How Commerce is run
Who runs Commerce, 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 Commerce's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Commerce
A city manager appointed by the council runs the city day to day. The five-member council makes policy, adopts the budget and appoints the city attorney, and each year picks one of its members as mayor. Commerce contracts with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for police and with Los Angeles County Fire for fire protection.
What they are paid
- $1,000 a month technology and electronic media stipend
- City-paid life insurance of $175,000
- City pays the family premium rate for CalPERS health insurance, plus dental and vision premiums
- Tuition reimbursement of up to $12,000
Commerce city staff
176 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27. Full-time positions. The budget also authorizes 286 part-time positions. City of Commerce · Jun 23, 2026
The city posts salary schedules with pay ranges for each job title (adopted by council resolution). We found no list of individual employee pay from the city. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Commerce 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 FY2026-28 budget assumes card club license fees fall $6.5 million in FY2026-27 and $13.0 million in FY2027-28 under new state Attorney General rules, and sales tax falls too. After cuts and support for the transit and community benefits funds, staff project general fund deficits of about $9.5 million in FY2026-27 and $16.2 million in FY2027-28. Measure PC, a sales tax increase voters passed June 2, 2026, is left out; staff expect about $4.5 million a year from it. Staff will reassess the budget in January 2027. City of Commerce · Jun 23, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $116M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: A June 2025 policy sets a stability reserve, held as assigned fund balance, of at least 50% of budgeted general fund spending, with a goal of 100%. Unassigned money above 100% of budgeted spending goes to a Project Management Fund for one-time uses only. City of Commerce
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$26.5M · 31%
- Card club license fees$23.8M · 28%
- Other taxes (property tax, hotel visitors tax, franchise fees)$11.6M · 13%
- Licenses and permits$6.8M · 8%
- Use of money (interest and property leases)$2.8M · 3%
- Other revenue (fines, fees, grants, transfers in)$5.1M · 6%
- Planned draw on reserves (budgeted deficit)$9.5M · 11%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Public safety (Sheriff and County Fire contracts)$29.7M · 35%
- Parks and recreation$11.1M · 13%
- Non-departmental$10.5M · 12%
- Public works$10M · 12%
- Library services$4.9M · 6%
- Other (general government, finance, debt service, community development, human resources, transportation)$16.4M · 19%
- Support for Transit and Community Benefits funds$3.4M · 4%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Commerce 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 DepartmentCity of Commerce
- WaterPrivate companyCalifornia Water Service CompanyCity of Commerce
- StreetsThe cityCity of Commerce Public WorksCity of Commerce
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Commerce Parks and RecreationCity of Commerce
- LibraryThe cityCity of Commerce LibraryThe city runs four libraries.City of Commerce
- Planning and community developmentThe cityCity of CommerceCity of Commerce
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 | Los AlamitosCA | CommerceCA | NewmanCA | San AnselmoCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 11,951 | 12,145 | 12,362 | 12,474 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $261,710 | Not confirmed | $228,012 | $295,992 |
| Council member pay | $4,800 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $3,600 |
| General fund per resident | $2,532 | $7,092 | $699 | $1,910 |
| Debt per resident | $250 | $2,777 | $726 | $733 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $2,156 | $984 | $564 | $149 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | 14.5 | 7.4 | — |
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). Los Alamitos and Commerce and San Anselmo pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Commerce publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Partly: Adopted budget posted online City of Commerce · Jun 23, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes list each member's vote by name. City of Commerce
- Partly: Meeting videos and minutes online City of Commerce
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentWe found no council pay figure in the FY2026-28 budget resolution or staff report, or in the 2025 and 2026 salary schedules. City of Commerce · Jun 23, 2026
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Commerce · Jun 24, 2025
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-28 budget projects general fund deficits of about $9.5 million in FY2026-27 and $16.2 million in FY2027-28, assuming card club fees fall $6.5 million and then $13.0 million. What will the January 2027 reassessment change if card club revenue holds up?
- The general fund had $115.7 million unassigned on June 30, 2025. The reserve policy sends unassigned money above 100% of budgeted spending to a one-time Project Management Fund. How much will move there, and for which projects?
- The $86.1 million FY2026-27 general fund budget includes support for the transit fund, which runs short each year. What is the long-term plan for paying for the free bus service?
- Measure PC is expected to raise about $4.5 million a year but is left out of the budget. How will the council decide how to use it?
Help decide what comes next
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