POLITICAL UPDATE | Evan McLaughlin, Political Director

Recapping 2024’s Campaign Victories
and Looking Ahead to 2026

CALIFORNIA’S FIREFIGHTERS will benefit from many hard-fought campaign victories in 2024. CPF’s legislative candidate endorsements were very successful – and also very bipartisan. Of the 10 most competitive (and expensive) races between political parties in the State Senate and Assembly, CPF endorsed five Republicans and five Democrats. After all the votes were counted, CPF won in 80 percent of the most competitive contests between Republicans and Democrats and in 92 percent of all legislative races where a CPF endorsement was made.

In the 124 local elections that CPF partnered on with local affiliates, the pro-firefighter candidates or ballot measures won in 91 of them – a 73 percent success rate! All told, voters across the state approved $407 million in new ongoing revenue for local fire departments and $908 million in bonds to finance new or improved stations and equipment.

Additionally, CPF prioritized the Proposition 4 bond that voters approved statewide to finance $1.2 billion in grant programs available to local departments for fire prevention projects, $135 million for mitigation grants administered by the Office of Emergency Services, and $15 million each for the California Fire Foundation and Wildfire Conservancy to improve firefighter health and safety, personal protective equipment, and firefighter readiness. Firefighter unions worked hard to campaign for their members’ well-being and safety – and they delivered!

Looking ahead to the 2026 election cycle, CPF is focused on several challenges and opportunities.

First, the corporations that have funded ballot measures to roll back public safety funding and curtail future revenue opportunities for fire departments have postured that they’re itching to try again. Their last major effort, known as the Taxpayer Deception Act (TDA), was thrown off the 2024 ballot by the California State Supreme Court when CPF and a coalition of unions and local governments successfully took commercial property PACs and anti-tax groups to court to stop the TDA. CPF will again diligently defend against proposed ballot measures that could risk the financial security of firefighters and the departments they serve.

Second, 2026 will feature elections for statewide constitutional officers, including an open race for Governor due to Gavin Newsom leaving due to term limits. The Office of Governor is incredibly important to the work CPF does to improve the lives of California’s firefighters, including determining whether legislation is signed into law or vetoed, proposing the state budget and providing its final approval, approving state of emergency declarations, and making appointments to commissions and agencies that make rules or implement laws that govern firefighter safety, retirement security, and job responsibilities. CPF will be working to educate candidates for Governor on all the various ways their election would shape the future of firefighting over the next decade or so, and then consider whether any specific candidate is deserving of CPF’s endorsement on the merits of the positions and the viability of their campaigns.

Third, CPF will scout out opportunities to work with Locals to support strategic priority campaigns that will make a significant difference in the wages, benefits, and working conditions of firefighters throughout the state. Our Political Department, led by Deputy Political Director Joe Armenta and myself, are ready to assist CPF Locals that aim to change the elected leadership on their City Councils, Boards of Supervisors, and Fire Protection District Boards, or to pass a ballot measure that could secure their workplace rights or raise revenue to keep pace with the growing demand on the fire service. For a campaign consultation, please contact me at emclaughlin@cpf.org and the CPF Political Department will be ready to assist.