Santa Monica declared itself in “fiscal distress” less than a year ago, but some City Hall paychecks are still on fire.
Six city employees pulled in more than $500,000 in pay last year — before benefits — while 71 workers made more than $350,000, according to newly compiled data from public-pay watchdog Transparent California.
“As we see more tax increase proposals appearing, we’re focused on giving the people the data they deserve to see how their existing tax dollars are being spent,” Todd Maddison, the nonprofit’s director of research, said in a statement last week.
Santa Monica’s top earner was Senior Fire Inspector Ryan A. Demirdjian, who collected $605,011 in total pay — including a whopping $345,503 in overtime, the database shows.
Demirdjian’s base pay was $172,721, while another $86,787 came from “other pay,” a category that can include cash-outs for unused vacation and sick leave, incentives and bonuses.
Add $67,842.91 in city-paid health insurance and pension benefits, and Demirdjian’s total taxpayer-funded compensation climbed to $672,853.91.
But he was not even the city’s costliest employee once benefits were factored in.
Battalion Chief Sean J. van Sluis topped the list with total pay and benefits of $686,408.72, including $303,027 in overtime and $84,722.72 in benefits, according to the records.
The eye-popping payouts come after the Santa Monica City Council approved a declaration of fiscal distress in September 2025, citing declining revenue, mounting liabilities and a continuing structural deficit.
The city’s 2025-26 budget projected $473.5 million in revenue against $484.3 million in expenditures — a nearly $11 million gap. City officials warned the deficit could persist for years and that revenue could fall below projections.
Eighteen city employees made more than $500,000 in salary and benefits, according to Transparent California. Twelve were firefighters and eight were police officers, with overtime accounting for a major slice of many of the biggest pay packages.
Of the 71 municipal employees who earned more than $350,000 in pay alone, 68 worked in the Fire or Police departments.
The three exceptions were former City Manager Susan Cline, former City Attorney Doug Sloan and Chief Deputy City Attorney Jenna K. Taggart.
The figures are drawn from Transparent California’s most recently available Santa Monica records. Statewide, the group says it has collected nearly 3 million public-employee compensation records documenting $278 billion in total pay and benefits, along with 1.5 million pension records totaling $64 billion in payments.
And the payroll figures land as Santa Monica voters prepare to weigh another tax proposal.
A measure on the Nov. 3 ballot would impose a $495 annual parcel tax on taxable Santa Monica properties, with the amount adjusted annually for inflation. It would replace roughly $12 million a year the City has been providing the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District under a Master Facilities Use Agreement set to expire June 30, 2027.
The money would be earmarked for educational purposes, including retaining teachers and supporting disadvantaged students. The measure cannot be used for administrator salaries, land acquisition or capital improvements, according to its ballot summary.
City officials have said they can no longer sustain the school-district payments as reserves decline and unfunded liabilities continue to weigh on the budget.
For taxpayers, the timing is hard to miss: Santa Monica says it is short on cash — even as a small group of city employees continues to collect compensation packages that soar well above half a million dollars.
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