LOS ANGELES – While the City of Angels continues its descent into urban chaos, its elected representatives are enjoying celestial compensation packages that would make even Wall Street executives blush.

Los Angeles city council members are once again under fire for their astronomical salaries and benefits. At a jaw-dropping $229,000 annually (approximately $3 million KRW), their compensation doesn’t just eclipse that of other major U.S. cities like New York ($148,500) or Chicago ($122,000) – it exists in an entirely different galaxy compared to international counterparts like London ($65,000) or Toronto ($85,000).

“Citizens are struggling to pay rent while council members collect ’emperor salaries’ from their luxury offices,” said a representative from the LA Taxpayers Association, who seemed genuinely surprised that pitchforks haven’t yet appeared at City Hall.

Even more eyebrow-raising are the special perks these public servants bestow upon themselves. High-end official vehicles with chauffeurs, unlimited travel expenses, and premium health insurance – all generously funded by taxpayer dollars. Reserved parking spaces at City Hall are standard issue, and rumors persist that some council members have even requisitioned personal security details, presumably to protect them from encounters with the actual citizens they represent.

The opulence is particularly striking against the backdrop of Los Angeles’ housing crisis, homelessness epidemic, and inflation that continues to squeeze working families. The stark contrast between the “haves” in City Hall and the “have-nots” on the streets below grows more pronounced by the day.

Experts in government ethics – yes, that’s apparently still a field of study – note that “even considering the workload and complexity of managing a major metropolis, this level of compensation is excessive. Ultimately, it represents both a waste of tax dollars and an abuse of power.”

Meanwhile, the LA City Council remains steadfast in its position that “attracting top talent to run a world-class city requires appropriate compensation” – a curious argument given the current state of said “world-class city.”

The question remains: How long will Los Angeles continue to tolerate these self-serving, tone-deaf politicians who focus on personal enrichment while the city they’re supposed to be managing continues its steady decline?