L.A. City Paid out $378 Mil in Overtime Last Year

City employees were collectively paid $377.59 million in overtime in 2013, a $70 million increase from the previous year, the city controller said today.

Controller Ron Galperin updated his ControlPanelLA website with breakdowns that show overtime pay, bonuses, healthcare and other extra compensation paid to or on behalf the city's 57,379 employees.

Firefighters collected the most overtime, about 38 percent of the total, or $141.92 million, in 2013. That averages out to $42,865 for every sworn employee.

Department of Water and Power collected the second-most overtime, totaling $129.02 million. That averages $12,544 for every DWP employee.

The airport, police and transportation department employees were the other top groups in terms of overtime pay.

City wages, including overtime, were $4.5 billion in 2013.

Galperin said city officials should look into how "hiring freezes" have affected overtime pay.

"The city is a 24-hour operation, so overtime is a part of doing business, but better fiscal management means taking a look at our policies, our deployments and our hiring practices to identify cost-saving opportunities and ensure that Angelenos are getting the best value for their tax dollars," he said.

Following an end to the hiring freeze, City Council directed city staffers to speed up the hiring of firefighters earlier this month.

The latest information from the ControlPanelLA database includes financial data about Los Angeles Police Department top vendors, which include the Los Angeles Regional Crime Lab, Los Angeles County and GlobalOptions Inc., which manages risk and liability claims for police.

--City News Service