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Committee backs AB 952 to make youth offender fire-camp pilot permanent after participant testimony
Summary
AB 952 would make the youth-offender fire camp pilot permanent and allow expansion. A program participant testified the camps provided structure, work ethic and individualized reentry support; the committee advanced the bill to appropriations.
The Senate Public Safety Committee on June 10 voted to send Assembly Bill 952 to the Senate Appropriations Committee; the bill would make permanent and allow expansion of the youth-offender fire-camp pilot program.
Assemblymember Shaday Al Hawari (presented as the author) said the bill would provide a sustainable pathway for young people to participate in fire-camp programs that have been shown to lower recidivism. The author cited Department of Corrections data indicating lower recidivism for camp participants.
Julian Gonzalez, a recent participant paroled from the pilot program, described the camp as transformative: learning discipline, teamwork, and a work ethic through on-the-ground firefighting and roadside work. Gonzalez also cited individualized support from nonprofits on site and said the program helped him find direction and a positive path after incarceration.
Support came from a broad set of advocacy, reentry and forestry groups; no opposition testified. The committee approved the bill and moved it to Appropriations.
