Editor’s note: Essential California will be off tomorrow for MLK day. We’ll be back in your inboxes Tuesday morning.

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Sunday. I’m your host, Andrew J. Campa. Here’s what you need to know to start your weekend:

Los Angeles County has benefited from firefighting efforts from the incarcerated

Before I get into it, here’s the L.A. Times’ live coverage of these ongoing fires.

Their routine seems, well, routine.

Firefighters Joseph McKinney, Joseph Sevilla and Sal Almanza rise at 4 a.m. every other day and eat breakfast at their Rose Bowl base camp in Pasadena. Soon they’ll head up the San Gabriel Mountains to battle one of the most destructive fires in L.A. County history.

Their tasks include containment work, structure defense or removing dry vegetation and trying to stop the spread of the Eaton fire.

McKinney, Sevilla and Almanza could blend into a firefighting crew, if given the chance.

The men are part of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Conservation Fire Camps Program, which operates 35 fire camps throughout the state. Though they’re incarcerated, they’ve proved invaluable against Los Angeles County’s firestorm.

Where do these participants come from?

My Fast Break desk colleague Summer Lin detailed how incarcerated firefighters have provided necessary aid.

McKinney, Sevilla and Almanza are incarcerated at Fenner Canyon Conservation Camp 41. The facility is a medium-security prison in Valyermo, in the Antelope Valley, which houses people convicted of crimes such as arson, robbery and assault.

To qualify for the program, participants must have eight years or less of their sentence remaining, be physically and mentally fit enough for the required duties and not be convicted for certain charges, such as arson, rape and an escape history.

What do the numbers say?

As of Friday, more than 1,100 incarcerated firefighters were battling the Palisades and Eaton fires.

The blazes have at least 27 people and are shaping up to be one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history. There are still 27 people reported missing: 20 from the Eaton fire and seven from the Palisades.

Historically, incarcerated firefighters have made up to 30% of the California wildfire force.

Why do the men sign up?

Some applicants joined the program to shave time off their sentences. They either earn one or two days of credit for every day of work.

But some said that after they joined, they found the job rewarding and a chance to develop a potential career path after they’re released.

Almanza originally tried to pursue firefighting about a decade ago, but it didn’t pan out.

“I just thought, how funny is it that I ended up in the situation that I really wanted to be in a long time ago,” the 42-year-old said. “It’s come back full circle.”

Before Sevilla, 23, was incarcerated, he was job hopping, from working at a biotech company to fast-food restaurants. He plans to pursue a career in wildland firefighting after he’s released.

What is their experience like?

“I ended up falling in love with it,” Sevilla said. “You get to be out here in the wilderness. You get to be outdoors, moving around. So on top of being healthy, and getting that physical exercise, you get a mental exercise in knowing you’re providing for the community and doing something good for the people.”

Working on the front lines hit close to home for McKinney. The 44-year-old used to live in Old Town Pasadena, above the Crown City pawn shop. He remembers a moment when they were battling the blaze at the Mt. Wilson Observatory and he looked out over all of the black smoke and wondered if the fire would ever stop.

The men say that more than anything else, they’re grateful for the outpouring of support from the community.

What are the drawbacks?

The program has faced criticism, primarily for the wages that incarcerated firefighters earn — between $5.80 and $10.24 a day, plus $1 an hour from Cal Fire during active emergencies.

The program has also been criticized for the associated health risks and the notion that the program exploits the firefighters for “forced labor.”

Incarcerated workers are more prone to being injured than professional firefighters, according to research from the ACLU and the University of Chicago Law School. At least four incarcerated firefighters have died on the front lines and, during a five-year period, more than 1,000 needed hospital care, according to the ACLU report.

What do proponents like?

Backers stress that participation is voluntary and that it provides future career opportunities for inmates.

Incarcerated firefighters have gone on work with Cal Fire, the U.S. Forest Service and other hot-shot crews, according to the corrections department. Cal Fire has also partnered with the corrections department, the California Conservation Corps and the Anti-Recidivism Coalition to develop an 18-month training and certification program at the Ventura Training Center.

For more on the program, check out the full story.

The week’s biggest stories

The human cost of the fires

What institutions survived and which were lost

What to do if you home burned or was near the blaze

Politics and insurance issues related to the fires

More big stories

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Column One

Column One is The Times’ home for narrative and long-form journalism. Here’s a great piece from this week:

Times columnist Bill Plaschke stands outside his Altadena home on Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. It was one of the few homes in his neighborhood that did not burn down during wildfires.

(Mark Potts / Los Angeles Times)

I lost nothing. I lost everything. I am lucky beyond all imagination. I am haunted beyond all reason. I am spared. Nobody is spared. I am rounding the sharp turn that enters my leafy Altadena cul-de-sac, my home for the last dozen years, and I am loudly pleading. “Hail Mary, full of grace …”

More great reads

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.

For your weekend

There is no Sunday Funday this week. Here are camps and essentials related to the fires.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

Going out

Staying in

L.A. Affairs

Get wrapped up in tantalizing stories about dating, relationships and marriage.

(Maya Nguyen for the Times)

His dating go-to spots mostly lined the Venice stretch along Abbot Kinney Boulevard, especially Wabi-Sabi or the Tasting Kitchen. His heart was truly never looking for short-term hookups, but desired another chance at years of deep, magical, encompassing love after the death of his wife. Friends told him he was being unrealistic. Then, when frustration began to set in, he met Michele. Would she be the long-term soulmate he craved, or just another quick fling?

Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team

Andrew J. Campa, reporter
Carlos Lozano, news editor

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