Highest Paid City, County Employees In LA: Biggest Earners Bring In Over $1M

LOS ANGELES, CA — Who gets paid the most to work in Los Angeles? According to a report released Wednesday by the California Controller's Office, the highest-paid employees work in public health, safety and infrastructure.

The agency published its 2024 "Government Compensation in California" analysis, which shows how taxpayer funds were spent in the previous year and who received what for being on the public payroll.

"This report is a vital tool in promoting fiscal transparency and accountability in local government," Controller Malia Cohen said. "Californians deserve to know how public funds are being spent and who is being paid with their tax dollars."

The city of Los Angeles' highest paid employee was a fire battalion chief for the Los Angeles Fire Department who earned a total of $905,060, which included $650,510 in listed overtime pay.

The other 10 highest paid city employees all worked for the Harbor or Department of Water and Power.

Even the highest-earning election officials' salaries are dwarfed by the best-paid career employees: The highest paid elected official in LA was Mayor Karen Bass, who earned $328,395 last year.

The individual who received the most significant income in Los Angeles County government was an unnamed anesthesiologist at the Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center. The person earned a total of $1,212,020, nearly $1 million of which was listed as regular pay.

Similarly, county elected officials' pay maxed out at a lower ceiling. The district attorney — presumably former DA George Gascón, who served for most of last year — earned $482,445. Sheriff Robert Luna was the second-highest paid official, earning $447,705.

Amounts documented by the controller's office include base pay, overtime and lump sum disbursals, which are often tied to banked vacation and sick leave time that wasn't used, sometimes for years, but then cashed out.

The data is available at www.publicpay.ca.gov, where you can break down the report by city and county.

City News Service contributed to this report.