William Melhado
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William Melhado
@wfam.bsky.social
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State Worker reporter for The Sacramento Bee. He/him/🏳️‍🌈

📷 by Eli Hartman
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wfam.bsky.social
A scene from an alternative timeline...or 8 years ago.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with United Farm Workers president Arturo Rodriguez, speaks out against President Trump’s proposals to deport millions of illegal immigrants during a rally on Jan. 27, 2017 in Fresno, Calif.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with United Farm Workers president Arturo Rodriguez, speaks out against President Trump’s proposals to deport millions of illegal immigrants during a rally on Jan. 27, 2017 in Fresno, Calif.
April 4, 2025 at 7:16 PM
wfam.bsky.social
Asm. Josh Hoover, R-Folsom, who requested a state audit of Newsom's return-to-office mandate last year, said the governor should wait to impose the directive until the State Auditor finishes his report.

www.sacbee.com/news/politic...
Assemblyman Josh Hoover (R-Folsom) issued the following statement on Governor Newsom’s executive order requiring all state workers to return to the office four days a week. “One year ago this month the Joint Legislative Audit Committee unanimously approved an audit of Governor Newsom’s return to office mandate. Rather than waiting for the State Auditor to do his work, the Governor has now decided to expand the mandate with a one-size-fits-all approach that harms state workers and makes California less competitive with the private sector. “His decision limits flexibility for state agencies to implement policies based on department needs and places an ongoing burden on taxpayers who are currently paying $600 million per year to maintain state office buildings. “The state should take a more balanced approach that requires in-person work when appropriate and embraces telework where it makes sense. At the very least, the Governor’s current proposal should be put on hold until after the Auditor releases his report on the costs and benefits of telework.” Last year Assemblyman Hoover requested an audit when Governor Newsom required state workers to “return to office” two days a week questioning the rationale, timing, legality, and costs associated with the decision to rescind telework privileges for state employees.
March 4, 2025 at 2:09 AM
wfam.bsky.social
NEW: Sen. Padilla and 14 other US senators wrote a letter to Trump urging him to reverse the hiring and onboarding freeze of federal seasonal firefighters.

We wrote about this last month when Trump's hiring freeze came down in Jan:

www.sacbee.com/news/politic...
Dear Secretary Burgum, Acting Secretary Washington, and Acting Director Ezell: We write today following reports that hiring and onboarding for federal seasonal firefighters has stopped due to the Trump Administration’s federal hiring freeze. We are extremely concerned to hear that this is happening across the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and National Park Service ahead of what’s expected to be another devastating wildfire year. The Administration must not sacrifice the safety of the American people for the benefit of implementing a political agenda. We urge you to immediately reverse course, begin hiring and onboarding seasonal firefighters again, and continue supporting and growing the federal firefighting workforce. President Trump’s January 20th memorandum ordered a hiring freeze for all federal civilian employees. It also explicitly exempted public safety personnel from this freeze and allowed the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to grant further exemptions. We are appalled that federal seasonal firefighters are not already exempted, given the critical role they play in public safety throughout our communities. Federal seasonal firefighters are brave public servants who risk their lives to protect those around them. They work long hours in dangerous environments to not only fight fires on private, public, and Tribal lands, but also carry out hazardous fuels management, which is crucial to preventing and mitigating the effects of future fires. Wildfires are increasing in frequency and destructiveness in the U.S., necessitating even greater seasonal firefighter hiring. In 2024, over 64,800 wildfires occurred across the country, which is up from approximately 56,500 in 2023. Additionally, fires burned nearly 9 million acres in 2024, compared to only 3 million in 2023. Such fires also no longer stick to a particular season, meaning that we must be prepared 365 days per year to fight fires, putting even more stress a… Although there is an urgent need to hire more federal firefighters, the Trump Administration’s hiring freeze does the opposite and is pausing hiring at a critical time for this already understaffed workforce. On top of this, firefighter retention continues to be a problem, with reports indicating that the attrition rate of firefighters at the Forest Service has been 45 percent over the past four years. We therefore need to focus on recruitment and retention of this critically important workforce, rather than place more uncertainty within it through an arbitrary freeze. The federal seasonal firefighter hiring process is already time consuming, and we don’t need to delay it further with more bureaucratic red tape. The bottom line is this: pausing the hiring and onboarding of federal seasonal firefighters – while historic wildfires destroy communities and upend livelihoods across the West – is simply irresponsible and dangerous. We will be woefully unprepared to fight the fires to come and instead will continue to see record levels of damage, ultimately costing communities and taxpayers even more at a time when the cost of living is already too high. We urge you to put the safety of families and communities across the country first and allow the federal seasonal firefighter hiring process to continue without delay. Every moment that we wait puts lives and livelihoods at greater risk.
February 11, 2025 at 9:25 PM
wfam.bsky.social
Earlier this month, Neil Flood replaced Glen Stailey as president of the California Correctional Peace Officers Association. Stailey was with CDCR for 29 years.

Flood previously served as CCPOA's exec vice president and has worked as a corrections officer for 18 years.
Photo of Neil Flood Press release announcing Neil Flood as CCPOA's new president
January 22, 2025 at 4:27 PM
wfam.bsky.social
Texas has spent a HUGE amount of money building a border wall touted by Gov. Greg Abbott.

$3.1 billion later, Texas has built 50 fragmented miles that people can just walk around.

Such a good story, so many amazing graphics by ppl at The Texas Tribune.

apps.texastribune.org/features/202...
Texas has built 50 miles of fragmented wall Along the Texas-Mexico border, the state has built 50 miles of wall and acquired land to build an additional 15 miles. Some of the border is naturally uncrossable or already covered with spans of federal wall. The Tribune identified the wall construction sites. The state wall to date is mostly in remote areas, spread out across hundreds of miles with many gaps making it easy to walk around.
December 19, 2024 at 8:24 PM
wfam.bsky.social
Went to Land Park's iconic Fairytale Town to cover the holiday event and the Santa who was working the event said he was working two 5-hr shifts today, no breaks. That's long time to be in character.
December 8, 2024 at 12:54 AM