City Council

(6) 23-1215 PERSONNEL, AUDITS, AND HIRING COMMITTEE REPORT relative to approval of salary setting and salary adjustment for Helicopter Pilot (Class Code 3560) and Chief Helicopter Pilot (Class Code 3562) assigned to Human External Cargo (HEC) crews. Recommendation for Council action: APPROVE the salary setting and salary adjustment for Helicopter Pilot (Class Code 3560) and Chief Helicopter Pilot  (Class Code 3562) assigned to HEC crews, as detailed in the October 26, 2023 Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) report, attached to the Council File. Fiscal Impact Statement: The LADWP reports that there is no fiscal impact to the City's General Fund.  There are currently five Helicopter Pilots and two Chief Helicopter Pilots within the LADWP. The annual financial impact for Helicopter Pilot would be $117,345.60 (5 x $23,469.12), and the annual financial impact for the Chief Helicopter Pilot would be $56,877.12 (1 x $29,190.24 and 1 x $27,686.88) assuming all current Helicopter Pilots opt to join the LADWP HEC crews. Although there will be a direct increase in the compensation of HEC Helicopter Pilots, the LADWP anticipates to offset such increases, and in fact experience significant overall savings, due to the reduced number of labor hours spent on certain transmission projects, up to 30 percent for any given HEC job. Covering LADWP’s vast area would take hundreds of trucks and ground crews, but a fleet of four helicopters would allow the LADWP to be far more efficient with its resources.