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Committee advances bill to translate prison fire-camp experience into apprenticeship credit
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Summary
SB 1012 would require the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and apprenticeship programs to recognize fire camp training so formerly incarcerated participants can access state-approved apprenticeships; labor and training witnesses testified their camps provide substantial hands-on experience but certification gaps block hiring.
Senate Bill 1012, the "Fire Camp to Career Act," advanced out of the Senate Public Safety Committee after testimony from labor unions, formerly incarcerated workers and apprenticeship trainers who said participants in California conservation camps gain real, transferable skills but often return home without recognized certifications.
Author Senator Cinna Small Cuevas said the bill "strengthens pathways to stable skilled careers for incarcerated individuals with fire camp experience" and would require CDCR to connect eligible participants who complete conservation camp programs with state-approved apprenticeships. "If someone is good enough to stand on the front lines for California, they should have a real chance to build a stable union career in California," the author said.
Michelle Solis, formerly incarcerated and a CalSITRA pre-apprenticeship graduate, described more than 1,700 hours of on-site construction training at the California Institution for Women and said she still needed certifications after release to obtain jobs. Michelle Sotelo of Future Fire Academy described successes placing trainees into forestry and CAL FIRE after program-specific certification, and James (California State Council of Laborers) and labor unions urged strong apprenticeship recognition.
No principal opposition testified; committee members praised the measure but emphasized the need for demonstrated competencies rather than automatic certificates for time served. Vice Chair Corder and other members urged mechanisms that let qualified candidates "challenge" for certifications based on skill.
The committee moved SB 1012 to the Labor Committee with the author's accepted amendments; supporters said they will work with labor and apprenticeship programs on implementing standards and certification pathways.
The hearing recorded multiple labor and county supporters including Laborers Local 185, California Federation of Labor, Associated General Contractors, and California Forestry Association.
