California
California's inmate firefighter crews are dwindling just as the state starts to burn
Two wet winters followed by repeated record-breaking heat waves in recent months have set California on a path to a fiery summer.
And though firefighters with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection will be on the front lines against the flames, behind them in the trenches are hundreds of California inmates, digging, chopping and chainsawing containment lines for crews to gain an advantage. And there are fewer of them than ever.
Peppered throughout the state’s 35 conservation camps — minimum-security facilities — they perform crucial fuel-reduction projects year-round and are occasionally placed in the path of advancing flames. Sometimes, at the cost of their own lives.
But prison reform and the COVID-19 pandemic have shrunk the pool of inmates eligible to attend the camps — operated by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Cal Fire or the Los Angeles County Fire Department — for fire training and assignments. At the same time that the camp sizes have shrunk — from a peak of 4,250 to fewer than 1,800 today — California has experienced its biggest and deadliest fires, with this summer off to a bad start.
Despite that, Cal Fire and state corrections officials say their strategy of using younger inmates, leaning on seasonal crews longer and partnering with the California Conservation Corps and California Military Department will get them through the year and eventually bring inmate firefighter numbers back to pre-pandemic levels.
“I know there’s been other articles that have painted a picture of doom and gloom and despair,” said Jarrod Clinkenbeard, staff chief of the hand crew program for Cal Fire. “I don’t feel like that’s where we are.”
An inmate fire crew mops up the Kanan fire in Agoura Hills last July.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
In 2005, at the peak of the inmate firefighter program, officially known as the Conservation (Fire) Camp Program, there were 192 crews, or 4,250 inmate firefighters, according to the state corrections department. Participants of the program include support staff such as cooks, orderlies and maintenance workers. Four years ago, as prisons shut down and inmate populations declined, the corrections department winnowed the camps down to 1,821 participants. As of July 2, there were about 83 hand crews, or 1,760 participants.
Depending on the year, inmate fire crews account for as much as 30% of the state’s wildfire force and are typically paid $5.80 to $10.24 per day by the corrections department, earning an additional dollar per hour from Cal Fire when responding to a disaster. Inmate fire crews are made up of 12 to 17 firefighters, led by a fire captain. Inmates who have been convicted of violent crimes, such as rape, lewd acts with a child under 14 or any felony punishable by death or life in prison, or who have a history of escaping or arson, are automatically disqualified.
In a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom on June 21, Los Angeles County Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Kathryn Barger voiced concerns about deeper cuts to the program that would’ve shuttered five camps in the county, affecting more than 200 inmate firefighters.
“The implications of such cuts are dire,” the letter read in part. “As you are aware, California faces a critical shortage of wildland firefighting hand crews, a situation that has been exacerbated by the increasing frequency and severity of wildland fires due to climate change.”
Indeed, the loss of hand crews has occurred nationwide but the labor crisis is particularly acute in California, where 14 of the 15 largest fires on record have occurred since 2007. This year the state has seen 90,000 acres burn, significantly more than the average at this point in the season.
Inmate crews set backfires to heavy brush near Thousand Oaks in 2019.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
The governor recently took the five L.A. County fire camps off his list of cuts this year, as Horvath and Barger had requested, but other efforts to increase inmate firefighting have been months or years in the making.
In August, the corrections department launched the Youthful Offender Program’s Conservation Camp, a pilot program that allows eligible young incarcerated adults to become firefighters and that is set to expire next year unless it is made permanent.
The program is an offshoot of the corrections department’s Youthful Offender Program established in 2014 and allows eligible inmates ages 18 to 25 to receive fire training before being housed at Growlersburg Conservation Camp in Georgetown, a mountain community northeast of Sacramento.
All inmate firefighters receive the same training that seasonal wildland firefighters receive, including a week of classroom instruction and a week of field exercises. Once inmates graduate from the program, they are eligible to be placed at a camp.
There are currently 113 total camp volunteers at Growlersburg. Of those, 30 are part of the pilot program and 18 are inmates who are certified mentors. The young adult firefighters responded to their first fire May 10 in El Dorado County.
Corrections officials said that the program is showing promising results and that the number of hand crews may slowly inch back to 2019 levels, when there were 1,975 inmate firefighters and support staff at the department’s fire camps.
An inmate firefighter from the Trinity River Conservation Camp uses a drip torch to slow a fire burning north of Redding in 2021.
(Ethan Swope / Associated Press)
It took years for California to reach this point, and it will take years to find a reliable solution, officials said.
Hand crew cuts have occurred in waves as penalties for some crimes were reduced, Clinkenbeard said. The first wave came in 2011 with California’s realignment law that mandated some nonviolent inmates serve time in county jails instead of prisons.
Then Californians in 2014 approved Proposition 47, which allowed the courts to reduce penalties for some nonviolent theft crimes and drug possession offenses that were reclassified as misdemeanors.
Three years later, voters approved Proposition 57, allowing inmates convicted of nonviolent crimes to be considered for early release or parole.
In 2020, the pandemic led the state to release more inmates to allow more distancing among those behind bars.
Then two years ago, the California Correctional Center in Susanville, which doubles as a firefighting training center for inmates, closed. Another one is expected to close next year.
Despite the reductions, Clinkenbeard said, Cal Fire still has a healthy number of hand crews for the fire season. He said the agency also has mutual aid agreements with other states that can be called upon to help boost its firefighting force.
As of July 2, Cal Fire had 149 hand crews, 65 of which were state inmate crews; 38 were seasonal firefighters, 32 were participants with the California Conservation Corps and 14 were from the California Military Defense.
A plan to attack several Los Angeles-area businesses on New Year’s Eve was detailed, dangerous and already in motion, authorities said.
But as four people allegedly tied to an anti-government group gathered last week in the Mojave Desert to make and test several test bombs, FBI officials foiled the terror plot.
“They had everything they needed to make an operational bomb at that location,” First Assistant U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli said at a news conference Monday morning. “We disrupted this terror plot before buildings were demolished or innocent people were killed.”
The four people were arrested on suspicion of plotting an attack that Essayli called “organized, sophisticated and extremely violent.” They were all tied to a radical faction of the Turtle Island Liberation Front called Order of the Black Lotus, which FBI Assistant Director in Charge Akil Davis called “a violent homegrown anti-government group.”
Officials wouldn’t say what buildings or businesses were planned to be targeted but Essayli said they were different “logistics centers” similar to ones that Amazon might have.
Officials said they believe that everyone involved in the planned attack has been arrested, though the investigation into the plot remains ongoing.
The four alleged conspirators, Audrey Carroll, Zachary Page, Dante Gaffield and Tina Lai, have been charged with conspiracy and possession of an unregistered destructive device, Essayli said.
“The subjects arrested envisioned planting backpacks with improvised explosive devices to be detonated at multiple locations in Southern California, targeting U.S. companies,” Davis said.
The plans the FBI uncovered also included follow-up attacks after the bombings, which included plans to target ICE agents and vehicles with pipe bombs, Essayli said.
Celebrated Filmmaker Rob Reiner, Wife Michele Singer Found Dead
Acclaimed filmmaker Rob Reiner and wife Michele Singer found dead in their Brentwood home. The circumstances are under police investigation.
Celebrated actor, director, producer and activist Rob Reiner, whose work shaped American television and cinema for decades, has died at 78, according to Variety and TMZ. His death, alongside that of his wife, Michele Singer, 68, is under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department after the couple was found in their home in Brentwood, California.
A dedicated political activist, Reiner was slated to speak on Tuesday, Dec. 16, in Palm Springs, Calif., about his career and his book “A Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever: The Story of Spinal Tap.”
Reiner, born March 6, 1947, in the Bronx, New York, grew up in the entertainment business − his father was comedy legend Carl Reiner and his mother, Estelle, was an actress. He became famous in his own right for his portrayal of Michael “Meathead” Stivic on the groundbreaking sitcom “All in the Family,” winning two Emmy Awards as Archie Bunker’s son-in-law.
Though he had dozens of acting credits to his name, he transitioned to directing and created beloved films including “This Is Spinal Tap,” “Stand by Me,” “The Princess Bride,” “Misery,” “A Few Good Men” and “When Harry Met Sally …” He cast his mother as an extra in the rom-com classic for a scene at a New York deli where Meg Ryan faked an orgasm.
“First couple of times, she didn’t do it full out,” Reiner said of directing Ryan in the scene. “Finally, I sat across from Billy (Crystal). And I acted it for her. … And I’m pounding the table, ‘Yes! Yes! Yes!’ And I’m realizing I’m having an orgasm in front of my mother, you know? There’s my mother over there.” His mother’s line – “I’ll have what she’s having” – became one of the most famous lines in film.
Similarly, his mockumentary “This Is Spinal Tap” was a part of the cultural landscape (and earned a spot in the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry), with memorable songs like “Gimme Some Money.”
Reiner admitted that was the very reason “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues” came to be: “We never got any money from the first movie, really,” Reiner said in an interview with USA TODAY earlier this year about his three stars, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer. “Lots of people had the rights, and the four us had 10% each, and while it’s going to sound crazy, we only got like 82 cents apiece over the years, despite all the DVD and foreign sales. Call it creative accounting on steroids. So Harry said, ‘I’m going to sue to get the rights back,’ and though it took him years, he got it done.”
The sequel was largely improvised. “The fun thing for me was falling back with old friends,” he said. “You just start doing your thing with each other, Chris used to call it ‘schneedeling,’ and right away, we were schneedeling as if no time has gone by. You can’t beat that.”
Reiner was a progressive and outspoken voice in the Hollywood community, supporting issues including marriage equality and gun control. He was a vocal critic of President Donald Trump and advocated for social and political change. In 2006, his name was floated as a possible candidate for governor of California, but he decided not to run.
Reiner was slated to speak on Tuesday, Dec. 16 in Palm Springs at the historic Plaza Theatre about his career and his book “A Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever: The Story of Spinal Tap.” Bruce Fessier, who covered entertainment for The Desert Sun in Palm Springs for four decades, was to moderate.
“I was preparing for my Q&A with Rob Reiner … when I heard two people had been murdered at his house in West L.A.,” Fessier said. “I felt like I knew him well.”
He had rewatched both “Spinal Tap” movies that afternoon and had also read his book in preparation.
“I prayed the victims weren’t Rob and his wife, Michele,” he said. When the deaths were confirmed, he cried “Why them? Rob was way more than a great film director and actor. He did so much good as a political activist. He was a renaissance man.”
Rob Reiner was married to actress and director Penny Marshall from 1971 to 1981. During their marriage, Reiner adopted Marshall’s daughter, Tracy, who later became an actress.
In 1989, Reiner married Michele Singer, a photographer. Together they shared three children: Nick, Jake and Romy. Reiner often credited Michele with inspiring the happy ending of “When Harry Met Sally …,” which he was filming when they met.
Kate Franco, executive editor of The Desert Sun, contributed to this report.
California
De La Salle vs. Santa Margarita: live score, updates, highlights from California’s Open Division state championship bowl | Sporting News
MISSION VIEJO, California, Dec. 13 — The No. 7/SN No. 15 Santa Margarita [Rancho Santa Margarita, CA] Eagles ended a 14-year state championship drought Saturday night in a 47-13 romp past the No. 15/SN No. 25 De La Salle [Concord, CA] Spartans in California’s CIF Open Division state championship bowl.
While the win ended Santa Margarita’s drought, it prolonged De La Salle’s own dry spell in championship bowl games, extending the Spartan’s losing streak to eight games in these contests.
Santa Margarita is ranked as high as No. 4 in the country by three selectors (High School Football America, MaxPreps, and USA Today’s Super 25). In the High School Football America rankings, they’re ranked ahead of both the No. 1/SN No. 1 Buford [GA] Wolves and the No. 3/SN No. 5 Carrollton [GA] Trojans – two teams that will play for Georgia’s GHSA Class 6A championship on Tuesday night.
Whether the win over De La Salle can get the Eagles – who will finish the season with three losses at 11-3 – a share of the national title remains to be seen.
De La Salle, meanwhile, ends its season at 12-1.
WATCH ON THE NFHS NETWORK: No. 7/SN No. 15 Santa Margarita [Rancho Santa Margarita, CA] Eagles vs. No. 15/SN No. 25 De La Salle [Concord, CA] Spartans
__________
Refresh for updates
__________
End of the fourth quarter: Santa Margarita 47, De La Salle 13
__________
SANTA MARGARITA 47, DE LA SALLE 13
Santa Margarita gets a pick six to put capper on this one.
Siua Holani with finished touches on this one. 43-yard pick 6. Santa Margarita 47, De La Salle 13. 1:36 4Q. pic.twitter.com/VVVEN5bvr6
— Mitch Stephens (@MitchBookLive) December 14, 2025
__________
SANTA MARGARITA 41, DE LA SALLE 13
Johnson finds Gazzaniga for his second touchdown of the game. The tight end entered the game with two touchdown receptions all year, and he’s got two in the state title game.
__________
End of the third quarter: Santa Margarita 35, De La Salle 13
The first quarter is in the books, and it’s all Santa Margarita so far.
__________
SANTA MARGARITA 35, DE LA SALLE 13
De La Salle forces another turnover and converts it to points to give them a glimmer of hope that they can climb out of this deep hole.
Two forced De La Salle turnovers and two Jaden Jefferson touchdowns.
Jefferson is the state record holder in the 100-meter dash 💨
De La Salle cuts the Santa Margarita lead to 35-13 with 4:09 left in the 3rd pic.twitter.com/05dJ7Q9Mmy
— West Coast Preps (@westcoastpreps_) December 14, 2025
__________
The third quarter is under way, and to make matters worse for De La Salle, Santa Margarita is on offense first.
__________
End of the second quarter: Santa Margarita 35, De La Salle 7
The first quarter is in the books, and it’s all Santa Margarita so far.
Santa Margarita has been a different team offense since Mosley’s return around midseason. And they’re one half away from a state championship in Carson Palmer’s first year at the helm.
__________
SANTA MARGARITA 35, DE LA SALLE 7
Just over a minute to play in the first half, Mosley scores again on another short play, and then he adds the 2-point conversion. This feels like it’s over.
Trent Mosley finishes off the half with another touchdown. Also adds run for two-point conversion. 1:07 left. Santa Margarita 35, De La Salle 7. Complete domination. pic.twitter.com/hMsSsI0svB
— eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) December 14, 2025
__________
SANTA MARGARITA 27, DE LA SALLE 7
It’s Duce plus a deuce. Santa Margarita marches right back down the field after the Spartans’ touchdown, and Duce Smith carries it in for another touchdown. And even with the score by De La Salle, Santa Margarita still has its biggest lead of the night after converting the 2-point conversion. It’s Johnson to Ryan Clark on the extra two.
Jaion Smith TD. Two-point conversion good. Santa Margarita 27, De La Salle 7 pic.twitter.com/1zpn1ETZyW
— eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) December 14, 2025
__________
Santa Margarita into the red zone again.
__________
SANTA MARGARITA 19, DE LA SALLE 7
Helped along by the turnover and a couple of penalties, De La Salle’s offensive line shows some muscle in the trenches and they power their way down near the goal line where Jaden Jefferson carries it across. That felt like a must-score situation, and they get the touchdown. Now, can they stop Santa Margarita’s offense again?
Jaden Jefferson TD. Santa Margarita 19, De La Salle 7. 6:43 left in second. pic.twitter.com/QzsKMWP58i
— eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) December 14, 2025
__________
De La Salle gets its first real break. Mosley fumbles, and the Spartans pounce on it inside the Eagles’ 40. If they want to have any chance of staying in this game, they need to make the most of this short field.
__________
End of the first quarter: Santa Margarita 19, De La Salle 0
The first quarter is in the books, and it’s all Santa Margarita so far.
42 seconds left in first quarter. Santa Margarita 19, De La Salle. Luke Gazzaniga TD. About the only thing the Eagles need to work on are PATs. 1 for 3. pic.twitter.com/WA6IY0blgI
— eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) December 14, 2025
__________
SANTA MARGARITA 19, DE LA SALLE 0
Johnson finds Luke Gazzaniga on a wide-open post against a blown coverage. It’s too easy for the Eagles right now, and with their elite defense, it’s possible they’ve already scored enough to win this game.
__________
De La Salle with a quick three-and-out on offense, and they punt on a 4th-and-19. Mosley returns it inside De La Salle’s 35. This is already starting to look ugly.
__________
SANTA MARGARITA 13, DE LA SALLE 0
Trace Johnson finds Mosley with a short swing pass to the right side of the field, and the senior standout does his thing winding and weaving his way 34 yards through traffic before running over the final defender at the goal line. Again, the early feeling watching this is not good for De La Salle.
What a luxury.
Just get it to Trent Mosley and watch.
Santa Margarita 13, De La Salle 0 (missed PAT)pic.twitter.com/3cp3hBbUJ5
— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) December 14, 2025
__________
Santa Margaria quickly approaching the red zone again.
__________
De La Salle puts together a good drive to get into position for a short field goal attempt. But it’s blocked by Santa Margarita, ending the scoring threat. If you’re a De La Salle fan, you’re encouraged by the offense being able to move against the Eagles. But combined with the defensive personal fouls on Santa Margarita’s first drive, you also get the feeling early that this could be a really tough night for the Spartans. It’s early, we’ll see how they rebound from the lost scoring opportunity.
__________
SANTA MARGARITA 7, DE LA SALLE 0
Helped along by a couple of personal foul penalties, Santa Margarita drives quickly on its first possession, scoring on a short run by Trent Mosley out of the Wildcat formation.
Tulane bound Trace Johnson and Griffin Brahm connect get in the red zone.
4⭐️ USC bound Trent Mosley then scores. He’s a freakish talent.
Santa Margarita up 7-0 on De La Salle with 8:00 left in the 1st pic.twitter.com/vpo2yvYp9R
— West Coast Preps (@westcoastpreps_) December 14, 2025
__________
Santa Margarita won the toss and deferred to the second half. De La Salle picks up one first down against this stout Eagles’ defense before being forced to punt.
__________
They’re under way in California! This is the final game of California’s high school football season.
__________
Coming soon!
__________
De La Salle vs. Santa Margarita start time
- Date: Saturday, Dec. 13
- Start time: 11 p.m. EST (8 p.m. PST local)
The game between De La Salle and Santa Margarita is being played at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, California.
How can I watch De La Salle vs. Santa Margarita today?
MORE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFF HEADLINES
‘Love being a pedo’: Metro Detroit doctor, attorney, therapist accused in web of child porn chats
This Week: E-Bikes, Happy Hour, Holiday Lights – Streetsblog San Francisco
81-year-old North Texas trailblazer to graduate from UNT Dallas
How to watch Miami (FL) at Texas A&M: CFP First Round TV channel and streaming options for December 20
Boston Police say homicides are up 30 percent as Mayor Wu sticks to ‘safest major city’ claim
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Video: Rob Reiner and His Wife Are Found Dead in Their Los Angeles Home
Biden officials go silent when asked about Afghan refugee program after guardsmen shooting
South Korea indicts ex-leader Yoon over power plot provoking North
BBC Verify: Videos show impact of mass drone attacks launched by Ukraine and Russia
Bill and Hillary Clinton’s Stance on Epstein Testimony Nov. 3
-
Alaska1 week agoHowling Mat-Su winds leave thousands without power
-
Texas1 week agoTexas Tech football vs BYU live updates, start time, TV channel for Big 12 title
-
Washington6 days agoLIVE UPDATES: Mudslide, road closures across Western Washington
-
Iowa1 week agoMatt Campbell reportedly bringing longtime Iowa State staffer to Penn State as 1st hire
-
Iowa2 days agoHow much snow did Iowa get? See Iowa’s latest snowfall totals
-
Miami, FL1 week agoUrban Meyer, Brady Quinn get in heated exchange during Alabama, Notre Dame, Miami CFP discussion
-
Cleveland, OH1 week agoMan shot, killed at downtown Cleveland nightclub: EMS
-
World1 week ago
Chiefs’ offensive line woes deepen as Wanya Morris exits with knee injury against Texans
