California Insanity
High pay and benefits for lifeguards in Newport Beach is the latest example of frustrating levels of compensation for public employees. More than half the city’s full-time lifeguards are paid a salary of over $100,000 and all but one of them collect more than $100,000 in total compensation including benefits.
When thinking about career options with high salaries, lifeguarding is probably not one of the first jobs to come to mind. But it apparently should. In one of Orange County’s most desirable beach destinations, Newport Beach, lifeguards are compensated all too well; especially compared with the county annual median household income of $71,735.
It might be time for a career change.
- Lifeguards are able to retire with 90 percent of their salary, after only 30 years of work at as early as the age of 50.
Labels: we got nothing
posted by SCC at 12:01 AM
31 Comments:
I don't know what they are making now, but back in the day CPD lifeguards made great coin. My first year of guarding I was making $3 an hour.....but min wage was like half of that. Ill bet the monthly CPD full time lifeguards are making 60K a year. A number of fireman double dipped as year round lifeguards and are probably getting double pensions. I knew a few coppers that moonlighted as guards also. I wonder if their pay stubs were ever crosschecked. We had guards on the payroll at my beach that no one ever saw, we had some that couldn't swim. Lots scams went on there.
want more insanity? only 1 out of 4 people in los angles county pay personal income tax. 4 million paying for 12 million.
Dude, c'mon! Two words: Pamela Anderson!
Easily worth it.
Reading this relieves me of any residual guilt for not getting out of the Lazy River to piss while visiting the water park at Disney Land.
F that the cost of living in ca is outrageous. This country is on the skids because out of control greed and mismanagement of funds by politicians. Every state is cutting back on raises for their employees yet elected officials are getting raises well above the national avarage. How about a law that gives ppoliticians no more than 3% per year no matter what. 3% was the average for everyone from corporate to blue collar to govt employees a couple years back. Now everyone else gets no raise to 2%. Must be nice to vote on your own salary.
This is the problem.
News stories like this get out and the public sees some lifeguard in Orange Cty Calif. getting that kind of salary. The public does not see that a lifeguard here in Chicago/Illinois makes no where near that but all that public sees is that 100k plus 90% at retirement.
The public keeps seeing these outrageous salaries of "some" public employees and then lumps us all together.
This is where is outrage comes from.
Let's get on the wagon folks and let the public know exactly how much a CPD officer gets after 29 + a day!
You mean as a 25 year plus CPD officer I make less than a LA lifeguard? And my pension will be less too? Life ain't fair. And somehow I don't look like an LA lifeguard. At least, not with my shirt off. Got to hit the gym and tanning parlor.
Read the between the lines shot at public employees. They say that they car retire after ONLY thirty years of service.
Now I'll agree that 90% is quite generous, but these guys put their lives on the line too. Pulling people out of water with a possibility of flesh eating fish out there is working for your money.
I was a Chicago Park District Lifeguard for 5 seasons during my summers off from school. I worked the lakefront and pools. Very good memories.
What about the patrolman head of the mayors detail? Is there a reason he should get commanders pay? How many other spots like this are out there?
It must be systemic in California.
The Wall Street Journal also writes that working for the CA Dept of Corrections is worth more than having a degree from Harvard.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704132204576285471510530398.html
want more insanity? only 1 out of 4 people in los angles county pay personal income tax. 4 million paying for 12 million.
5/16/2011 12:31:00 AM
That would either be 3 million or 1 out of 3 people, but don't let your facts get in the way of a good devisive story. Now go back to school and mind your ass.
Don't Hassle the Hoff!!!!
Check into what our "life guards" aka Chicago park district employee's retire with - u might be surprised
I think lifeguarding here and doing it California are different. So many tourists and party goers. I dont think that is a bad idea to pay them top dollar.
"We had guards on the payroll at my beach that no one ever saw, we had some that couldn't swim. Lots scams went on there."
Uhhhh...it's Chicago, remember? :)
Maybe nobody has noticed, but $100,000 a year is chump change these days. Your also talking about folks that have probably on the job (full time) for 10, 15, 20, 30 years! A job also that is integral for everyone that enjoys the beaches and ocean, many of them are EMT's or Paramedics are specially trained for open water rescue and risk their lives on a daily basis. That areas cost of living is very high and I do not see what is wrong with their salaries. There are not many people out there that have the training, know-how and physical ability to perform resuces in the open water. If we didn't have them, everyone would bitch and moan. Nobody is talking about how many rescues they do on a daily basis (how many sons, daughters, husbands, wifes, fathers, mothers, etc... ) would have drowned without lifeguards on the beaches!
You can not compare lifeguarding here in the lake to lifeguarding in the pacific ocean. Out there its not a part time job for high school kids its full time for grown adults. So shut up about it and dont be hating.
They deserve it with all the shit in cali!! How much is a CPD coppers pension after all the years of no holidays,fighting the scum that cause problems,helping the sick,getting the predators off the street!
Ah, remember that lifeguard there is a full time career, not a part time job. Give them a lttle break. The 90% thing is a little ridiculous though.
Being a life guard out in California is a little different then here in Shitcago. It's a year round gig and there are 1000's of people on the beaches everyday in the land of make believe. I will agree the compensation they get is a little overboard but the cost of living is nuts in Cali. You have more people on beaches in Califirnia then is a majority of towns across the country.
Man am I in the wrong business. I was a lifeguard back from 78 -81 and did it for next to nothing. If I knew I could of went out west I would be close if not at 30yrs of service & I am 50. So I would of been able to hang out on the beach & chase the women for 30 years and made damn good money doing it. Damn That top paying guy would get $190k being retired. Now that is good money to live off of.
Anonymous said...
F that the cost of living in ca is outrageous. This country is on the skids because out of control greed and mismanagement of funds by politicians. Every state is cutting back on raises for their employees yet elected officials are getting raises well above the national avarage. How about a law that gives ppoliticians no more than 3% per year no matter what. 3% was the average for everyone from corporate to blue collar to govt employees a couple years back. Now everyone else gets no raise to 2%. Must be nice to vote on your own salary.
5/16/2011 01:38:00 AM
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Here is a better idea. The politicians don't get a raise until AFTER all other public employees get thier contracts signed. And they get 1/2% less then the lowest employee raise. Tradesman gets 4%, teacher 5% , but CPD & CFD get 1%. Then elected officials get 1/2%. Also there don't get them retroactive either.
OMG!!! too f**king funny Westside!!! (hope your only joking - eewwww!!!!)
Why the fuck shouldn't a lifeguard make that much?
It's a tough job, protecting people from their stupidty in the Pacific Ocean.
As I understand it, there's a lot of stupid people on the beaches out in L.A. that need protecting. Those Guards record a lot of saves. If they weren't on the job, you'd see a shitload of people sinking beneath the water.
This is almost as good as our Illinois politicians make having two or three pensions to feed off of. Look at ex Mayor Daley. Over $200,000 a year for just being born into that Royal family. And now we have weasels Madigan and Cullerton down in Springfield trying to deflect all the blame for the pension mess on public employees. WE paid our fair share into the pension fund. Corrupt dishonest politicians spent the governments share on pork barrel projects so they could enrich their friends and get reelected.
Insanity. No wonder California is so broke.
I don't know what you guys in Chicago get after retirement, but in NY it's not anywhere close to 90%.
What's more, I'm sure the cost of living in California is high, but I guarantee it's nowhere close to the cost of living in NYC.
Those lifeguards must be saving all the stupid people, which goes a ways towards explaning California.
Pull them all, swim at your own risk. If you drown, AMF.
"The Wall Street Journal also writes that working for the CA Dept of Corrections is worth more than having a degree from Harvard."
It IS worth more than a Harvard degree; How many Ivy Leaguers put their lives on the line locked inside with those animals every day they go to work?
They are called lifeguards, but really are more EMT Open water rescue persons, and they also deal with alot of shit. I have no problem with this, you shouldn't either.
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