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The Forest Service claims it’s fully staffed for a worsening fire season. Data shows thousands of unfilled jobs. By Abe Streep, ProPublica This story was originally published by ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.
VOL. 9, 11,
NO. 233
Moreno Valley gets more than $25M for 60 Freeway project By Staff
T
he city of Moreno Valley has received $25.3 million from the state to secure the rightof-way for the SR 60/World Logistics Center Parkway Interchange Improvement Project, officials said. The grant from the California Trade Corridor Enhancement Program is part of a larger initiative in Southern California and the Inland Empire that aims to enhance safety, relieve congestion, reduce travel time and improve trip reliability and movement of goods and people, accord-
ing to an announcement by the city earlier this month. The project also calls for enhanced bicycle and pedestrian access and safety measures to encourage "multimodal connectivity and usage." The project calls for a new interchange connecting State Route 60 and the World Logistics Center Parkway that will include these new elements: new interchange overcrossing bridge with vertical clearance exceeding current standards; two new roundabouts;
See Freeway project Page 27
Reche Fire in Riverside County. | Photo courtesy of Bill Thost, Riverside County Fire Volunteer Reserve Photographer
D
espite the Trump administration’s public pronouncements that it has hired enough wildland firefighters, documents obtained by ProPublica show a high vacancy rate, as well as internal concern among top officials as more than 1 million acres burn across 10 states. Less than a month ago, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that the Trump administration had done a historically good job preparing the nation for the summer fire season. “We are on track to meet and potentially exceed our firefighting hiring goals,” said Rollins, during an address
to Western governors. Rollins oversees the wildland firefighting workforce at the U.S. Forest Service, a subagency of the Department of Agriculture. Rollins had noted in her remarks that the administration had exempted firefighters from a federal hiring freeze, and she claimed that the administration was outdoing its predecessor: “We have reached 96% of our hiring goal, far outpacing the rate of hiring and onboarding over the past three years and in the previous administration.” Since then, the Forest Service’s assertions have gotten even more optimistic: The agency now claims it has reached 99% of its
firefighting hiring goal. But according to internal data obtained by ProPublica, Rollins’ characterization is dangerously misleading. She omitted a wave of resignations from the agency this spring and that many senior management positions remain vacant. Layoffs by the Department of Government Efficiency, voluntary deferred resignations and early retirements have severely hampered the wildland firefighting force. According to the internal national data, which has not been previously reported, more than 4,500 Forest Service firefighting jobs — See Fire season Page 07
as many as 27% — remained vacant as of July 17. A Forest Service employee who is familiar with the data said it comes from administrators who input staffing information into a computer tool used to create organization charts. The employee said that while the data could contain inaccuracies in certain forests, it broadly reflects the agency’s desired staffing levels. The employee said the data showing “active” unfilled positions was “current and up-to-date for last week.” The Department of Agriculture disputes that assessment, but the figures
Vector control district plans experimental anti-mosquito program in Elsinore By City News Service
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atches of irradiated male mosquitoes are slated for release Wednesday in Lake Elsinore with the goal of pairing the modified insects with as many females as possible to kill off the overall mosquito population, under an experimental program that apparently hasn't generated concerns among public officials. The Sterile Insect Technique Pilot Program is being managed by the Northwest Mosquito and
Vector Control District, which serves segments of western Riverside County. The district is believed to be the first countywide to inaugurate an SIT mosquito control program. Questions regarding when it was authorized, the estimated number of modified mosquitoes who will be released and any potential public health risks were not answered by the agency as of Tuesday afternoon. Lake Elsinore officials also did not respond to
See Mosquito program Page 27