Council committee notes CAO/RAP pay comparison for park and film monitors, requests follow-up on incentives and eligibility

At a special meeting, a Los Angeles City Council committee reviewed a joint report from the Office of the City Administrative Officer (CAO) and the Department of Recreation and Parks (RAP) comparing wages, permit activity and revenues for the city's park activity monitors and FilmLA film monitors and voted to note and file the report with a request for follow-up analysis.

The report, prepared under Council File 23-1228, found the city's park activity monitors are currently paid $25.12 per hour, with a scheduled increase to $26.12 on June 29, 2025. The CAO's presentation also said FilmLA monitor staff earn, on average, about $26.83 per hour. The joint report compared the number of permits and filming activities at RAP-managed wrap properties and summarized revenue trends for 2022–2024.

Why it matters: RAP administers more than 15,700 acres of parkland and collects permit fees that fund monitoring and staffing for film shoots. Declining permit activity and film-related revenue reduce funds available for site maintenance and the cost recovery that pays monitor wages, department staff told the committee.

Key findings reported by the CAO and RAP included: RAP-managed wrap-property permits fell from 1,649 in calendar year 2022 to 1,121 in 2023, with 746 permits recorded as of Aug. 31, 2024. The report said there were…