California Prison Inmates Earning Less Than Minimum Wage To Fight California Wildfires

Published Jan 14, 2025, 2:24 PM

As of Friday, 939 prison inmates have been deployed to fight the wildfires in Southern California. These incarcerated firefighters are part of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s (CDCR) Conservation (Fire) Camps Program, working alongside nearly 4,700 state firefighters from Cal Fire.

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All of the news, the news you can use, well, not all of it, because it's so much going on, right, guys, It's so much going on that I don't think we can ever cover it all, but we do our best to try to keep up. Now, last week, guys, you know we talked about like everybody else in the world hopefully has made space for California and what is going on in California. Everybody knows, or at least if you follow me at any time of my work, know the love that I have for La and how La has played those who will run through a wall for me and love me. Some of my greatest defenders and best friends have raised me off of LA culture and the principles of LA if you will, as far as from the streets are concern, so LA is near and dear to my heart, and so watching what's happening has one has been a lot of anxiety of you know, making sure that your family and loved ones is straight.

I want to be honest. This did not affect the hoods.

There were some you know, uh, some areas, but for the most part, this was not in the heavily populated area you know, dense areas where black people live.

Just gonna go and be honest.

You know, some some areas it has, but overall it has not been.

Good. I'm just gonna be honest.

And the folks that I engage with, that I'm in relationship with, you know, are in areas in LA that is a lot of the forgotten about community and we just you don't want to go ahead and be honest about it. And now that doesn't mean that I am not sympathetic and that I'm not empathizing that people have lost it all, you know, even the rich, you know, who wants to lose anything. So I'm not saying that at all to be sympathetic, you know, to not recognize the loss Jade. But it is important though, because if you don't know La and you're not familiar with you know, what side of town is what or this, and that you know, Black effect is obviously a black centered network. You know, my work is black centered. Uh So I wanted to you know, kind of put that out there. And then again, there are some neighborhoods that you know, uh, black people obviously have been affected because of effected everybody across the you know, across all all nationalities. You've seen videos of folks and all of that. But I did want to be clear on you know, where we live heavily populated, you know, the areas that we're in, and particularly in the hoods where I you know, the bottoms and those types of places, you know, where I rock with my people, those are areas that were not affected. And I'm saying that to say, I was just giving my personal testimony of you know, trying to reach everybody and make sure everybody was straight. And I wasn't able to fly out and have to be in Dallas this week, Otherwise I would have been in La, but still a lot everybody I know still had ashes covering their cars and you know, still it's still the smoke was everywhere. You smelled it all over La. So people definitely filled it, you know. For sure, SPUs mom, you know her car is white. It was completely black, you know, So it wasn't yours almos closed car like it was. It was. Everybody had some experienced it, put it that way. But as far as the fires, you know, the fires were twenty minutes away, you know, driving distance, those types of things. So it's still from just wearing about your loved ones. Like for example, when I was telling you know, Spu, don't mind me called him out, he was on the Uber and I'm like, what are you doing, like you're Uber and where he's like, well, it's far a weight. I'm like, it doesn't matter how far a weight is, Like, why would you put yourself in a situation where you don't know anything can change, you know at one moment, you know, but Uber was obviously blocking off the areas that people did need to go to, But it still made me have anxiety about you need to stay your ass at home straight up, because that's right, what are you doing you know, so those types of things worrying about he's a smoker, you know, I'm worrying about what you're inhaling.

You know, what is that going to look like? His mom?

You know a lot of her church members, you know, lost homes, things like that. So a lot of my friends out there smoked cigarettes, and I was like, now I'm concerned about My mother died of lung cancer. So I'm always very much aware of you know, what are you inhaling? What are you breathing? You know, there's already issue with us smog in LA. You know, it's not the cleanest air already. So I'm thinking about, Okay, what's gonna happen down the road, you know, with the smoke that people in hell, the ashes that people in hell, looking at, all of those long term things that people may not be looking at in this moment, but it's definitely on the horizon. If you did not listen to last week's podcasts where I talked about the California Republican takeover, please go listen to it. I got a lot of good feedback from the guys. I did a live version because I wanted people to understand what's about to happen. You know, I know they say it ain't the time of politics, but it actually is the time politics. Politics never stops, and so while you're saying it ain't time for politics, they are absolutely playing politics. And we're gonna get into that here at the moment. But I wanted to kind of lay that foundation out last week on what to look for, and basically it's already come to pass.

Is that right, Jay?

Definitely it's a real takeover. I mean that's you never did, but yes, already happening.

So break that down for us. Then, because they've had some criticism with Governor Newsom soliciting donations, tell us about that. And then there was a petition going around to get rid of Karen Bass, which again all of these things, guys, I want you to go back and listen to the podcast where I broke down how you know, anytime there's anything, they're always you always have to blame the people in charge. That's even whether it's their fault or not. That's expected. But in particularly with California because Governor Newsom is what they would consider a rising star in the Democrat Party.

So I named that on last week. How you can better believe they are going to be.

Extra extra on Governor Newsom, So tell us about some of the things of what they're saying about him and where we are now with these fires.

Yeah, so now that the fires have been going on for just about a week, if not over a week, just yeah, he's getting all the backlash right because more than one hundred and five thousand residents have been under evacuation orders and fires are not completely contained, and so at least twenty four deaths have also happened due to some of these wildfires. And so with all of these factors, Tesla and Marcel, there has been political finger pointing. Now Governor Gavin Newsom, who is a Democrat, who's the governor of California that we're referring to, he accused Trump and Trump's camp of playing politics. So of course the right does what they do best, which is fingerpointing and playing politics. Right, whether Democrats want to do that or so. California Governor Gavin Newsom, he sparked controversy for soliciting donations for wildfire victims through his superpack which is called Campaign for Democracy and it uses the website called ActBlue. So for folks who raise money if you're running for office, made a political donation. Most of them if you're within the Democratic Party especially, they go through ActBlue. So the Democratic platforming fundraising platform was named also in this political finger pointing, and Act Blue links users to a donation page for the California Fire Foundation, but the funds are processed by Act Blue, taking a portion as a processing fee.

So critics have accused.

Governor Newsom off exploiting a disaster for political fundraising, pointing out that the donations made through his super Packs platform could potentially benefit future political campaigns.

Now, okay, so what, well, I know they gonna find some. But I guess, I mean, everybody's donating to get money, So what I guess they're saying you need to take it out the budget. In California, they don't have no budget. So I guess what's the problem.

They just don't like this. They just picking You think they just picking on them? Or what do you think them? What's your thoughts?

So, according to a spokesperson for Governor Newsom, they clarify that no donations go to his super Pack directly, and they emphasized that he raised four hundred and fifty thousand dollars for the Fire Foundation, which supports firefighters and affected residents. So critics are still arguing though that Governor Nusom's approach raises ethnical questions, especially as Act Blue takes a processing fee for the services.

Well all, I mean every I mean for donations, they all do well. I guess they need.

Like I said, they gonna find something and they might say he might be benefiting from this, or you need to find another way to do it. But anytime people don't, there's always gonna be a donation fee. I mean, I don't even understand what they're talking about. I guess don't do it through the pack?

What do a go fund me? I don't know.

Bottom line is, if you want to donate to this issue, you have their They criticize the people donate to the Red Cross because even now because they say the Red Cross don't spend it like they should or whatever. Bottom line is, guys, if you want to donate, donate to what you feel comfortable. Nobody's forcing you to donate. It is your decision. If you're not comfortable to giving to a pack, don't. If you're more comfortable giving into Salvation Army, Red Cross do If you're not comfortable giving to them at all, and you just want to give it to a community organization, a church or something like that. Then't do it sitting around and trying to criticize who wants to help and not help and all that. Again, this is all about politics and anything they can do to this credit governor news something. And I'm not saying that as a fan of him or caving for him. I'm just telling you what it is. He will absolutely be blame for everything. Some of that may be justifiable, some may be not, some may not be. They're also asking that Karen Bass resigned, which is respected. Again, they're always even though some people say it's a natural disaster. So what do you mean, So tell us a little bit about why they think the mayor should get out of her posts.

Yes, well, they're blaming a lot of people who are signing this petition, over one hundred thousand people at least, to be exact. They're blaming the fact that over twelve thousand, three hundred homes burned in these fires, if not more, and costs at least twenty six deaths, and that over thirty thousand residents have been forced to evacuate with even more on evacuation lists. So, yeah, I saw the petition. I've looked at some people who signed it in their comments, but clearly over one hundred thousand people signed it asking her Mayor Karen Bass, who's the mayor of Los Angeles, to resign due to her handling of the wildfires devastating southern California. The petition criticized Bass for quote gross mismanagement end quote, and her absence during the fires. And they when they talk about her absence during their wildfires when they first started off, she was actually on a planned diplomatic trip to Ghana, and they've used that against her to say that she was doing diploma diplomatic work abroad as opposed to handling her own city. So they're also blaming budget cuts and firefighter resources on Mayor Bass. And so the Los Angeles Fire Department faced budget cuts in the twenty twenty five feastful year, including that seventeen point six million dollar reduction, and so that was also referenced on the petition. I know we spoke about that previously. So there is public outcry for folks from folks who are calling on Mayor Best to resign.

So how many sittingceres. You said it was how many what how many sentinceers? You said it was over one hundred thousand, and it's from point eight million people. Yes, over one hundred thousand.

And the.

Petition's only been up. You know, it's been up for a few days.

I know.

I think in the first day there was like fifty thousand signatures or something. So it is definitely picking up speed. I also went on change dot com, because you know, I like to do research tests. I'm one on change dot I just looked for other petitions and there are other petitions out there.

There's more than one petition, so to get her out there.

Yeah, oh well again, like I said last week, go back and listen to the podcast, Republicans have the digital discipline they just do. It's still the samele people that starting, but they just got they You guys, I mean y'all can say, oh you you communing them. No, I'm just telling you what it is. I said last week. They're gonna throw everything, you know, at these two leaders. They didn't want them in any way. They've been trying to get Karen Bass out for the moment she got elected. I'm not saying anything not justified or not. I'm just telling what it is, you know, from the homelessness crisis to whatever they didn't want this woman to win. You better believe they're getting ready to use this over and over and over. I'm not saying Republicans can win off of this, but they're definitely gonna give it the old College try. So people in my comments of the old Republic go don't never win, Okay, think that if you want to, just like they thought Roe versus Wade would never get over, never get over. Turn slowly, but surely. I'm talking about over the next three years, five years, ten years, you know, penetrating over and over and over and over and so these are one of those things that are like, oh, let's kick Democrats while they're down.

Yep.

So that's what that's what we're going to see to continue to try to hurt the potential candidacy of Governor Newsom. In twenty twenty eight, well, speaking of.

Government, news Governor Newsome and petitions, I also did a search for petitions. There are some petitions that are calling for the resignation of Governor Gavin Newsom, but not as many, with not nearly as many many signatures as the ones that I saw calling for the mayor to resign. I wanted to name that.

And well, just like he said, he said, it's a local issuamber he threw under the bus, but like, oh, it's a local issue, which it is.

It happened that, so it does follow on her.

No.

I also have some research here or receipts that stated that.

Governor Goosam also diverted funds from fire safety as well, and so he is awesome. Let's just be very balanced, like folks are perceiving this because he actually I mean, he's the governor of the entire state. He's basically like the president of the state of California.

Yeah, he said them people told he said, I ain't got nothing to do with it. That's a local issue.

This is what I don't like, y'all.

And Marcella Zon, you know, if you've seen these memes, like a lot of people are putting up Karen Bass's picture next to the fire chief, who is an LGBT woman. I think she's the first LGBT fire chief in Los Angeles or whatever, and they're saying, this is why we don't need DEI like cancel DII programs and then I'm seeing other memes and things on social media that are saying, see, this is why we don't need to elect black politicians. And unfortunately, I'm seeing way too many black folks that are that are co signing that message allegedly black because we don't know what.

Pictures.

But yeah, yeah, but a lot of people didn't like Karen Bass just like they didn't like the Chicago mayor. Yep, so the female mayor. Some people just don't want to see women in the leadership. And that's just the bottom line. You know, they walked on water. That's just might say, Telsa, you ain't being fair. You don't never criticize the Democrat crisis, Democrats all the time.

That's all I do.

First y'all said I criticized Democrats too much. Now you say I don't give Trump enough credit, don't you know? So this is just like people just pick who they like and that's just that. And they getan be on Karen bass head they've been trying to get out, and it is with it. And if it means that she loses her post, episulde of it. It happens in politics. It takes one bad thing to happen that like what in Chicago? Like what, uh, what's the name?

Who?

What was up?

Form?

A former female mayor?

You know what?

Her her face popped up and look it up. We got Google right here.

Yeah, I know, I was gonna I was gonna say a name that came to mind, but that wasn't. Yeah your life like but yep. So when they elected her, they loved to love to, love to, love to love to they did things happened, crime up went up, you know, got out of control. That's it, you know, that's that's how it is. What happens on your watch.

You're responsible for the unfortunately about sometimes politicians, the good things happen on they watch, they don't get credit for that. But you're absolutely gonna get credit for all the bad things that happened on your watch. That's the nature of the beasts.

I mean, remember they gave a former Atlanta mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms. Right. She was a sweetheart and she was well beloved, especially when she first got in. And I know that the George Floyd protesting, all of the civil unrest and uproar, the uprisings of twenty twenty took place, and she got.

For a lot as well, the same thing. What I'm losing my train of thought with what's the name? That was the mayor of Maryland during the Freddie Gray?

Oh yes, yes, what was her name?

Were just getting all type of names, so much information, so much information. We just told a mic it was a break.

She knock it off.

Remember she was beloved too. They put us out because all it take is one thing, you know. And then now you're current, your current mayor of Baltimore. I'm gonna see how that's gonna land, you know, with the bridge. M hmm, let's see how that uh huh.

Are you referring to Are you referring to Stephanie Rawlings? Mm hmmm, yep, yeah. And then the current mayor of Baltimore when the bridge fell, even though it was a national story and they started talking about it's still a local thing, you know, buying the money. Yep, I'm gonna see how that's gonna fall with him, well, with the bridge, I'm not sure how that's gonna fall. But the homicide rate in Baltimore has dropped significantly since he's been in office, and people are really praising him for that, where.

They better do a good job make sure everybody know, because if you're a punker, wan't to talk about the bridge more than they talking about the good. The negative always that way to good, especially if you're sitting back with that posture of I don't need to say it, don't speak on it. They know what it is.

No, that's why they get you. Every time.

They know how to highlight Trump anything he do. They make it sound like it's the best thing of Admison's splice sized bread. They talk about it over and over and over and over and over. No, No, they don't care about how arrogant it looked, how not modest it don't look just like with Obama.

We just didn't put our name on it. Where you shouldn't put your name on the ship. It ain't no flex.

Hey, you gotta come explain everybody, Well, it really was you, but you didn't put that. We just don't do that because it was about the people. No, it's also about politics. Should put your name on it, like Governor Kent did in Georgia with the Kemp card. So hopefully for his sake, they're talking about the homicide rate dropping and giving him credit for more than they're talking about that bridge. Because I don't live in Baltimore, but I know about that bridge story, but I don't know about you. Just informed me about the homicide.

So what that means? Who message getting out further breed? Right? That mean the bridge?

Yeah?

Negative always travel faster in anything, social media, relationships, drama, whatever.

That's why you got popular.

Callus as much as you possibly can, just to even keep up, you know, to give yourself a fighting chance.

Yeah, that's gonna happen.

What they say to the bid AD ministry, they said a lot done was good, positive, but way too late to talk about it.

So yep, too late.

Now when Trump on your head every day saying you the worst thing ever happened to this country, yep, that was literally his message, the worst thing ever happened to this country if he says an office is gonna be World War III. Absolutely, So that's how it works. Guys, Quickly before we get out of here, because I know you were shocked. I don't want to say shot, but I know you're brought to my attention about the prison inmates. We talked about it early in the week and I say, yees jay.

They always do that.

They always bring out the prisons to fight the fire. So tell us a little bit about that. Yeah, talk about that or something to bothered by that.

I'm I'm bothered by it because of the health rests involved and how little these inmates are being paid.

They may hold on, let's pause right there, ain't thinking. I mean now in the criminal justice reform, like I get it. This is yeah, because prison they show their slaves. So what you said teen dollars an hour part of the union. Okay, let me say this, so y'all know Marcelli's is laughing because.

They don't. They may not follow the show every week, but Marcelli's is our union repend, union president, union shop store.

This is shop store up here right. I wanted to make sure I understand where we're going with this conversation.

So Jay say, I'll come, prisoners here, I come. That's right, A lot don't organize everybody. That's still mean. And now you know prison reforms my biggest issue. So I'm in agreement with you. I just want to hear you make the case. Yes, so my how they need to be paid twenty five an hour and all that.

Yes, So at least nine hundred and thirty nine prison inmates in California were deployed, they have been deployed to fight the wildfires that are that are been happening, and we've been talking about, you know, the even the small number of casualties that we even know about. Right. But my issue with this is I've seen videos with the prison inmates going up the mountain fighting the fires, and then the actual firefighters just standing way way back.

So they have our brothers and in these.

Inmates on the front line, batt on their flame, you know, putting their lives at rest. They're being paid between five dollars and eighty cents and ten dollars and twenty.

Four cents per day.

However, oh well, with an additional one dollar per hour from the count from California Fire when working during emergencies, and then also when they work a twenty four hour shift followed by a small period of rest, they can earn twenty six dollars and ninety cents per day or putting themselves on the front, right, Yes, and.

So you break, you know, they're in prison. Now, I on a creek with none of this, but I want to make sure Marcella's ain't looking at this is like a job that they actually apply for. This is actually punishment for being in prison, like the chain gang. I just want to make sure fight a fire. Agree with none of it now, I just I just want to make sure our union chairman here know.

But these are prison inmates definitely that apply for the job, and they be ap right, and they deserve break time meeting O yeah, break time, y'all.

I mean, listen, this is like humanitarian issue they need. They'll know. I don't agree with none of it. Yeah, nah, this is wild. And then also, but this is a part of the prison industrial complex.

Not whether it's not just fighting fires or making Victoria's secret or whatever, you know, making two dollars an hour or one dollar a day, you know, all of that, All of that is the slavery you know at its finest, but that but you know their answer is don't go, don't do the crime.

You ain't got to wordever being a slave, because that's what prison is for, to be a slave. Definitely argument.

Yeah, and then we know how you know the president in prison industrial complex is set up right how Black men are definitely definitely very the most vulnerable when it comes to being sentenced and getting harsher penalties et cetera. Now, interestingly, right they are, you know, the firefighters, the prison inmates who are fighting these fires are not guaranteed you know, time off. Sometimes like some of these programs, they will shave off a year of their sentence. But even after they fight these fires, they're not necessarily guaranteed a job or internship or anything with working with any fire department. I think it's great training, it's a great it's a great they should have at least given the credit for the training. I mean, they're for their job, you know, maybe a position in the fire department or doing something, maybe even joining a volunteer fire department or something. So I just it's just the fail on the piece. So they you know, getting jobs.

They're probably, but I think there should be some credit for what they've done in one way of the other. You know, some type of program and there is screening for it, right, so the participants in the program must be they must meet physical, mental, and crime related criterias to join the program, so they can't have any violent.

Crimes.

There you go.

Then, if it's not about the grind, they should be able to get a job when they get out. Then at least make that exception. Agreed, Well, folks are talking about it. I was building with some folks in Los Angeles and a.

Lot of people know, people who have gone through these these fire department programs in the state of California.

That's very comfort your send it to like, oh yeah, they do that all the time.

That's how they like to do it at this So we'll continue to keep prayer, but also not keeping prayer, also staying vigilant on what's happening politically, just to be able to call things out so you guys can know what to expect because this is far from over. You know, we keep saying pray for la Yes, we need to pray for it, but we also need to be looking at politics because just because in California it means nothing, it can trickle right on down to you as well.

So let's pay attention to these state right moves, you know, let's.

See what folks are doing, Let's see how people nothing else to be a cautionary tale, you know, to learn so you can understand how state and local politics work. So stay on top of it. Just wanted to give a quick update on what's going on with California. Guys.

Make sure you tap in to the podcast.

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Thanks guys, peace.

If you like what you heard on Straight Shot No Chaser, please subscribe and drop a five star review and tell a friend. Straight Shot No Chaser is a production of the Black Effect Podcast Network and iHeartRadio ANTISLM figure Out, and I like to thank our producer editor Mixer Dwayne Crawford and our executive producer Charlott Magne to God. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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