Key Takeaways:
– Despite facing budget cuts that might impact emergency responses, Los Angeles Fire Department employees continue to earn hefty salaries.
– High-ranking municipal employees, including firefighters, make substantial gains through overtime.
– Eight out of the top 10 earners in Los Angeles work at the city’s Department of Water and Power, where an alleged increase in salaries is occurring.
– OpenTheBooks.com auditors report ten Los Angeles employees each earned beyond $600,000 in 2023, with the highest salary being $857,458.
LA Firefighters Earning Bigger Cheques amid Budget Cuts
Los Angeles has recently been grappling with raging wildfires. Yet, amid these crises, the city firefighters and other civil servants continue to bag hefty salaries, primarily due to significant overtime earnings. This payout trend persists even as the Fire Department’s budget cuts threaten to affect their emergency response protocols.
Who are the Top Earners?
Fire Captain Jason Getchius stands out as the top earner in the fire department and is also the second highest-paid city employee. Coming in first is a Department of Water and Power (DWP) employee, Mark Chambers, who pocketed an astounding $857,458 in 2023. Captain Getchius wasn’t too far behind, with an income of $801,389 in the same year. His overtime earnings alone were a massive $613,931. Interestingly, this is his second year running with overtime pay surpassing the $500,000 mark.
Battalion Chief Nicholas Ferrari, earning a total of $691,340, was the next in line. His base pay is $222,405, with overtime making up a significant $456,260 and an additional $12,674 for other entitlements.
Not too far behind is Firefighter and Paramedic Charles Boswell, being the third highest OT earner in the fire department. His base pay was $167,431, with overtime accounting for $381,489 and an additional $2,016 in other pay, totaling $550,966.
The Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Bureau’s Trendsetter
Fire Chief Kristin Crowley, known for implementing the LAFD’s inaugural Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Bureau using departmental resources, earned a commendable $439,772 in 2023.
Where do the Taxpayer’s Money Go?
It isn’t just the firefighters making a lot from overtime; the DWP employees aren’t lagging behind either. Eight of the top 10 highest-paid Los Angeles employees work at the DWP, and an apparent upward salary trend is being noticed. The new CEO, Janisse Quinones, was hired last May with a whopping $750,000 salary. Comparatively, her predecessor’s salary was almost half, at $435,000.
Shocking Disparity in Earnings
In a startling comparison, the marathon-worker firefighters’ earnings completely eclipse California Governor Gavin Newsom’s $221,743 pay. Records reveal that 143 Los Angeles city workers out-earned the Governor in overtime alone in 2023!
Budget Cuts and Salary Raises: A Paradox?
Despite the city’s Fire Department’s budget being axed by $17.5 million last summer by Mayor Karen Bass, pay hikes were implemented for employees. Interestingly, Mayor Bass’s own earnings of $300,154 make her the second most handsomely paid mayor in the U.S., with San Francisco’s mayor coming first.
On the other hand, to tackle the recent wildfires, the city has been enlisting the help of prison inmates. These inmates work a 24-hour shift and are compensated a meagre $26.90.
Newsworthiness of Salaries in Public Services
While all this stokes a dialogue about employee remuneration in public services, the question on everyone’s minds is: Can we sacrifice the emergency response preparedness for high earnings of public servants? This revelation underscores the dire need for the formulation and implementation of fair, justified, and transparent pay scales within public service departments. Skimming through OpenTheBooks.com’s report highlighting this gross pay gap is certainly a wake-up call for policymakers to introduce some much-needed reforms.