A 2022 investigation by Open the Books found that the top-paid public lifeguard in Los Angeles was paid $510,283 in 2020. This includes his base salary ($150,054), perks ($28,661), benefits ($85,508), and overtime ($246,060). The investigation also found that 20 LA lifeguards made above $300,000, and 98 made above $200,000. This does not include retirement benefits, and "after 30 years of service, LA lifeguards can retire as young as 55 on 79-percent of their pay." Per a unanimous Supreme Court decision, governments are "not guided by the profit motive and constrained by the normal operation of the market," and thus, they lack "an important discipline against agreeing to increases in labor costs that in a market system would require price increases." Hence, these increased labor costs fall on taxpayers.