SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Despite near-unanimous support in the legislature, a bill to raise California state firefighters’ pay has been vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom, sparking a state legislator to call for a rare legislative override.
Assembly Bill 1309, authored by Republican Assemblymember Heath Flora of Ripon, aimed to close the pay gap between state and local firefighters. The bill passed the legislature with nearly unanimous support, with only one dissenting vote.
However, Newsom vetoed the measure on Oct. 3, citing issues that would arise with collective bargaining, and it would also “create significant cost pressures for the state,” Newsom said in a veto message.
In a statement, Newsom’s office said, “California supports and values our firefighting heroes, which is why under Governor Newsom’s leadership funding for Cal FIRE has nearly doubled. This veto is not a denial of a pay raise, and we believe the matter of compensation is best handled through the collective bargaining process.”
The veto also comes as California has experienced some of the most devastating wildfires in the state’s history.
“Fire fighters deserve better, and so do Californians. I urge my colleagues in the Assembly and Senate to override this disgraceful veto and honor our brave men and women on the frontlines with pay that matches their commitment to protecting California families,” Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil said in a statement.
According to McGeorge School of Law professor Chris Micheli, two-thirds of both houses of the legislature would need to vote to support the override. That vote would need to happen within 60 days of the new legislative session that begins on Jan. 5.
Veto overrides are rare in California, with the last successful one taking place in 1979. Micheli explains that the reasoning behind the sparse usage is that legislators opt to reintroduce their vetoed legislation after working with the governor’s office on previous concerns.
“Generally, particularly when the majority in the legislature is the same political party as the governor, (sic) they are loath to, in essence, publicly embarrass the governor by overriding a bill that he has vetoed,” Micheli said.
He added that even during years where there have been divided branches, with Republican governors and democratic majority legislatures, a veto override has not taken place.
“It does raise a legitimate question whether or not, every once in a while, the legislature overriding a veto, perhaps keeps the two bodies in check, the two branches of government. But so far we really haven’t seen that necessary to occur,” Micheli said.
ABC10 has reached out to Asm. Flora for comment on Sen. Alvarado-Gil’s call for a veto, but has not heard back.