I have written about police officers and firefighters taking home huge overtime paychecks for almost as long as I’ve been a journalist. Today, leaders in Santa Barbara, San Diego and Oakland have sounded the alarm about ballooning OT payments to cops. The San Diego officer logged an additional 3,151 hours in overtime, according to records reviewed by KPBS. San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl defended the large overtime payments to many officers as necessary to maintain an adequate number of units on duty. L.A. County deputies are learning that sometimes the best way to handle a crisis is simply to wait.

Source: Los Angeles Times February 24, 2026 17:30 UTC