU THINK ABOUT
IT, WE'VE TALKED MORE ABOUT
FOREST CGRTS AND FIRE STATIONS
AND HELICOPTERS AND AIRPLANES
THAN WE HAVE ABOUT PEOPLE. AND I
REALLY APPRECIATE THE LAO AND
WHAT SHE SAID IN HER CLOSING
ARGUMENTS. IF WE'RE TALKING
ABOUT CO-BENEFITS AND THEY EQUAL
, WE SHOULD DO IT. YOU'RE DOING
STATUS QUO RIGHT NOW AND WHAT WE
HAVE FIGURED OUT, AND I WANT YOU
TO KNOW, THERE IS NO OTHER FIRE
DEPARTMENT IN THE WORLD AND THE
WORLD THAT COMPARES TO WHAT CAL
FIRE DOES. THEY HAVE AIR ASSETS
AND AN AIR FORCE THAT NO ONE
HAS. THEY HAVE HEAVY EQUIPMENT
OPERATORS. NO ONE HAS IT. NOW,
YOU CAN SAY THE SAME THING ABOUT
THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES AND THE
CITY OF NEW YORK. BUT IF YOU ALL
ARE GOING TO TRY TO COMPARE WHAT
CAL FIRE DOES, YOU'RE NOT GOING
TO FIND IT. OREGON DOESN'T HAVE
IT, WASHINGTON DOESN'T HAVE IT.
AND YOU KNOW WHY? THEY'RE
RESPONSIBLE FOR OVER 31 MILLION
OF THEIR OWN STATE ACREAGE, PLUS
A PORTION OF THE FEDERAL ACREAGE
AND 41 OR, EXCUSE ME, 40 MILLION
PEOPLE LIVE HERE, AND I WANT TO
GO TO THE CO-BENEFITS ON THIS.
THIS IS NOT JUST ABOUT CLEARING
LAND OR VEGETATION MANAGEMENT OR
MANAGING OUR ASSETS AND
RESOURCES BY HAVING A PROPERLY
STAFFED, YEAR ROUND FIRE
DEPARTMENT. YOU'RE GOING TO DO
THE SAME THINGS THAT THEIR
BROTHERS AND SISTERS DO IN THE
MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT, AND THAT
IS THEY'RE GOING TO BE OUT
TRAINING. THEY'RE GOING TO BE
DOING THOSE BURNS, AND YOU SEE
IT AS JUST FUEL REDUCTION. AS A
FIREFIGHTER, THIS IS HOW I SEE
IT. TOPOGRAPHY WEATHER, HOW THE
FUELS BURN, WHERE THE FUELS ARE
AT. THESE ARE ALL TRAINING
EVOLUTIONS THAT CALIFORNIA IS
GOING TO BENEFIT BY. THOSE ARE
THE C CO-OPTING AND THE
CO-MINGLING OF THE BENEFIT OF
THIS. WE CAN'T AFFORD NOT TO
MAKE THIS MOVE. I KNOW IT'S HARD
AND I KNOW THIS IS A TOUGH
BUDGET YEAR, BUT THERE'S NEVER
GOING TO BE A PERFECT TIME. AND
SENATOR DASCHLE, BECKER, ALLEN
AND BLAKE SPEER, THE MEN AND
WOMEN OF CAL FIRE, HAVE NEVER
LET YOU DOWN IN HISTORY. LOOK
BACK AND TELL ME WHEN THEY HAVE
FAILED. THEY HAVE DONE MORE WITH
LESS THAN ANYBODY. AND NOW IS
THE TIME TO MAKE THAT INVESTMENT
IN THE PERSONNEL AND BUILD THIS
WORKFORCE THAT IS GOING TO
PROTECT OUR STATE'S, OUR WATER
EXCUSE ME, OUR RESOURCES AND OUR
COMMUNITIES. I WANT TO THANK YOU
FOR YOUR STRONG SUPPORT ON THIS.
YOUR FORWARD THINKING. WE KNOW
IT'S HARD. WE AS FIREFIGHTERS,
MUNICIPAL AND CAL FIRE STAND
SHOULDER TO SHOULDER WITH YOU IN
THIS DECISION MAKING PROCESS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU.
CHAIR BECKER AND SENATORS
GONZALEZ POTTER WITH THE NATURE
CONSERVANCY, WE FIRST WANT TO
START BY APPRECIATING THE
EARLIER CONVERSATION RELATED TO
FIRE INSURANCE. THAT'S SOMETHING
THAT TNC IS THINKING A LOT ABOUT
LATELY AND REALLY APPRECIATE.
CHAIR BECKER'S LEADERSHIP ON SB
1060, WHICH WE ARE VERY PROUD TO
SPONSOR, WOULD ENCOURAGE OTHER
SENATORS TO COAUTHOR THAT AS
WELL, JUST A SMALL PART OF A
LARGER PUZZLE THAT WE NEED TO
SOLVE THIS YEAR. TNC WOULD LIKE
TO THANK THE ASSEMBLY, SENATE
AND ADMINISTRATION FOR
PROTECTING A SIGNIFICANT PORTION
OF THE NATURAL RESOURCES AND
NATURE BASED CLIMATE SOLUTION
INVESTMENTS IN THE EARLY ACTION
AGREEMENT THAT WAS REACHED LAST
WEEK. WE ESPECIALLY APPRECIATE
THE PROTECTION OF IMPORTANT
FUNDING TO THE STATE COASTAL
CONSERVANCY AND OCEAN PROTECTION
COUNCIL IN THE COASTAL
RESILIENCE PACKAGE. ACKNOWLEDGE
THAT WASN'T DISCUSSED TODAY, BUT
WE REALLY DO APPRECIATE IT. SO
WANTED TO EXPRESS OUR THANKS.
AND THAT, ALSO GIVEN THE CURRENT
NATURAL RESOURCES BUDGET IS LESS
THAN 3% OF THE TOTAL BUDGET, TNC
CONTINUES TO ADVOCATE FOR A
CLIMATE BOND. WE HAVE A GREAT
AUTHOR HERE AND SENATOR ALLEN
AND SB 67, JUST GIVEN THE
CRITICAL NEED FOR THE FUNDING,
WE REALLY THINK WE NEED THAT
THIS YEAR. AND THEN FINALLY, AS
THE LAW HAS STATED PREVIOUSLY,
WE HAVE BOND DEBT CAPACITY, A
TOTAL DEBT OF 25 TO 28 BILLION
IN ADDITIONAL BOND DEBT. THIS
YEAR WOULD KEEP THAT BOND DEBT
SERVICE RATIO AT ABOUT 5, WHICH
WE THINK IS DOABLE. THANK YOU
VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. GOOD
AFTERNOON, MIKE ROBSON HERE ON
BEHALF OF THE GLASS PACKAGING
INSTITUTE. AND FEELING VERY
AWKWARD FOLLOWING ALL THE CAL
FIRE DISCUSSIONS, SOME VERY
SERIOUS STUFF AND EXCELLENT
TESTIMONY BY BY THE CAL FIRE
FOLKS, I'M HERE TALKING ABOUT
THE BOTTLE BILL ISSUE THAT YOU
BROUGHT YOU HAD UP EARLIER, AND
JUST IN SUPPORT OF CAL RECYCLES
GRANTS AND THE AUTHORITY TO THE
AUTHORITY FOR THEIR PERSONNEL
YEARS ON ON THE GRANTS AND
REALLY WANTED TO JUST TALK A
LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF THE
QUESTIONS THAT CAME UP ON BY
SENATOR ALLEN, REGARDING
SPECIFICALLY REGARDING THE
COMMINGLED RATE AND THE QUESTION
ABOUT WHETHER CAL RECYCLE SHOULD
RECALCULATE THE COMMINGLED RATE
EARLIER. AND I JUST WANT TO
CONCUR WITH CAL RECYCLES
POSITION ON THAT AND THAT THAT
IT WOULDN'T REALLY MAKE SENSE
RIGHT NOW TO, TO REVISIT THE
COMMINGLED RATE IN THE MIDDLE OF
THE YEAR FOLLOWING THE INCLUSION
OF WINE AND SPIRITS IN THE
PROGRAM, AND THAT WE REALLY NEED
TO GET A HOLISTIC, A BIGGER
PICTURE, LOOK AT WHAT'S GOING TO
WHAT'S GOING THROUGH THE MURPHS
AND GOING THROUGH FROM THE
MURPHS TO THE TO THE GLASS
PROCESSORS TO, TO BE MADE INTO
NEW BOTTLES AND REALLY JUST
AGAIN, SENATOR ALLEN, RIGHT ON
THE RIGHT ON THE MONEY. IF
YOU'RE GOING TO THE QUESTION
ABOUT, QUALITY HAS TO BE TIED TO
THE COMMINGLED RATE, YOU KNOW,
WHAT THE CURRENT PRACTICE, THE
MATERIAL GOING THROUGH THE
CURBSIDE PROGRAM TO THE MURPH'S
AND THEN TO A GLASS PROCESSOR
AND BACK TO A GLASS BOTTLE
MANUFACTURER, IT'S NOT VERY
GOOD. AND IF WE'RE GOING TO
REVISIT THE COMMINGLED RATE,
THEN WE REALLY SHOULD BE
REVISITING THE METHODOLOGY ON
HOW THE COMMINGLED RATE IS
CALCULATED. AND, AND THERE'S,
THERE'S, THERE'S WAY THERE'S A
ROLE FOR THE LEGISLATURE IN
THAT. IN ADDITION TO THE ROLE
THAT CAL RECYCLE PLAYS. AND WE
HOPE TO BE ABLE TO WORK WITH ALL
OF YOU AND CAL RECYCLE ON THAT,
BECAUSE WE HAVE IDEAS. THANKS.
THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON,
CHAIRMAN BECKER AND MEMBERS OF
THE COMMITTEE. MY NAME IS KIM
DELFINO, AND I'M ACTUALLY
REPRESENTING THE SONOMA LAND
TRUST. SO DO I HAVE OTHER
CONSERVATION CLIENTS? I WOULD
LIKE TO ECHO THE COMMENTS MADE
BY ISABELLA GONZALEZ WITH THE
NATURE CONSERVANCY, BUT I'M HERE
SPECIFICALLY TO SPEAK ON ISSUE
25, WITH RESPECT TO THE SONOMA
LAKE NAPA UNIT HEADQUARTERS IN
THE SAINT HELENA FIRE, STATION,
BCP, THE SONOMA LAND TRUST
REALLY APPRECIATES AND SUPPORTS
THE STAFF COMMENTS THAT IF THAT
BCP MOVES FORWARD, THAT BUDGET
BILL LANGUAGE IS ADDED TO ENSURE
THAT THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
OF THE PROJECT NOT COMPROMISE
THE KNOWN WILDLIFE CORRIDOR THAT
STRETCHES FROM THE MAYACAMAS
MOUNTAINS UNDERNEATH HIGHWAY 12
AND UP INTO THE JACK LONDON
STATE PARK. IT'S THE. THE
STATION IS BEING PROPOSED RIGHT
ON THE SONOMA DEVELOPMENT CENTER
LANDS ON A PORTION OF THE LANDS
THAT WE ORIGINALLY THOUGHT WERE
GOING TO STATE PARKS, BUT ARE
NOW GOING TO BE FOR A FIRE
STATION, WE'RE FINE. I MEAN, WE
THAT AREA IS HEAVILY IMPACTED BY
FIRE. WE WOULD JUST LIKE TO SEE
THE PROJECT DESIGNED UP FRONT TO
ACCOMMODATE AND TRY TO ENSURE
THERE'S PERMEABILITY FOR
WILDLIFE, ESPECIALLY SINCE WE
JUST SPENT A BUNCH OF MONEY
CLEARING OUT THE CULVERTS
UNDERNEATH HIGHWAY 12 RIGHT ONTO
THAT PIECE OF PROPERTY. WE WERE
TOLD THAT YOU COULD MAYBE MAKE
COMMENTS ON THE SEQUA ONCE IT'S
UP FOR SEQUA. I'M HERE BECAUSE
WE DON'T WANT TO DO THAT. WE
WANT TO. THE SONOMA LAND TRUST
WOULD LIKE TO WRITE A LETTER
WHEN THIS GOES TO SEQUA SAYING,
THANK YOU SO MUCH. YOU'VE
DESIGNED THIS PROJECT REALLY
WELL. WE HAVE NO COMMENTS OTHER
THAN TO SAY WE SUPPORT IT. WE
CAN ONLY DO THAT BY ENSURING
THAT IT'S DESIGNED UP FRONT TO
DEAL WITH THE WILDLIFE
CONNECTIVITY ISSUE, NOT AS A
MITIGATION MEASURE. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. THANK
YOU ALL FOR THE PUBLIC COMMENT,
WE ARE GOING TO MOVE NOW TO THE
VOTE CALENDAR HERE. AND, I'M
GOING TO START OUT AND I WOULD
LIKE TO, TAKE HAVE A MOTION ON
ISSUES NUMBER THREE, ISSUES FIVE
215 AND ISSUE NINE. TÍNH. MAY I
HAVE A MOTION? SENATOR DOLLY,
MOTIONS, PLEASE CALL THE ROLL.
BECKER I BECKER I ALLEN. ALLEN I
BLAKE SPARE BLAKE SPEER I DOLLY
A DOLLY I THE VOTE IS 4 TO 0,
THOSE, ISSUES ARE ADOPTED, NEXT
ISSUES 16 TO 18. I WOULD
APPRECIATE A MOTION ON THOSE
ISSUES. SENATOR ALLEN, PLEASE
CALL THE ROLL. BECKER. I BECKER
I ALLEN ALLEN I BLAKE SPEER,
BLAKE SPEER I DOLLY. DOLLY NØ.
OKAY. THOSE MEASURES PASSED 3 TO
1, FINALLY, ON ISSUES ONE, TWO,
FOUR, 20 AND 21, I WOULD LIKE TO
MOTION ON THOSE ISSUES. SENATOR
ALLEN. MOTIONS, PLEASE CALL THE
ROLL. BECKER I BECKER I ALLEN
ALLEN I BLAKE. SPEER. BLAKE.
SPEER I DOLLY. NOT VOTING OKAY
THE VOTE IS 3 TO 0 AND THOSE
ISSUES ARE ADOPTED AS WELL, WANT
TO THANK EVERYONE WHO
PARTICIPATED IN PUBLIC TESTIMONY
TODAY. THAT'S THE END OF VOTING,
IF YOU'RE NOT ABLE TO TESTIFY,
PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS OR
SUGGESTIONS ON OUR WEBSITE. YOUR
COMMENTS SUGGESTIONS ARE
IMPORTANT TO US, AND WE WILL
INCLUDE THEM IN THE TESTIMONY
AND THE OFFICIAL HEARING
RECORDS. THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR
YOUR PATIENCE AND COOPERATION.
WE'VE CONCLUDED THE AGENDA FOR
TODAY'S HEARING. SENATE BUDGET
SUBCOMMITTEE TWO IS ADJOURNED.