How La Habra is run
Who runs La Habra, 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 La Habra's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs La Habra
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
- 12 months of pay and benefits as severance if fired without cause, which takes four of five council votes
- City puts 5% of his salary into his 457(b) deferred compensation plan
- City puts 3% of his salary into a retiree health savings account, plus six months of base pay when he retires
- City pays the full cost of insurance premiums for him, his spouse and dependents
- 200 hours of vacation a year; up to 100 hours a year may be cashed out to deferred compensation or retiree health accounts
- He pays 8% of his salary toward the city's CalPERS pension cost
La Habra city staff
355 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 118, Community Services (incl. grant-funded child care) 106, Public Works 74. FY2026-27. City of La Habra · Jun 15, 2026
The city posts salary schedules for every employee group and a yearly report of pay and benefits for each position earning over $100,000. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is La Habra 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 general fund budget of $72.9 million is balanced, with spending equal to projected revenue. Staff say the one-cent Measure V sales tax, approved in November 2024, has steadied the general fund. They warn that rising energy prices, inflation and a possible recession could cut sales tax revenue. The city updates a five-year revenue projection model each year. City of La Habra · Jun 1, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $15.1M (2025-06-30). City of La Habra · Apr 2, 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 (incl. in-lieu of vehicle license fees)$26.7M · 37%
- Measure V local sales tax (one cent)$15.2M · 21%
- Sales tax$14.1M · 19%
- Fees and charges (mostly ambulance billing)$4.9M · 7%
- Use of money and property (incl. water utility lease)$3.6M · 5%
- Fines, licenses and permits$3.2M · 4%
- Franchise fees$2.6M · 4%
- Other (admin fees, reimbursements, vehicle license fees)$2.7M · 4%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$31.2M · 43%
- Fire and ambulance (Los Angeles County Fire and ambulance contracts)$18.5M · 25%
- Public works$10M · 14%
- Community services$4.2M · 6%
- Community development$3.9M · 5%
- Other (council, administration, clerk, finance, HR, legal)$5.2M · 7%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Most of a La Habra property tax bill is the 1% base levy set by Proposition 13, shared by the county, the city, schools and special districts. The rest repays voter-approved school and college bonds and Metropolitan Water District debt. The city has no voter-approved debt rate of its own. Rates differ in other parts of the city.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of La Habra
- 1% base levy (county, city, schools, special districts)1 · 90%
- Fullerton Joint Union High School District bonds0.04511 · 4%
- La Habra City School District bonds0.04268 · 4%
- North Orange County Community College District bonds0.01806 · 2%
- Metropolitan Water District0.007 · <1%
- Total (percent of assessed value)1.11285
FY2025-26 rates for a home in La Habra (tax rate area 06-001, Orange County). Orange County Auditor-Controller · Sep 1, 2025
See what a La Habra home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in La Habra is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityLa Habra Police DepartmentCity of La Habra
- FireContractorLos Angeles County Fire DepartmentCity of La Habra
- EMS / ambulanceContractorLos Angeles County Fire Department (paramedics); Falck (ambulance transport)City of La Habra
- WaterThe cityCity of La Habra Utility AuthorityAbout 65% of its water is imported from California Domestic Water Company and the Metropolitan Water DistrictCity of La Habra
- SewerThe cityCity of La Habra Utility Authority (wastewater collection)City of La Habra
- ParksThe cityCity of La Habra Public Works and Community ServicesCity of La Habra
- City streetsThe cityCity of La Habra Public WorksCity of La Habra
- Animal shelterContractorInland Valley Humane SocietyCity of La Habra
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 | HanfordCA | La HabraCA | WoodlandCA | La MesaCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 60,837 | 61,269 | 61,324 | 61,707 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $243,684 | $319,065 | Not current (2023) | $313,524 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $6,000 | Not confirmed | $22,800 |
| General fund per resident | $734 | $1,190 | $1,257 | $1,315 |
| Debt per resident | $743 | $1,615 | $2,953 | $438 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $489 | $573 | $2,071 | $1,984 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 5.4 | 5.8 | 5.3 | 4.8 |
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). La Habra pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What La Habra 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, adopted June 15, 2026, is posted on the City Budgets page. City of La Habra
- Yes: City manager's contract findable online City of La Habra
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes list roll-call votes by name, e.g. the June 1, 2026 meeting. City of La Habra · Jun 1, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online City of La Habra
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public document City of La Habra
- Yes: Employee pay published City of La Habra
Questions to ask your council
- Measure V, the one-cent local sales tax, is budgeted to bring in $15.2 million in FY2026-27, about 21% of general fund revenue. How would the city keep services if sales tax revenue drops in a recession?
- Fire and ambulance contracts cost $18.5 million, a quarter of the FY2026-27 general fund budget. How does the council review the Los Angeles County Fire contract each year?
- We found no written general fund reserve target, and the unassigned balance was $15.1 million at June 30, 2025. Will the council adopt a reserve policy?
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