by Uma Nagarajan-Swenson, LSPC Communications Manager & AOUON Newspaper Editor
The 2025 California Legislative Session adjourned on September 13, with the passage of several bills co-sponsored and supported by LSPC. We’re excited to share these victories with you, with the hopes that Governor Newsom signs these into law ASAP.
Assembly Bill (AB) 247: Incarcerated Firefighter Wages (Bryan)
AB 247 passed the California Legislature, marking a huge step towards justice for incarcerated firefighters. AB 247 requires incarcerated hand crew members to be paid an hourly wage equal to $7.25 while assigned to an active fire incident. AB 247 also increases the amount of days of credit earned for trainings and assignments: upon completion of training or assignment to a crew, incarcerated firefighters become eligible to earn 2 days of credit for each day thereafter.
In February, AOUON Organizer John Cannon spoke to us about his experience in a hand crew fighting fires in California:
The work was brutal. We hiked steep mountains in 100-degree heat, cutting fire lines with tools like chainsaws and McLeods, a combination rake and hoe to stop a fire’s spread. Each person on the line worked in sync, moving vegetation one strike at a time, in a process we called “bump and move.” It was grueling, dangerous work. I saw people collapse from heat exhaustion and dehydration. Others suffered injuries from tools or were bitten by spiders and venomous rattlesnakes during the nights we slept outdoors… For all of this, we were paid just $1 a day. During active fires, the rate increased to $1 an hour, but half of that was garnished for restitution…those of us who fought fires from behind prison walls deserve fair pay, proper recognition, and the chance to rebuild our lives.
Involuntary servitude is slavery, and forcing people into highly dangerous work for essentially no compensation is cruel and inhumane. If passed or signed by Governor Newsom, AB 247 would be a step towards ending slavery in California by acknowledging that incarcerated work must be more fairly paid.
AB 248: County Jail Wages (Bryan)
Existing law authorizes the board of supervisors to credit each prisoner confined in or committed to county jail up to $2 for each 8 hours of work performed in jail. AB248 would instead authorize the board to credit each prisoner with a sum of money to be determined by the board. This is another win on LSPC/AOUON’s efforts to secure livable wages for our incarcerated and impacted population. We’ve been fighting to do that at a state level for the last six years, so to be able to do this and bring potential for a raise in wages is a step in the right direction towards securing respectable living wages along with fair labor practices.
AB 651: Remote Access to Dependency Hearings (Bryan)
On 9/4/2025, California Assembly Bill (AB) 651, which expands mandatory remote access to dependency hearings for parents in California state prisons, passed the State Senate with a decisive 39-0 vote. The bill now awaits Governor Newsom’s approval.
The dependency process for families with incarcerated parents is highly convoluted, currently excluding the incarcerated parent from virtual participation in all hearings except the first and last. Incarcerated parents only have “discretionary” remote access to a select few hearings: jurisdiction hearings, which are the first to occur, and permanency hearings with the recommendation to terminate parental rights, which are often the last to occur. Incarcerated parents have no right to attend the remainder of dependency hearings, during which a majority of significant decisions around custody and care are made. In-person attendance entails a significant disruption to programming and good time calculations, so parents incarcerated in state prisons are often unable to be present at hearings.
The critical importance of parental attendance at dependency hearings cannot be overstated: family and child outcomes are greatly improved by parental participation, and parental exclusion from these hearings can result in accidental exclusion of grandparents, aunts and uncles, and other relatives that could facilitate parent-child visits or provide a familial home placement for the child. Parents are uniquely positioned to speak to their child’s needs. Their exclusion can also undermine the already disrupted relationship between a child and their incarcerated parent. Incarcerated parents deserve to fully participate in their children’s court proceedings, and children have a right to the full participation of their family members.
AB 651 (Bryan), for which LSPC was a co-sponsor, expands the hearings at which remote access must be available for incarcerated parents. These include disposition, statutory review, paternity, and Welfare and Institutions Code 388 petitions.
LSPC is thrilled about AB 651’s decisive victory in the California State Legislature, and we hope that Governor Newsom will sign this bill as soon as possible to pave the path towards more unified families. LSPC’s Family Unity Policy Analyst, Ari Vazquez, emphasizes this bill’s importance: “Being incarcerated doesn’t remove your right to parent, and it doesn’t remove the child’s need to have a parent in their life. Parents, even when incarcerated, have tangible input around and knowledge of their child’s needs, and every child deserves to have their needs recognized and met.”
AB 651 now sits on Governor Newsom’s desk, awaiting his signature to ensure that families can remain unified even in the face of dependency courts.
AB 1376: Ending Endless Probation (Bonta)
AB 1376 establishes clear hearing timelines for youth on formal wardship probation supervision, also known as “non-custodial wardship probation.” This will prevent young people from staying on probation for longer than necessary, which wastes precious resources and negatively impacts healthy development.
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