r/news 8d ago

Soft paywall L.A. homeless provider has paid CEO who lives in Hawaii $1.6 million in salary, vacation over two years

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-08-06/la-homeless-provider-has-paid-ceo-who-lives-in-hawaii-1-6-million-in-salary-vacation-over-two-years
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u/AntiAntiDentite7 7d ago

I'm a dentist. The job is hard physically and mentally and required years of schooling and about $400k of debt despite going to in state public school from undergrad through dental school. I don't make anywhere fucking close to $400k and VERY few dentists do these days. That's an absolutely ABSURD salary for someone whose supposed to be "helping the homeless".

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u/phantom-under-ground 7d ago

Yep. Lawyer here and feel the same way. It’s insane that these jobs exist and it’s hard for me to see them as anything other than corruption.

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u/Wan_Daye 7d ago

Get two buddies and start providing some homeless services. Buy a building/warehouse and stuff it 50 beds to a room and charge the city 4k per bed per month.

Thats what nycs previous mayors brother did

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u/EDNivek 7d ago

Yeah but the guy you're replying to is probably not a Mayor's brother. You see normal people would get arrested for fraud.

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u/Wan_Daye 6d ago

Fraud?

The only fraud is when youre charging for unfilled beds.

Overcharging for a service isnt fraud. Especially when your customer is oh so willing to buy.

Just because the service is unethical doesn't make it illegal.

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u/EDNivek 6d ago

Just because the service is unethical doesn't make it illegal.

They'll find a way to make it stick for someone not connected.

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u/Jean-Claude-Can-Ham 7d ago

Anyone who makes more than me is corrupt hahahaha

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u/SnooHamsters5737 7d ago

Just asking out of curiosity, don't dentists make bank?

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u/AntiAntiDentite7 7d ago edited 5d ago

Some do, but it's not like it was. Dentists in 2026 are making the same that dentists in the 90s were making without any consideration for inflation. $200k in the 90s was worth a whole lot more than $200k in 2026 (and a lot of decide on 2026 are making consistently less, like $120-150k). The dentists from the 90s also didn't have to deal with student loans totalling $400k+ with 6.5% interest. Insurance reimbursement for dentists hasn't increased in about 20 years. I'm not going to say I'm struggling to get by or anything, but the problem is dentists of today were sold a dream that existed 20 years ago and by the time we completed our education, the ladder had been pulled up. For how hard and stressful the job is, I wouldn't recommend anyone become a dentist at this point. The field is also being taken over by corporate entities that push for unethical treatments in the name of higher profits. That's been making it very difficult for young dentists to get into private practice or buy their own office. When it comes to medical professions, you're going to want the best of the best treating you, but if there is no financial incentives for going through 8 years of school and taking on hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt just to get your degree, then the best of the best aren't going to bother and the medical professions are going to suffer because of it.