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Marine safety warns of recruitment strain as part‑time lifeguard pay lags regional rates; study under way
Summary
Chief Bailey and staff said part‑time marine safety wages are the lowest in the county, hurting recruitment; staff reported a completed part‑time wage study and asked to return with analysis.
Marine Safety Chief Bailey told the council that Seal Beach is having difficulty recruiting and retaining part‑time lifeguards because entry wages for part‑time lifeguards are low compared with neighboring cities.
The nut graf: Chief Bailey said Seal Beach’s starting part‑time lifeguard pay has not kept pace with regional competitors, and staff completed a part‑time pay study (and a separate full‑time study) that the city will review and present after internal alignment.
Chief Bailey said the department employs roughly 80 people overall (four full time and about 76 part time), with roughly 50 beach lifeguards and 25 pool lifeguards. Bailey told council the city’s starting beach lifeguard step equates to $19.08 per hour while neighboring cities start substantially higher (staff cited Long Beach around $26 an hour and Huntington Beach around $22). He said pool lifeguard steps currently align to state minimum‑wage thresholds and that the department had not given general part‑time wage increases in several years.
Staff said the budget request increases training allocations, funds replacement of a side‑by‑side junior‑lifeguard vehicle and schedules a rescue-boat bottom job and that the part‑time study has been completed by a consultant and is under internal review. The study is expected to be presented after the budget process; staff offered to attempt to bring a summary to the May 8 workshop.
Chief Bailey also highlighted programming that supports public safety and drowning prevention, including free third‑grade water‑safety lessons, expanded swim lessons, junior lifeguards (330 accepted this year), an AED program and regional lifeguard training collaborations. He requested council consideration of part‑time wage adjustments as a recruitment and retention strategy and noted the department’s reliance on part‑time staff as the face of beach operations.
