Councilroom honors LA Aztecas youth firefighting crew; councilmember to seek year-round program

Councilmember Mike Hernandez presented members of the LA Aztecas youth firefighting crew during the Los Angeles City Council meeting and said he will introduce a motion to create year‑round opportunities for the group.

Hernandez told the council the crew — trained through a U.S. Forest Service program that provides temporary firefighting employment — had returned from assignments in Plumas County and other Western states. He said the crew members are often young people recruited through gang intervention efforts who receive training in helicopter insertion, long hikes with heavy packs, line clearing and other suppression tasks.

The presentation included short remarks from program founder Mike Jaramillo and from two crew members. Juan Chavez, identified as a first‑year participant, said the program taught “discipline, responsibility, commitment” and kept participants occupied during fire season. Luz Malcaraz described how the program provided structure and the potential for careers but said participants need activities and work between fire assignments to avoid returning to former street life.

Hernandez said the Aztecas have taken more than 100 suppression assignments across states and that the city currently only calls on them during active fires. He said he will introduce a motion asking the council and city departments to design a program that provides year‑round work, training and basic benefits so crew members have steady opportunities rather than only seasonal assignments.

Hernandez emphasized the proposal would seek coordination with existing local partners, including the Los Angeles Conservation Corps and the Department of Water and Power, and asked colleagues for support as he drafts the motion.

The presentation concluded with certificates of tribute and photographs in the press room.