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Top Democrat on oversight committee demands Trump administration account for wildland firefighter vacancies 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.
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he top Democrat on a House committee is demanding that Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins account for discrepancies between her public statements about wildland firefighter staffing and a ProPublica report showing there were thousands of vacancies in the Forest Service’s firefighting workforce as peak wildfire season approached. In June, the Forest Service claimed it had reached 99% of its hiring goal for its wildland firefighting workforce. But ProPublica’s reporting indicated that the agency was selectively counting firefighters, presenting an optimistic assessment to the public. As many as 27% of jobs were vacant as of July 17, according to data obtained by ProPublica. Rep. Robert Garcia, a Democrat from California and the ranking member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, made the request to Rollins in a letter sent Aug. 14. “The Trump Administration’s staffing decisions are exacerbating an already dire situation: The Forest Service’s firefighting capacity has been dangerously hampered by Department of Government Efficiency and Trump Administration layoffs, deferred resignations, and other early retirements and resignations just as climate change is
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Bond refinancing to save Riverside $21M over 15 years By Joe Taglieri joet@beaconmedianews.com
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n estimated $21 million in Sewer Fund savings over the next 15 years will help minimize future rate increases for Riverside residents while maintaining the city's sewer system at a high level, officials said Monday. A recent refinancing of $139.16 million in revenue bonds led to the savings, according to the city. Favorable market conditions and strong investor demand drove interest in the bonds. The long-term savings equates to $17.9 million in 2025 dollars, over $3 million more than projected in a staff report to the City Council. The 2025A Refunding Sewer Revenue Bonds were sold with a True Interest Cost of 3.34%, which was well below expected interest rates. Officials said that signified confidence in the city’s financial position and capability to meet its sewer demands. The savings from the bonds, rated AA- by S&P and Aa3 by Moody’s, "will reduce near-term debt service requirements, creating critical budgetary flexibility within the Sewer Fund," according to the city. See Bond refinancing Page 16
Immigration officer fires gun at Rep. Robert Garcia. | Photo courtesy of Congressman Robert Garcia / Facebook
extending the fire season,” he wrote. The Forest Service’s assertions about its readiness are contradicted not only by its own staff — a wildland firefighter in California quoted in the ProPublica report called the 99% figure “grossly inaccurate” — but by its own statistics. In July, ProPublica reported that, according to agency data, its fire and aviation management program contained more than 4,500 active vacancies, including for such crucial primary firefighting positions as hotshots, dispatchers and engine captains. At the time, a spokesperson for the Agriculture Department disputed that the Forest Service had that many vacancies within
its fire and aviation management program but did not provide data showing otherwise. A spokesperson for the Forest Service later claimed that ProPublica’s figures were inaccurate, telling the High Country News, “Their numbers likely come from outdated org charts and unfunded positions.” However, ProPublica excluded all unfunded positions from its analysis, and its data came from active agency organizational charts. When asked to support its claims that the agency’s fire service is fully staffed, a spokesperson wrote: “The Forest Service is fully prepared and operational
to protect individuals and communities from wildfires. The Forest Service has over 19,000 workers, both in and out of the Fire and Aviation Management group, who hold incident response qualifications.” According to experts, the agency has long resisted providing a comprehensive and transparent breakdown of its wildland firefighting force. “Unless Congress tells them to, they’re not going to do a report of that magnitude,” said Robert Kuhn, a former Forest Service official who between 2009 and 2011 co-authored such an assessment. Kuhn cited the cost and effort involved
See Firefighter vacancies Page 31
fleeing vehicle in San Bernardino By Joe Taglieri joet@beaconmedianews.com
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federal immigration officer fired gunshots at a vehicle fleeing a targeted immigration enforcement operation Saturday in San Bernardino, according to local and federal officials. San Bernardino police responded at approximately 8:51 a.m. to the area of Acacia Avenue and Baseline Street after receiving reports of shots fired, according to the SBPD. Upon arrival, police officers encountered federal agents who said an agent-involved shooting had occurred and that the involved suspect had fled the scene in a vehicle. A short time later, the man targeted in the immigration enforcement operation called the San Bernardino Police Department and reported that "masked men had tried to pull him over, broke his car window and shot at him," according to a statement from the department. The suspect said he did not know who the men were and asked for assistance from the police. See ICE Page 31