Former US Forest employees who worked during SoCal’s wildfires are part of layoffs – NBC Los Angeles

Two local former U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service employees who worked to keep the public informed during last month’s disastrous wildfires are part of the thousands of federal workers who were recently laid off.

Celeste Morales, a former public affairs specialist, and Jasmin Dominguez, a former fire data analyst, say they were stunned when they received an email announcing their termination. The move comes as part of the Trump administration’s effort to reduce the federal workforce by laying off thousands of employees.

“What I found interesting about this letter is that it says that ‘The agency finds based on your performance that you have not demonstrated that your further employment in the agency would be in the public interest,’” Morales said.

Dominguez said she received the same memo.

Morales was just two months shy of completing her two-year probationary period when she was terminated. She had wrapped up coordinating media and community outreach during the Eaton, Hughes and Lidia Fires when her supervisor called her.

“I definitely felt discouraged and heartbroken,” she said. “I still feel that way.”

Dominguez, who was six months on the job, said she was at Disneyland when she received the news of her getting laid off.

“We worked on these fires endlessly until we had coverage again, and that could be 24 hours, 48 hours – however long they needed us, we were there,” she said.

Displeased former Yosemite workers displayed a U.S. flag upside-down at the national park to call attention to the mass layoffs. The Trump administration has not said exactly how many federal workers have been terminated.