Over 100 LA County lifeguards earn $500K annually, watchdog report

Over 130 Los Angeles County lifeguards make over $500,000 annually, according to a new watchdog report. 

The report by the group OpenTheBooks calculated the number by finding the county's 134 highest-paid lifeguards earned a combined $70.8 million last year, which means they averaged over $500,000 in total compensation per person. 

Beyond the base and overtime pay, the compensation also includes "other" pay, leave-time payouts, health insurance payments, pension contributions, deferred contributions, long-term disability and life insurance payouts.

Total compensation for the highest-paid lifeguard was $523,351. 

Group CEO John Hart told Just the News, "First-responders deserve to be well compensated. That's not the argument we're making."

However, he argued, "Los Angeles is a city that's "struggling on multiple fronts. They're struggling to extinguish fires and looting, and they're leading the way in lavish pay. ... And all of those, every dollar that goes to a $500,000 lifeguard is $1 not available for some other public need and benefit.”

The Palisades Fire in January of this year spread and burned for 24 days before it could be fully contained by firefighters. The wildfire destroyed 23,448 acres and killed 12 people. 

OpenTheBooks reported in 2021 that top-paid county lifeguards earned over $500,000.

Lifeguards work under the county fire department, which did not return a call to justify the half-million salaries.

Other reports have pointed out those receiving the higher salaries are full-time, in supervisor positions, serve in other high-risk roles including swift-water rescues and are represented by a strong labor union.  

Los Angeles is ranked the 25th most expensive U.S. city, with a medium household income of $82,848, compared to the national average of $79,466, according to a recent usnews.com report.