L.A. County Supervisors oppose state proposal to bar youth with childhood asthma from firefighting program

(Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to oppose a proposed state policy that would ban youth with a history of childhood asthma from participating in Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp, California’s only fire training program for incarcerated young people.

The proposed policy, set to take effect July 1, would prohibit all youth with any history of childhood asthma from joining Pine Grove—despite the current policy already excluding those with active asthma. The change is being advanced by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).

Supervisor Janice Hahn, who authored the motion opposing the ban, warned that the blanket restriction would unfairly impact young people from communities like Los Angeles County, where childhood asthma rates are significantly higher due to long-standing environmental injustice.

“Black children in Los Angeles County are almost twice as likely to have asthma compared to their peers,” Hahn said during Tuesday’s board meeting. “This change will unfairly shut out too many young men from our communities who are eager to serve, rehabilitate, and build a future for themselves—especially those who grew up in low-income, marginalized neighborhoods.”

Located in Amador County, Pine Grove trains incarcerated men between the ages of 18 and 25 in wildland firefighting through CAL FIRE. Participants are deployed as part of real fire crews, including recent deployments to Los Angeles County during the Eaton and Palisades fires.

The program is widely praised for offering structure, discipline, and job training that can lead to careers in firefighting after release.

“Pine Grove is one of the most meaningful and effective rehabilitative programs we have in California,” said Hahn. “It gives these young men a real shot at turning their lives around.”

Hahn also pointed out that the proposed ban goes beyond even the hiring standards of the L.A. County Fire Department, which does not disqualify candidates solely based on a history of asthma.

The motion directs the county’s Chief Executive Office Legislative Affairs division to send a letter—signed by all five supervisors—to CDCR, urging the department to abandon the policy change and continue allowing youth with non-active asthma to be medically evaluated for Pine Grove participation.

The issue takes on added urgency as the county moves to reduce the population at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall. The Probation Department is actively identifying youth who could be transferred to rehabilitative programs like Pine Grove. A restrictive health policy, officials say, could undermine those efforts.

“When I speak to the youth at Los Padrinos, many tell me they want to go to Pine Grove and become firefighters,” Hahn said. “We owe it to them to protect that opportunity.”