From Fox News,
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.
Fox News drills down,
The highest paid lifeguard OpenTheBooks found brought in $523,351 in base pay, “other pay,” and benefits in 2024.
Nice work if you can get it. I’m old enough to have seen the movie Lifeguard (1976) starring the great Sam Elliott, now known for his USAA commercials with the Gronk.
In Lifeguard, Eliott plays an aging (32-year-old) career lifeguard in southern California. In the movie’s plot, Eliott is urged by the other characters to grow up, quit lifeguarding, and get a real job that paid real money.
In 2025, the other characters would be jealous of his half-mil-a-year pay package.
At the end of the film, Eliott turns down a sales job at a local Porshe dealership to remain a lifeguard. Smart choice.
