By James Bradley, Photo by Christopher Welsch Leveroni
MAY 7, 2026, COMMENTARY–Grab your coffee and let’s talk straight.
When the California Professional Firefighters, representing 38,000 firefighters and EMS personnel, endorse someone for governor, a lot of people take that as proof the candidate is truly on the side of the workers. They see that union stamp of approval and think, these are the guys on the frontlines. If they back him, he must be doing the right thing for firefighters, so he’s the one I should vote for. That perception carries real weight with the public. But here’s the pattern that tells a different story.
For well over a decade, this union’s leadership has consistently backed establishment Democrats.
They gave Gavin Newsom their unanimous endorsement in 2018. They broke with the national union
to endorse Kamala Harris in 2024. Now, they’ve endorsed Xavier Becerra.
They’ve stayed loyal even as CalPERS, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, that manages retirement benefits for firefighters, first responders, and other government employees, has racked up around 170 to 179 billion dollars in unfunded liabilities. In 2025 alone, government employers paid 23.4 billion dollars into CalPERS, much of it just to service that growing debt. That money comes straight from California taxpayers. Every extra billion sent to cover past promises is a billion not spent on current firefighter staffing, working equipment, or proper emergency response.
During Newsom’s time in office, firefighters reported dry hydrants, dozens of engines sidelined for
repairs, and critical staffing shortages. In 2025, Mayor Karen Bass signed a budget that cut the Los
Angeles Fire Department by 17.6 million dollars, just months before the devastating Pacific Palisades
and Eaton Fires burned thousands of structures and forced mass evacuations.
These were not minor problems. They were dangerous operational failures when lives and homes
were on the line. Yet despite these very public shortcomings, the union’s political loyalty never
wavered.
Here’s what’s really happening. These same Democrats campaign on fixing the problems, fixing
pensions, improving public safety, supporting first responders. However, once in power the problems
never get solved. Why? It’s because solving them would remove the very crisis they use to justify more spending, more taxes, and more power. It’s a self-perpetuating cycle. This has created what I call
institutional Stockholm syndrome, where the union stays loyal to the very politicians and system
that’s failing its own members and the public they protect. And, this is not just the firefighters. This
same model is used by most major unions in California, like the SEIU, the teachers’ unions, and many
others which have major contracts with the state. They all operate inside this same locked system.
Having run for office in California, I was told directly by multiple unions that the endorsement
process operates as a locked system. If they endorse a Republican or even the wrong Democrat, it
risks their contracts and future negotiations.
The message was clear. If you’re not the chosen Democrat, don’t even apply. This is more than local politics. Gavin Newsom is widely expected to run for president. California has become a testing ground for a political model that powerful interests want to export nationwide.
The next Governor of California will have enormous power to either keep feeding this broken system
or start dismantling it. That’s why this race is so critical. Do we really want to continue this same
path, where politicians create problems, promise solutions, and then never fix them because the
crisis itself is too politically useful? Or is it finally time to see through the perception, get the real
evidence, and make a wise, informed choice to break the cycle?
California taxpayers deserve better. Our firefighters deserve better. And the rest of the country is
watching what we decide.
Today’s coffee is strong. Drink up.