How Carson is run
Who runs Carson, what it costs, and where your money goes
The city manager, council pay, the budget, your property tax bill and who provides each service, from Carson's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Carson
A city manager hired by the council runs the city day to day. The council sets policy, adopts the budget and sets the tax rate.
What they are paid
- At-will; the council can end the contract at any time
- Severance of 9 months' base pay if fired without cause (16 months in the first two years)
- $700 a month car allowance
- City matches up to $6,000 a year in each of two retirement savings plans (457 and 401(a))
- No extra pay for sitting on other city boards, commissions and committees
- Future raises are limited by state law (Government Code Section 36516)
Carson city staff
404 full-time-equivalent positions, including Public Works 126, Community Services/Recreation/Parks 106, Finance 35, Public Safety and Emergency Management 34. FY2026-27. City of Carson · Jun 16, 2026
Pay ranges for management jobs are set by council resolution. We did not pull pay bands from the State Controller's database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Carson in the red?
Cities must pass a balanced budget, so "profit" and "deficit" mean something different here. The useful questions: does the city's everyday money (the general fund) cover its everyday costs, how much does it keep in savings compared with its own target, and how big are its pension and debt bills.
The city's own outlook
The FY2026-27 budget plans $156.9 million of general fund revenue and a $159,477 surplus after operating costs and the special events transfer. The city plans structurally balanced budgets for the next five years. A separate $30 million of capital projects will be paid from reserves. A tax settlement with Marathon Petroleum is expected to bring at least $370 million over 15 years. City of Carson · Jun 16, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $91.3M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Resolution 17-043 requires a reserve for economic uncertainties equal to 20% of yearly general fund appropriations, held as committed fund balance ($31.0 million on June 30, 2025; $31.35 million required for FY2026-27), separate from the unassigned balance. City of Carson · Dec 18, 2025
Why we skip the "budgeted deficit": many cities plan to dip into savings, then spend less than planned. The audited result tells you what really happened.
Where the money comes from and goes
The general fund only: the city's everyday money for FY2026-27.
Comes from
- Sales tax$40.3M · 26%
- Property tax$26.3M · 17%
- Measure K sales tax (transactions and use tax)$18.9M · 12%
- Franchise fees$16.8M · 11%
- Utility users tax (Measure R)$12M · 8%
- Oil business tax (Measure C)$10.1M · 6%
- Licenses and permits$9.5M · 6%
- Fines and fees$8.9M · 6%
- Other (interest and rents, charges for services, hotel tax, other)$14.1M · 9%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Public safety and emergency management (incl. Sheriff contract)$37.3M · 24%
- Public works$29.3M · 19%
- Community services, recreation and parks$28.7M · 18%
- Non-departmental$13.8M · 9%
- Human resources and risk management$8.7M · 6%
- City Manager's Office$7.7M · 5%
- Finance$6.7M · 4%
- Information technology and security$6.2M · 4%
- Other (city attorney, clerk, treasurer, council, community and economic development)$17.8M · 11%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Proposition 13 caps the base levy at 1% of assessed value, shared by the county, schools, the city and districts. The city's share is about 6.7 cents of each dollar. Voter-approved school and water district debt rates are added on top and depend on the school district.
7¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Carson
- Los Angeles County0.2752 · 28%
- Los Angeles Unified School District0.2349 · 23%
- State school shift (ERAF)0.2017 · 20%
- Los Angeles County Fire0.13053 · 13%
- City of Carson0.0674 · 7%
- Los Angeles Community College District0.0319 · 3%
- Los Angeles County Library0.025 · 3%
- Flood control, sanitation, vector control and other districts0.03337 · 3%
- Total (dollars of each $1 of the 1% base levy)1
How the 1% base property tax is shared in Carson (FY2026-27 budget). City of Carson · Jun 16, 2026
See what a Carson house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Carson is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceContractorLos Angeles County Sheriff's DepartmentThe city budgets $27.6 million for the contract in FY2026-27.City of Carson · Jun 16, 2026
- LibraryThe countyLA County LibraryCity of Carson · Dec 18, 2025
- SewerThe countyLos Angeles County Public Works (Consolidated Sewer Maintenance District)City of Carson / LA County Public Works · Oct 21, 2025
- Trash and recyclingContractorWM (USA Waste of California), under the city's exclusive franchiseWM took over from Waste Resources on May 1, 2026.WM
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity Community Services/Recreation/Park Maintenance DepartmentTwelve full-service parks, four mini parks, two pools and two aquatic centers.City of Carson · Jun 16, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity Public Works DepartmentCity of Carson · Jun 16, 2026
- Building and safetyContractorCounty of Los AngelesCity of Carson · Dec 18, 2025
Compared with similar cities
The cities in this state closest in population that we cover. Read it for scale, not as a ranking: cities provide different services.
| Per city | WestminsterCA | HemetCA | CarsonCA | IndioCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 90,490 | 91,479 | 91,790 | 92,360 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $319,234 | Not confirmed | $353,496 | $312,000 |
| Council member pay | $10,206 | $22,800 | $89,513 | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,080 | $1,051 | $1,701 | $1,408 |
| Debt per resident | $8 | $0 | $2,051 | $2,746 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,642 | $1,337 | $214 | $870 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 4.0 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 2.9 |
Figures as shown in each city's section, divided by its population. Years differ by state, and pension figures are measured differently in each state (each city page says how). Westminster and Carson pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Carson publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe FY2026-27 adopted budget book is posted on the city's budget page. City of Carson
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online City of Carson
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentOrdinance 25-2508 sets pay at $89,512.51 a year for council members and $98,463.85 for the mayor. City of Carson
- Partly: Employee pay publishedHourly pay ranges for management jobs are in Resolution 25-040 on the April 1, 2025 agenda. We did not find one citywide schedule. City of Carson
Questions to ask your council
- The general fund held $91.3 million unassigned on June 30, 2025, on top of a $31.0 million emergency reserve. What does the council plan to do with the amount above the reserve?
- Public safety, which includes the Sheriff contract, is the largest general fund cost at $37.3 million in FY2026-27. How does the council review what the city gets for it?
- Council members are paid $89,512.51 a year and the mayor $98,463.85 after a 10% raise in May 2025. What does the council plan for future raises?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The council held budget workshops on the operating budget on May 5 and the capital program on May 20, 2026, and adopted the FY2026-27 budget after a public hearing on June 16, 2026. See who is running for council
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