Baywatch Pay Watch: Half-million-dollar checks, six-figure overtime for LA lifeguards

They may not be rich enough to hassle the Hoff yet, but they’re getting there. OpenTheBooks
OpenTheBooks.com reported on outrageous overtime spending on the LA police, fire and particularly overpaid employees in the city’s Department Water & Power amid out-of-control wildfires in January, and the anti-immigration riots in June.
Lifeguards, too, enjoy big overtime payouts and generous benefits. 

• The top-paid lifeguard in LA county was compensated more than $500,000 in 2024; and over the past 5 years, a single lifeguard was able to pull down $702,000 – in overtime alone!

BY THE NUMBERS
We reported that in 2021, the top-paid lifeguards earned up to $510,283 — back then, we found 98 lifeguards earned at least $200,000 including benefits.
Now, out of over 1,500 lifeguards, 

• 134 of them earned at least $200,000 including benefits. 
• Thirty-four of them had $300,000 or more in their compensation package...