The calendar showcases Riot season in Los Angeles, where Angel City is facing substantial overtime costs amid chaos (or “The Funeral of the Moment”). As of Monday, LA City Administrator Matt Zabo reported that recent tax protests and ensuing riots have already cost taxpayers nearly $20 million, as noted by KABC.
According to CBS News, it has been reported that last month, the LA County Sheriff’s Office anticipates exceeding $500 million in overtime this fiscal year. This figure is poised to surpass last year’s record of $458 million in overtime payments, attributed mainly to lawmakers’ responses to both natural and man-made disasters, as reported by Los Angeles Times.
Richard Pippin, President of Asun and a deputy sheriff in Los Angeles, expressed his concerns to the newspaper, stating he has never witnessed anything as troubling in his 35 years on the job.
“The forced overtime has left morale at an all-time low,” he told The Times. “Operations, training, and recruitment are all suffering due to this crisis. Anyone calling 911 knows the implications of understaffing in emergencies.”
“Not Sustainable”
Recently, conditions have worsened as law enforcement has been stretched thin while managing protests fueled by discontent toward the Trump administration’s immigration policies. Szabo reported to KABC that the LAPD has incurred $17 million in unexpected expenses, with $101 million tied to overtime. Additionally, the estimated damage from protests to LA buildings and street clean-up is approaching $600,000.
“That is certainly not sustainable,” Szabo remarked to the news outlet.
“As the mayor pointed out, the city must maintain public safety as council members proclaimed, but such extraordinary expenditures burden taxpayers significantly.”
These financial pressures on taxpayers are compounded in the nation’s second-largest city, which is still recovering from devastating wildfires earlier this year. UCLA Anderson predicts that total assets and capital losses could reach as high as $164 billion.
“The city, already impacted by earlier wildfires, is grappling with violence against law enforcement, damaged equipment, arson, and more. This occurs just after years of extended lockdowns under Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass,” noted a report from government tracker Openthebooks.
The lingering effects of the pandemic-induced lockdowns continue to result in “revenue reductions and reduced staffing levels,” positioning Los Angeles uniquely as it anticipates a summer filled with challenges, as reported in a financial analysis.
More than the President
The left-leaning city has spent an astonishing $1.1 billion on government employee salaries in 2024, amidst a reported billion-dollar deficit.
Other findings from OTB include:
› The Los Angeles police logged $265.5 million in overtime last year.
› Five city officials earned over $400,000 annually, surpassing the President’s salary.
› Before 2024, there were no police officers earning over $235,000 a year from overtime, but last year, that number rose to seven.
› Employees in 4,114 California cities, including Governor Gavin Newsom, have salaries averaging $242,295.
It’s noteworthy that LA city leaders are not earning modest salaries. Based on the report, while rank-and-file employees receive significant wages, Mayor Karen Bass earned $328,394 last year. Police Chief Jim McDonnell makes about $450,000, nearly double that of police chiefs in New York and Chicago, and $100,000 more than his predecessor, as reported by OTB.
The top 10 highest-paid employees hail from the Fire Department or the Water and Power Department, bringing salaries ranging from $610,295 to $905,060, as noted in the report.
Earlier this year, Openthebooks reported that Los Angeles Department of Water and Electricity faced significant challenges while responding to a wildfire due to an empty fire hydrant.
“Costs are Set to Skyrocket.”
Similar to the Sheriff’s Office, LAPD is experiencing a decrease in law enforcement personnel. The city’s budget forecasts predict the loss of 150 officers next year, leaving only 8,620 officers—the smallest number in 30 years, according to OTB. Dana Brown, LA’s Human Resources Manager said, “It’s an antiquated system.” Civil servant regulations are causing staffing shortages.
The report indicates that latest data reveals a job vacancy rate of 17.5%. Prior to the pandemic, this figure stood at 11%. In 2020, over 2,000 employees opted for early retirement under a special payroll initiative.
This situation represents a perfect storm of financial challenges, placing taxpayers in a precarious position. Openthebooks CEO John Hall stated that as Los Angeles copes with one crisis after another, the city’s prior reactions are “threatening to hinder their current efforts.”
“The staffing shortage post-lockdown, convoluted onboarding processes, and exorbitant wages are converging to produce unprecedented overtime expenses,” Hall told the Federalists. “Costs are projected to surge as LAPD, fire departments, and essential services are stretched to their limits, before even accounting for the estimated $134 million that the federal government anticipates in deploying the National Guard and additional resources.”
Matt Kittle is a senior correspondent for Federalist elections. An award-winning investigative journalist with three decades of experience across print, broadcast, and digital media, Kittle previously served as the executive director of Empower Wisconsin.
Source: thefederalist.com