With 376 Staff Members Making More than $200k, Santa Monica Cannot Find Money for More Police Officers

John Alle

Drug dealers and users use Reed Park as their business office - no consequences. In fact, they receive free drug paraphernalia from the county

July 10, 2024 - Well over three hundred employees of the City of Santa Monica had salaries of $200,000 and over in 2022, according to data obtained from a public records request by John Alle and the Santa Monica Coalition. The breakdown obtained by the organization of residents, property, and business owners concerned with public safety is as follows:

24 city employees made between $450K-$600K

40 made between $400K-$450K

56 made between $300K-$400K

256 made between $200K-$300K

This adds up to 376 employees, a quarter of all city employees, making over $200k per year. 120 of these employees made over $300k per year. 64 of them made more than $400k per year. The total budget for these 376 high earners is over $150 million, which was 22% of the entire city budget.

https://www.governmentjobs.com/

2023 Salary range for an SMPD officer

If 4 positions were cut from the lowest of the top earners (over $450K) you would have enough money to hire 16 new cops. They could get rid of one top earner and potentially replace with up to 6 cops on the street.

Santa Monica has been in the news several times in the past month - and year - due to high-profile crimes committed here by deranged homeless individuals and career criminals who, for one "justice-reform" reason or another, were on the street:

Jawann Dwyane Garnett was attacking women long before he was finally arrested, reports on NextDoor reveal. Nobody thought it was worth locking him up.

June 24, 2024 - Jawann Dwyane Garnett, 31, attempted to rape a teenage girl and to drown two others on the beach in Santa Monica in the middle of a Monday morning.

May 24, 2024 - A homeless man, Larry Ameyal Cedeno, who was on probation for theft, stabbed 3 tourists in the 1500 Block of 4th Street, in front of Parking Structure 7.

March 10, 2024 - A homeless man brutally shoved down a 6-year-old girl as she was walking near Main Street in Santa Monica. Ahsante Lamar Morgan was later arrested for the assault.

Recently, the city council rejected the idea of sequestering 4% of the city's non-personnel budget in order to fund a few more police officers on the street. In fact, all proposals to fund more police were rejected and a study ordered by the council regarding if the city needs more public safety.