Calif. governor vetoes expansion of firefighter benefits

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday vetoed A.B. 872, which would have allowed rank-and-file and supervisory firefighters with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to receive salary continuation benefits in lieu of temporary disability.

Commonly referred to as “4850 time,” the change would have resulted in these employees “receiving higher take-home pay than they would have if not injured by raising disability payments from full net to full gross salary,” according to a statement from the governor’s office.

Mr. Newsom said changes to disability benefits for state firefighters should be addressed through the collective bargaining process.

However, the governor on Thursday signed A.B. 1511, which includes provisions addressing workers compensation policy cancellation notice requirements. The new law amends the insurance code to extend deadlines for policy cancellation notices sent through the mail, extending deadlines by five calendar days if the notice is mailed to an address in the state, 10 days if mailed anywhere else in the country and 20 days if mailed outside the U.S.