Lifeguards in Southern California were drowning in cash last year.
Los Angeles County’s highest-paid lifeguard raked in $510,283 in 2021, according to a nonprofit watchdog website called Open The Books.
About half of the lifeguard captain’s huge paycheck came from putting in overtime at the Pacific Ocean, the site said, citing government records.
Another high-ranking lifeguard shored up a $463,517 salary in 2021. His huge haul of clams consisted of no overtime, $142,000 in benefits and more than $78,000 in other pay, the site said.
More than 90 other lifeguards earned more than $200,000 and 20 of them took home over $300,000 according to the report, entitled “Baywatch on pay watch.”
Of the top 20 earners, only two of them were women, the site said.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department bills its team as “one of the top ocean lifeguarding agencies in the world.”
Lifeguards work all year round and can retire at the age of 55 with 79% of their pay, according to KTTV-TV.
