How El Segundo is run
Who runs El Segundo, 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 El Segundo's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs El Segundo
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
- Contract dated July 1, 2022; base pay raised from $270,000 to $280,800 by a 2023 amendment.
El Segundo city staff
392 full-time-equivalent positions, including Recreation, Parks and Library 115, Police 95, Fire 54, Public Works 54, Community Development 18. FY2026-27. 299 full-time and 93.24 part-time positions, up 13.93 from FY2025-26. City of El Segundo · Jun 2, 2026
Police and fire are city departments. The city posts a citywide pay schedule by job class, including the city manager's salary and elected officials' stipends. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is El Segundo 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
Staff called the FY2026-27 budget balanced but said expenditures are rising faster than revenues and flagged a looming structural deficit in FY2027-28. The budget's five-year forecast says the cost of services will likely keep rising faster than revenue. City of El Segundo · Jun 2, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $46.2M (2025-06-30). City of El Segundo · Jun 1, 2026
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$15.2M · 14%
- Hotel tax (TOT)$15.1M · 14%
- Sales and use tax$14.6M · 13%
- Business license tax$14.4M · 13%
- Interest and rental income$10.9M · 10%
- Utility users tax$9.6M · 9%
- Chevron tax agreement$8.5M · 8%
- Other$22M · 20%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$27.2M · 25%
- Fire$18.7M · 17%
- Transfers out (incl. pension bonds)$13.7M · 13%
- Recreation, Parks and Library$12.3M · 11%
- Public Works$10.2M · 9%
- Non-departmental$7.9M · 7%
- Other$18.4M · 17%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
The 1% base levy plus the voter-approved school, college and water district rates for tax rate area 09-849, as listed in the city's audited report. The city has no separate voter-approved property tax rate.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of El Segundo
- 1% base levy (shared by the county, schools, the city and others)1 · 83%
- El Segundo Unified School District bonds0.174764 · 15%
- Community college bonds0.021012 · 2%
- Metropolitan Water District0.007 · <1%
- Total ($ per $100 of assessed value)1.202776
FY2024-25 rates for a home in El Segundo (Los Angeles County). City of El Segundo · Jun 1, 2026
Who provides your services
Not everything in El Segundo is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityEl Segundo Police DepartmentCity of El Segundo · Jun 1, 2026
- FireThe cityEl Segundo Fire DepartmentCity of El Segundo · Jun 1, 2026
- Emergency medical services and ambulanceThe cityEl Segundo Fire DepartmentBasic and advanced life support, including ground ambulance transport.City of El Segundo · Jun 2, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of El Segundo Water DivisionAll drinking water is bought from West Basin Municipal Water District.City of El Segundo · Jun 2, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity of El Segundo (collection system)Treatment is at Hyperion, run by the City of Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles County Regional Sanitation District plant.City of El Segundo · Jun 2, 2026
- LibraryThe cityEl Segundo Public Library (city)City of El Segundo · Jun 1, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of El Segundo Recreation, Parks and LibraryCity of El Segundo · Jun 1, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity of El Segundo Public WorksCity of El Segundo · Jun 1, 2026
- Planning, zoning and code enforcementThe cityCity of El SegundoCity of El Segundo · Jun 1, 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 | ClearlakeCA | MoragaCA | El SegundoCA | Laguna WoodsCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 16,642 | 16,662 | 16,950 | 16,970 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $225,831 | $314,572 | $280,800 | $247,935 |
| Council member pay | $6,000 | Not confirmed | $10,800 | $3,600 |
| General fund per resident | $606 | $826 | $6,394 | $566 |
| Debt per resident | $792 | $244 | $7,728 | $0 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $558 | $608 | $1,958 | $-14 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | 2.5 | 23.1 | 1.1 |
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). Moraga and Laguna Woods pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What El Segundo publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe finance department's financial reports page posts adopted budgets from FY2021-22 through FY2026-27. City of El Segundo
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes list ayes and noes by name, e.g. the 3-1 vote adopting the FY2026-27 budget on June 2, 2026, with Mayor Pimentel voting no. City of El Segundo · Jun 16, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineCouncil meeting video is archived on Granicus; minutes are posted in later agenda packets on the city site. City of El Segundo
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe citywide pay schedule lists the council member stipend at $900 a month, $10,800 a year, set by ordinance. City of El Segundo · Sep 20, 2025
- Yes: Employee pay publishedThe city posts a citywide pay schedule with salary ranges for every job class, including executives and the city manager. City of El Segundo · Sep 20, 2025
Questions to ask your council
- Staff called the FY2026-27 budget balanced but flagged a looming structural deficit in FY2027-28. What changes will the council weigh to close that gap?
- The FY2024-25 audit is dated June 1, 2026, eleven months after the year ended. Can the city publish its audit sooner?
The fiscal year starts July 1. Budget work began with a January 22, 2026 kickoff, the council held a budget study session May 13, 2026, and it held the public hearing and adopted the FY2026-27 budget on June 2, 2026. State law requires adoption before the fiscal year starts. See who is running for council
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