How Costa Mesa is run
Who runs Costa Mesa, 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 Costa Mesa's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Costa Mesa
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
- $50,000 a year paid into a 401(a) retirement account in 2026, rising by $5,000 each year after
- Full-time use of a city car, with the city paying all costs
- One year's base salary as severance if fired without cause
- 40 hours of executive leave a year; the council may add 60 more
- The same health and CalPERS retirement benefits as other city executives
Costa Mesa city staff
706 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police (sworn) 142, Fire (sworn) 86. FY2026-27. City of Costa Mesa · Jun 2, 2026
The city adopts an executive salary schedule with pay ranges by job title. We did not pull pay bands from the State Controller's database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Costa Mesa 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 city calls the FY2026-27 budget structurally balanced without the use of general fund reserves. To get there, departments found about $1.7 million in cuts, mostly one-time deferrals. Staff expect costs to begin to outpace revenues and are looking at new revenue. City of Costa Mesa · Jun 2, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $19.3M (2025-06-30). City of Costa Mesa · 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 and use tax$82.5M · 41%
- Property tax$64M · 32%
- Fees and charges$13.9M · 7%
- Hotel tax (TOT)$10.6M · 5%
- Cannabis retail tax$3.7M · 2%
- Business license tax$980,741 · 0%
- Other$24.3M · 12%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$69.9M · 35%
- Fire and Rescue$39.4M · 20%
- Public Works$23.6M · 12%
- Non-departmental$21.5M · 11%
- Economic and Development Services$10.7M · 5%
- City Manager (incl. clerk, HR, risk)$10.4M · 5%
- Parks and Community Services$9.8M · 5%
- Other (IT, finance, city attorney, council)$14.7M · 7%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Most of the bill is the 1% base levy that the state constitution caps and the county splits among local agencies. The city has no voter-approved tax rate of its own on top. College and school bonds and the regional water district add the rest. Some parts of the city are in other school districts with different rates.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Costa Mesa
- 1% base levy (shared by the county, city, schools and districts)1 · 95%
- Coast Community College District bonds0.02343 · 2%
- Newport-Mesa Unified School District bonds0.0173 · 2%
- Metropolitan Water District0.007 · <1%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.04773
FY2025-26 rates for a home in Costa Mesa (Orange County tax rate area 15-004). County of Orange Auditor-Controller · Sep 1, 2025
See what a Costa Mesa house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Costa Mesa is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityCosta Mesa Police DepartmentCity of Costa Mesa · Dec 18, 2025
- FireThe cityCosta Mesa Fire and Rescue DepartmentCity of Costa Mesa · Dec 18, 2025
- Ambulance and paramedicsThe cityCosta Mesa Fire and Rescue DepartmentThe city charges paramedic fees.City of Costa Mesa · Dec 18, 2025
- Animal servicesThe cityCosta Mesa Police DepartmentCity of Costa Mesa · Jun 2, 2026
- WaterSeparate districtMesa Water DistrictMesa Water District
- SewerSeparate districtCosta Mesa Sanitary DistrictWastewater is treated by the Orange County Sanitation District.Costa Mesa Sanitary District
- Trash and recyclingSeparate districtCosta Mesa Sanitary DistrictCosta Mesa Sanitary District
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity Parks and Community Services DepartmentCity of Costa Mesa · Dec 18, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity Public Works DepartmentCity of Costa Mesa · 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 | ChicoCA | El MonteCA | West CovinaCA | Costa MesaCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 108,113 | 108,192 | 108,937 | 109,436 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $285,000 | $389,953 | $249,562 | $320,000 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $8,800 | $24,324 | $17,907 |
| General fund per resident | $997 | $1,078 | $915 | $1,827 |
| Debt per resident | $132 | $1,480 | $2,118 | $209 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,470 | $566 | $297 | $3,022 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 4.4 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 6.5 |
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). El Monte pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Costa Mesa publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineCouncil minutes list each member's vote by name, e.g. the 5-2 budget vote on June 2, 2026. City of Costa Mesa · Jun 2, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public document City of Costa Mesa · Sep 17, 2024
Questions to ask your council
- The city's three CalPERS plans were $330.7 million short at June 30, 2025. How long will it take to close that gap at current payments?
- Police is $69.9 million of the $200.0 million general fund budget for FY2026-27. How will the council judge whether that spending is working?
- The FY2026-27 budget was balanced partly with about $1.7 million in one-time deferrals. What is the plan for the years after?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The council held capital budget study sessions on March 31 and May 12, 2026 and an all-funds budget study session on May 12, 2026. It adopted the FY2026-27 budget on June 2, 2026 by a 5-2 vote and asked for a budget review every three months. See who is running for council
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