So the El Monte City Council approved the salaries for a new cheif and assistant chief in preparation for the December retirement of Chief Ken Weldon. And the grand total: $429,000.

The new chief, Thomas Armstrong, will be getting $234,000.
And the new assistant chief, Steven Schuster, will be getting $195,000.

According to the story written by new reporter Rebecca Kimitch, “Mayor Ernie Gutierrez said the salaries – $234,000 for the chief and $195,000 for the assistant chief – are competitive among cities in the San Gabriel Valley.”

Aside from the increases coming at a time when the city is facing a $400,000 deficit, it also comes just one week after this story about the El Monte cop that shot himself in the leg.

“We have to have the finest Police Department, and they don’t come cheap,” Gutierrez said.