How Cupertino is run
Who runs Cupertino, 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 Cupertino's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Cupertino
A City Manager hired by the council runs day-to-day operations. The five council members set policy, adopt the budget, and hire the City Manager and City Attorney.
What they are paid
- Three-year term, November 19, 2025 to November 18, 2028; serves at the council's will
- Severance of 9 months' base pay if fired without cause; none if fired for cause or if she resigns
- City puts the IRS maximum into her deferred compensation account each year ($23,500 in 2025)
- CalPERS pension, 2% at 60 formula (classic member)
- $500 a month car allowance
- Medical, dental and vision on the same terms as other appointed employees
- City pays health premiums up to $1,021.41 a month for the member alone, up to $2,655.67 for a family (2024 rates)
- Dental up to $126.78 a month and vision up to $14.94 a month
- City-paid life insurance up to $16,000
- Can join CalPERS; members first elected since 2013 get the state 2% at 62 formula and pay half the normal cost
Cupertino city staff
207 full-time-equivalent positions, including Public Works 87, Community Development 34, Parks and Recreation 28, Administration 19, Administrative Services 18, Innovation and Technology 14, Council and commissions 7. FY2025. Police and fire staff work for Santa Clara County, not the city, so they are not counted. The FY2026-27 budget funds 211 positions. City of Cupertino · Dec 3, 2025
The State Controller publishes pay for each Cupertino position; its site blocked our automated check, so pay bands are not shown. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Cupertino 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's 10-year forecast shows small surpluses at first, then a structural deficit of about $134,800 in FY2029-30, growing to about $3.9M in FY2030-31. The city names two causes: the County's proposed Sheriff contract, about $25.5M a year versus $19.0M now, and the planned end of the Utility Users Tax in FY2030-31. City of Cupertino · Jun 16, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $56.1M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Keep $500,000 unassigned for mid-year needs (about 1% of the operating budget). Separately, keep an Economic Uncertainty Reserve of $21.3M as committed funds (about two months of spending plus a cushion for a revenue drop). At June 30, 2025 that reserve held $24.0M. The city meets this target. City of Cupertino · Dec 3, 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
- Property tax$35.7M · 33%
- Sales tax$16.9M · 15%
- Charges for services$15.6M · 14%
- Interest and rents$8.5M · 8%
- Hotel tax$7.7M · 7%
- Licenses and permits$6.5M · 6%
- From other governments$5.2M · 5%
- Other (franchise fees, utility tax, other)$13.4M · 12%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Contract services (incl. Sheriff contract)$41.9M · 38%
- Employee pay$26.1M · 24%
- Internal cost charges$12.2M · 11%
- Employee benefits$11.2M · 10%
- Transfers to other funds$9M · 8%
- Materials$6.8M · 6%
- Other (capital, special projects, other uses)$2.7M · 2%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a typical Cupertino homeowner pays, about 6 cents goes to the city. Parts of the city are in other school or hospital districts with different add-on rates.
6¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Cupertino
- City of Cupertino (share of the 1% base)City's share of the 1% levy in the city's largest tax rate area; may not reflect state ERAF shifts.0.06509 · 6%
- County, schools and other agencies (rest of the 1% base)0.93491 · 81%
- Santa Clara County voter-approved leviesRetirement levy 0.0388, hospital bond 0.0055, housing bond 0.0043, county library retirement levy 0.0024.0.051 · 4%
- Fremont Union High School District bonds0.0397 · 3%
- Cupertino Union School District bonds0.03 · 3%
- Foothill-De Anza Community College District bonds0.0286 · 2%
- Valley Water0.0041 · <1%
- Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District0.0013 · <1%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.1547
FY2024-25 rates for a home in most of Cupertino (Santa Clara County). City of Cupertino · Dec 3, 2025
See what a Cupertino house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Cupertino is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceContractorSanta Clara County Sheriff's Office, West Valley DivisionThe city's largest general fund cost. The contract was $19.0M a year; the County's latest proposal (April 13, 2026) was about $25.5M a year.City of Cupertino
- FireSeparate districtSanta Clara County Fire DepartmentCity of Cupertino
- WaterPrivate companySan Jose Water and California Water ServiceThe city owns a water system in the northwest of the city; San Jose Water runs it under a lease.City of Cupertino
- SewerSeparate districtCupertino Sanitary District (most of the city); Sunnyvale (a small area)City of Cupertino
- Trash and recyclingContractorRecology South BayCity of Cupertino
- ElectricityPrivate companySilicon Valley Clean Energy (power supply) and PG&E (delivery)City of Cupertino
- LibrarySeparate districtSanta Clara County Library DistrictCity of Cupertino
- SchoolsSeparate districtCupertino Union School District and Fremont Union High School DistrictSanta Clara Unified serves part of northeast Cupertino.City of Cupertino
- TransitSeparate districtSanta Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA)City of Cupertino
- Parks and city streetsThe cityCity of Cupertino (Parks and Recreation, Public Works)City of Cupertino · Jun 16, 2026
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 | Monterey ParkCA | CupertinoCA | SanteeCA | San RafaelCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 59,649 | 59,765 | 59,812 | 59,890 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $315,732 | $336,810 | $298,700 | $354,065 |
| Council member pay | $6,000 | Not current (2017) | $24,519 | $18,192 |
| General fund per resident | $1,304 | $1,838 | $1,114 | $1,933 |
| Debt per resident | $2,606 | $199 | $78 | $714 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $378 | $709 | $909 | $1,414 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 6.6 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 7.0 |
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). Cupertino and Santee pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Cupertino publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Audited financial report filed on timeFY2024-25 audit report dated December 3, 2025, 156 days after the June 30 year end, within 180 days. City of Cupertino · Dec 3, 2025
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineFY2026-27 adopted budget book posted as a PDF and on OpenGov, on the city's budget page. City of Cupertino
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineSigned agreement is posted with Resolution 25-096 as a scanned PDF. City of Cupertino · Nov 18, 2025
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes in the city's Legistar system name each member's vote, e.g. the FY2026-27 budget passed 3-2. City of Cupertino · Jun 16, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineAgendas and minutes on Legistar; council meeting videos in the city's Videos On Demand archive. City of Cupertino
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentElected Officials' Compensation Program lists $743.07 a month, effective July 2017. City of Cupertino · Nov 7, 2023
- Yes: Employee pay publishedThe State Controller's Government Compensation in California site lists pay by position for every California city. California State Controller
Questions to ask your council
- The County proposed raising the Sheriff contract from $19.0M to about $25.5M a year, and the city's forecast turns to deficits in FY2029-30. What service level and cost will the council accept in a new contract?
- The forecast deficit grows to $3.9M in FY2030-31 when the Utility Users Tax ends. If the tax is not extended, what would the council cut or raise instead?
- Unassigned general fund balance was $56.1M at June 30, 2025, against a policy target of $500,000. How does the council decide what to keep and what to spend?
- The city's CalPERS plan was 79.3% funded, with $42.4M unfunded, at June 30, 2025. Will the $24.3M Section 115 pension trust be used to pay that down?
The fiscal year starts July 1. For FY2026-27 the proposed budget was published May 4, 2026, the council held a study session May 11, and adopted the budget June 16, 2026 on a 3-2 vote. See who is running for council
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