Hurtado Leads 32 Legislators in Call to Restore Grazing Wage Parity, Protect Wildfire Prevention Efforts
Sacramento, Calif. (August 10, 2026)—Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Bakersfield) is leading a coalition of 32 legislators urging Gov. Gavin Newsom and state legislative leaders to restore wage parity between sheep and goat herders, warning that the current wage structure threatens California jobs and an increasingly important wildfire prevention tool.
The legislative letter calls on the Governor and state leaders to work with lawmakers to restore wage parity for sheep and goat herders and maintain prescribed grazing as a viable wildfire resilience strategy.
Prescribed grazing uses sheep and goats to reduce dry grasses, brush and other vegetation that can fuel wildfires. Communities, fire safe councils, park districts and other local organizations throughout California increasingly rely on grazing as a cost-effective way to reduce wildfire risk and control noxious weeds.
“Families deserve to know their communities are being protected with every effective tool available,” Senator Hurtado said. “Prescribed grazing helps reduce dangerous wildfire fuels before they threaten homes, neighborhoods and lives. Restoring wage parity will help keep this proven resource affordable and available so communities across California can continue doing the work needed to stay safe.”
In 2023, Senate Bill 143 amended state law to apply the same minimum monthly wage and labor protections to goat herders that already applied to sheep herders. However, the provision included a sunset date of July 1, 2026.
With the provision now expired, goat grazing businesses face significantly higher labor costs, including an annual wage requirement of approximately $240,000 per herder in addition to housing, food and cell service. Grazing operators have warned those costs could make goat grazing economically infeasible for many customers, including homeowners associations, local park districts and fire safe councils.
The California Department of Industrial Relations examined the issue in a report released March 30, 2026. The department found that ranchers, herders and worker advocates agreed the same alternative minimum monthly wage should apply to sheep and goat herders because the work is similar and frequently overlaps.
California has also increasingly incorporated prescribed grazing into its wildfire resilience strategy. In 2024, the state included prescribed grazing in its nature-based climate solution targets, and lawmakers unanimously approved SB 675 to incorporate the practice into California’s wildfire resilience planning. The State Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force has since identified expanding prescribed grazing as part of the state’s long-term approach to fuel management.
Without a solution, lawmakers warn California could see the loss of hundreds of jobs, the sale or slaughter of tens of thousands of sheep and goats, and fewer prescribed grazing services available to communities seeking to reduce wildfire fuels.
Coalition includes:
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Senator Melissa Hurtado is Chair of Senate Budget Subcommittee #4 on State Administration and General Government and currently represents the 16th Senate District in the California Legislature, which includes portions of Fresno, Tulare, Kings and Kern Counties.
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