WASHINGTON – As firefighters continue to battle the fires in Los Angeles County, California Senator Alex Padilla is introducing a legislative package to increase their pay and provide housing for those affected by disasters – which could later expand the state's affordable housing supply.
“Just like the firefighters who are on the lines right now putting out the fires, we must work together in our response and our recovery,” Padilla said in an interview with The Times in his U.S. Senate office.
His suggestion, that American Families Disaster Housing Reform Actcombines two of California's top priorities: wildfire relief and affordable housing.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will provide temporary housing, such as trailers, to many of the thousands of people who lost their homes in the wildfires. Padilla's bill, which he is co-leading with Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), would require the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Housing and Urban Development to quickly create housing that could later serve as longer-term, affordable housing.
“We can be a little smarter here and allow for the use of modular homes, prefabricated homes that are themselves a little more sustainable and resilient,” he said. “Once the disaster is over and people return to their communities, maybe you can use them and keep them on site to create affordable housing.”
The measure could serve as “another tool in the toolbox,” Padilla said, noting that some landlords are already price gouging in the wake of the fires.
Another measure that Law to secure financing for firefighting and suppressionwould increase FEMA funding for firefighting equipment used prior to a disaster. The bill would allow FEMA to cover more of these resources during times of high wildfire danger before a disaster occurs.
“We know that California is at risk of disaster when it is hot, dry and the wind picks up. So we can predict these conditions. Let’s start preparing personnel and equipment just in case,” Padilla said, adding that he is checking the progress of the fires hourly through the WatchDuty app. “If we can ensure that the program absorbs at least 75% of that, that is a great incentive for state and local governments to do just that without having to worry about the budget.”
Padilla recalled a trip he took with a former FEMA director in 1996 as an aide to the late U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, to survey wildfire damage. He noted that leaders have since learned a lot about fire prevention techniques, such as building with noncombustible materials and clearing brush from homes.
Padilla brings that back too Wildland Firefighters Paycheck Protection Actwhich was not voted on after he introduced it in the last Congress to increase pay for federal firefighters, including premium pay for those who fight long fires. Firefighter pay has been the subject of legislation in recent years, with President Biden raising the minimum wage for wildland firefighters from $13 to $15 an hour in 2021. Padilla's legislation aims to improve the Forest Service's ability to recruit and retain firefighters with the promise of higher pay.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, On average, federal firefighters earn slightly less than state or local firefighters. Not surprisingly, California is home to the most firefighters of any state and also pays the best salaries. A 2019 study by BLS found that California paid an average annual salary of $84,370.