California Professional Firefighters

Every year, billions of dollars in state tax money flows directly from the state to local governments to support essential services, including police and fire. Thanks to the state budget shortfall, and the politics at the Capitol, local government's piece of the pie is about to get a lot smaller.

Despite our current economic crisis, California's endangered mutual aid system can be saved, through passage of the Emergency Response Initiative (ERI). This is the message that CPF President Lou Paulson and California Fire Chiefs Association President Sheldon Gilbert hammered home this week at the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management hearing in San Diego.

Despite a furious last-minute lobbying effort and a direct telephone pitch from firefighters across the state, the California Legislature adjourned early Saturday without approving desperately needed first responder legislation. But a unified California fire service is vowing to keep working to pass the Emergency Response Initiative, which would pump hundreds of millions into local and state fire protection services.

The California Legislature and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger have ended a months-long budget standoff, capped with an all night legislative session, with the approval of nearly an $85 billion spending plan for California - over 18 percent lower than last year's budget. For first responders, the news is mostly bad, but there are slivers of good news mixed in.

Right now, Congress is in the midst of drafting legislation to reform our nation's health care system. Unfortunately, in the Senate, one of the leading proposals to help pay for the bill would treat a portion of the health insurance benefits provided by your employer as taxable income. Under this proposal, starting in the year 2013, the tax exemption for health benefits would be capped at an amount equal to $14,790 in today's dollars. For all health insurance plans with annual premium costs that are higher than this figure, the amount above the cap would be considered taxable income.

The state Senate took up AB 196 on the Floor this afternoon, which is one of two measures that seeks to implement the Emergency Response Initiative (ERI). The ERI proposes a 4.8% emergency response surcharge on all new or renewed commercial and residential fire or multi-peril insurance premiums in California. When the Senate votes were tallied, the final score was 23 "AYES," 14 "NOS," 3 "NOT VOTING", leaving AB 196 short the required 2/3 vote it needed to pass. The bill was granted re-consideration, which means it can be brought up at a future date for consideration and action.

In one of the lowest-turnout elections in California history, voters vented their frustration with the state's political leadership by rejecting Propositions 1A through 1E. In response to the election results, CPF President Lou Paulson said the election results complicate the task of fixing California's broken budget system.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to seek the elimination of more than 1,700 state firefighting positions and closure of scores of fire stations if voters reject key ballot measures in the May 19 special election. Schwarzenegger's proposal involves slashing $80.8 million from CAL FIRE's spending plan - a 10 percent reduction - by eliminating 602 full-time positions and 1,100 seasonal firefighting positions. 

This May 19th, California voters will be asked to decide on a number of propositions required to insure that the state doesn’t fall back into massive deficits. California Professional Firefighters is urging a YES vote on the core measures needed to protect our state’s fiscal health – Propositions 1A through 1E.