How La Mesa is run
Who runs La 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 La Mesa's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs La 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
- 5% cost-of-living raise for FY2025-26 (Fifth Amendment, August 12, 2025)
- City pays the maximum deferred compensation allowed by law each year
- Car allowance of $400 a month
- 20 days of vacation a year
- Severance of nine months' pay if let go without cause, plus one month per year of service, up to one year
- Car allowance: $400 a month for the mayor, $350 for council members
- Cafeteria health benefit of up to $2,227.55 a month, depending on coverage
- Option to join CalPERS; the city pays 11.9% of salary
- $25,000 life insurance
La Mesa city staff
294 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27. City of La Mesa · Oct 14, 2025
The city posts its full salary schedule with monthly and hourly pay ranges for every job title, plus labor contracts and the manager's and attorney's contracts. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is La 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 FY2026-27 budget plans to draw about $3.2 million from general fund reserves, after a $3.4 million transfer to capital projects, leaving a projected $55.4 million. The FY2024-25 audited report projects reserves of $52.3 million at the end of FY2026-27, still above the policy target. The city says pension costs will peak around 2026. City of La Mesa · Oct 14, 2025
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $59.5M (2025-06-30). City of La Mesa · Jun 17, 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
- Sales tax$20.5M · 25%
- Prop L sales tax$14.5M · 18%
- Property tax$11.7M · 15%
- Property tax in lieu of vehicle license fees$9.6M · 12%
- Use of money and property (interest, rents)$6.5M · 8%
- Charges for services$3.5M · 4%
- Cannabis business tax$2.9M · 4%
- Other (franchise, hotel and other taxes, permits, fines, other agencies, other revenue)$11.3M · 14%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$34M · 42%
- Fire$19.7M · 24%
- Public works (streets, parks, buildings, engineering)$13.6M · 17%
- Community development$4M · 5%
- Administrative services (city manager, IT, human resources, non-departmental)$3.1M · 4%
- Parks and recreation$3M · 4%
- Other (finance, city clerk, council, city attorney)$3.7M · 5%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
The city's own voter-approved bond rate is 1.5 cents per $100 of value. The city also gets a share of the 1% base levy, which the county report does not break out by city. Homes in the Lemon Grove school district pay different rates.
1¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of La Mesa
- 1% base levy (shared by the county, the city, schools and other agencies)1 · 84%
- Grossmont Union High School District bonds0.06293 · 5%
- La Mesa-Spring Valley School District bonds0.05365 · 4%
- Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District bonds0.03752 · 3%
- Grossmont Healthcare District bonds0.01989 · 2%
- City of La Mesa Prop D bonds (fire, police and emergency services, 2004)0.015 · 1%
- Metropolitan Water District debt0.007 · <1%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.19599
FY2025-26 rates for a La Mesa home in tax rate area 05002 (San Diego County). San Diego County Auditor and Controller
See what a La Mesa house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in La Mesa is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityLa Mesa Police DepartmentCity of La Mesa · Jun 17, 2026
- FireThe cityLa Mesa Fire Department, run with El Cajon and Lemon Grove as Heartland Fire & RescueA joint management team oversees fire and medical services for the three citiesCity of La Mesa · Oct 14, 2025
- 911 dispatch (police)The cityLa Mesa Police Department CommunicationsCity of La Mesa · Oct 14, 2025
- WaterSeparate districtHelix Water DistrictCity of La Mesa
- SewerThe cityCity of La MesaSewer charges are collected on the county property tax billCity of La Mesa
- Trash and recyclingContractorEDCO Disposal Corporation (city franchise)City of La Mesa
- Electricity and gasPrivate companySDG&ECity of La Mesa
- LibraryThe countySan Diego County Library (La Mesa branch)City of La Mesa
- Animal controlContractorSan Diego Humane Society (city contract overseen by the police department)City of La Mesa · Oct 14, 2025
- Parks and streetsThe cityCity of La MesaCity of La Mesa · Jun 17, 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 | La HabraCA | WoodlandCA | La MesaCA | EncinitasCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 61,269 | 61,324 | 61,707 | 62,193 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $319,065 | Not current (2023) | $313,524 | $333,564 |
| Council member pay | $6,000 | Not confirmed | $22,800 | $20,636 |
| General fund per resident | $1,190 | $1,257 | $1,315 | $2,122 |
| Debt per resident | $1,615 | $2,953 | $438 | $1,133 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $573 | $2,071 | $1,984 | $1,129 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 5.8 | 5.3 | 4.8 | 4.1 |
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). La Habra and Encinitas pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What La Mesa publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe budget page posts the 2025-2027 final budget and earlier two-year and mid-cycle budgets. City of La Mesa
- Yes: City manager's contract findable online City of La Mesa
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes list each member's vote, e.g. the budget passed 4-0 on October 14, 2025 with Mayor Arapostathis absent. City of La Mesa · Oct 14, 2025
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineThe city's meetings page links agendas with staff reports, minutes and council meeting video. City of La Mesa
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentA January 2026 summary states monthly pay of $3,800 for the mayor and $1,900 for council members. City of La Mesa · Jan 1, 2026
- Yes: Employee pay published City of La Mesa · Jun 23, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 budget draws about $3.2 million from general fund reserves. Which spending is one-time, and how long can reserves of $55.4 million cover a gap?
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $59.5 million at June 30, 2025, above the 40% policy target. How much of the extra will go to the new City Hall and other capital projects?
- Police ($34.0 million) and fire ($19.7 million) are about two-thirds of the $81.1 million general fund budget. How does the city measure what the Heartland Fire & Rescue partnership saves?
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