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Year: 2025

Lifeguards in this Democrat-controlled city are raking in 6-figure incomes on taxpayers’ dime

Lifeguards in this Democrat-controlled city are raking in 6-figure incomes on taxpayers’ dime

It’s not just the waves making a splash in Los Angeles this Fourth of July – lifeguards’ sky-high paychecks are turning heads, too. According to a new report by fiscal watchdog group OpenTheBooks, at least one L.A. County lifeguard raked in more than half a million dollars last year. Meanwhile, 34 lifeguards brought in $300,000 or more during 2024, while 134 brought in at least $200,000 in base pay, overtime and other benefits. Taxpayers in Los Angeles County are used to getting soaked, but it might be “unsettling” for some to hear how much lifeguards are being paid while the city still faces a shortage of firefighters and police, and struggles to extinguish wildfires or return violent crime to pre-pandemic levels, said OpenTheBooks CEO John Hart.   LOS ANGELES TAXPAYERS TO FOOT MILLIONS FOR ‘PEACEFUL’ ANTI-ICE PROTESTS “Lifeguards who risk their lives protecting the public deserve to be well compensated, but paying them more than $500,000 may be unsettling to taxpayers who are drowning in debt,” Hart told Fox News Digital. “Once again, Los Angeles — a city that is struggling to extinguish fires and looting — is leading the way in lavish pay that needs to be addressed.”  L.A. County’s 134 highest-paid lifeguards earned a combined $70.8 million last year, according to OpenTheBooks — averaging over $500,000 in total compensation per person. In addition to base and overtime pay, the dollar amount also includes “other” pay, leave time payouts, health insurance payments, pension contributions, deferred contributions, long-term disability and life insurance payouts. The highest paid lifeguard OpenTheBooks found brought in $523,351 in base pay, “other pay,” and benefits in 2024. TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ WINS SUPPORT FROM POLICE FOR OVERTIME TAX ELIMINATION L.A. County’s lifeguard division is recognized as one of the largest professional lifeguard services in the country. According to OpenTheBooks, in addition to higher-paid lifeguards, whose duties can range from watching swimmers to major maritime rescues and emergency response, there are a slew of lower-paid lifeguards that bring the total number of them in the Los Angeles-area to around 1,500. OpenTheBooks, which tracks wasteful spending across the government, reported in 2021 that the top-paid lifeguards in Los Angeles County earned up to $510,283 – nearly half of which was overtime pay. That year, 98 lifeguards in L.A. County made at least $200,000. In 2024, overtime pay played a major role in boosting lifeguard earnings in Los Angeles. Beyond Los Angeles, excessive overtime pay has sparked debate in other cities — particularly those grappling with major budget shortfalls. In Seattle, police officers have had to be disciplined for repeatedly violating the city’s overtime policy. Per The Seattle Times, a patrol officer made more than the mayor, the police chief or any other city employee in 2019 after raking in more than $414,000.    Overtime abuse has been an issue in other major cities like New York and Chicago, as well. In Chicago, where the city faces a growing budget shortfall, records obtained by a local news outlet found that during the first six months of 2024, the city had already spent 30% more than was allocated for police overtime pay. In New York, a former department chief for the NYPD is currently under investigation for alleged overtime abuse and other crimes.   Republicans’ “big beautiful bill” is purported to help overtime workers bring home even more, with its “no tax on tips” provision. Initially, the House’s version of the bill had no limit on how much overtime pay could be exempt, but the Senate’s version of the bill capped it at $12,500.     Fox News Digital reached out to the Los Angeles County public information office for comment but did not hear back by press time. 

Hochul aide accused of sexual harassment was focus of prior behavior probe: report

Hochul aide accused of sexual harassment was focus of prior behavior probe: report

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s top aide who was recently placed on leave over a sexual harassment allegation, reportedly had previous complaints filed against him which led to an investigation. Avi Small, Hochul’s press secretary, was reportedly the subject of complaints for allegedly berating junior staff members, according to Politico. The outlet cited five people with direct knowledge of the probe who were granted anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the matter. According to Politico, the governor’s human resources department and an outside law firm conducted the investigation. HOCHUL FAILS TO CRACK 50% BUT TOPS POTENTIAL GOP CHALLENGES BY DOUBLE DIGITS IN NY GOVERNOR RACE: POLL The people familiar with the matter who spoke with Politico said Small had a history of yelling at younger staff, making several employees afraid to work with him. Politico reported that four out of the five who spoke with the outlet said they witnessed Small chastising staffers over errors in press releases or if the governor’s speaking engagements did not go as planned. The investigation into Small’s treatment of junior staff did not result in a human resources violation, Politico reported, citing another person familiar with the outcome. That source reportedly told Politico that Hochul had inadvertently created a system in which allegations quickly led to serious probes that could tarnish a subject’s reputation. Law firm Calcagni & Kanefsky reportedly conducted interviews with Hochul’s staff regarding Small’s conduct. According to Politico, which cited sources, staffers were worried when they learned an expansion of deputy secretaries’ responsibilities would mean Small would work more closely with underlings. FORMER TOP HOCHUL AIDE’S UNEARTHED FAMILY CONNECTIONS TO CCP RAISES ALARM BELLS Politico reported that several staffers met with human resources after the conclusion of the 2024 investigation to ask about the lack of information on the probe’s outcome. The staffers were reportedly encouraged not to discuss the allegations against Small. Additionally, multiple sources reportedly told Politico that there was information given to human resources about Small cornering a subordinate in a supply closet and questioning them. Small was recently placed on leave over an allegation that he inappropriately touched a staffer during an office retreat in Albany on June 16, according to reports. Multiple outlets said that the governor’s office claimed action was taken against Small shortly after the complaint was filed. When Hochul took over for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo after he was ousted amid sexual harassment allegations in 2021, she vowed that “no one will ever describe my administration as a ‘toxic work environment.’” Cuomo has denied any wrongdoing. In October 2021, according to a press release from Calcagni & Kanefsky, Hochul announced new initiatives aimed at tackling workplace bullying and discrimination. Hochul’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment, which was submitted on July 4. Fox News Digital was also unable to get in contact with Small.