Outside the Beltway: The $3 Million Lifeguards of Newport Beach

Ericka Andersen / May 12, 2011

Full-time lifeguards in Newport Beach, Calif., make over $100,000 a year, with the highest paid earners topping over $200,000. And if you think that’s bad, wait till you hear this: Those same lifeguards can retire at age 50 in good health and receive a well stocked lifetime government pension and full government benefits until death, costing the city nearly $108,000 per healthy, retired lifeguard every single year. If a lifeguard lives until he’s 80, he costs the state $3 million – a huge sum of money that could be better allocated to balancing the state budget.

California is running a $15 billion dollar deficit and the state government is planning to raise taxes on its already over-burdened residents. Before hiking taxes, perhaps other cost cutting methods should be considered, like the gold-plated salary and pension packages for beach lifeguards. (more…)