How La Verne is run
Who runs La Verne, 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 Verne's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs La Verne
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
- Severance of up to 12 months' salary if fired without cause
- $650 a month car allowance
- He pays the full 8% employee share of CalPERS plus 2% of the employer cost
- Up to $12,000 a year in tuition for a doctoral program in public administration
- City puts $150 a month into a retiree medical savings trust
- Can cash out up to 80 hours of vacation a year
La Verne city staff
197 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 67, Fire 53. FY2026-27. City of La Verne · Jun 15, 2026
The city posts full-time and part-time salary charts and labor contracts by employee group, not individual pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is La Verne 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 is balanced without reserves after cuts and deferrals, but staff say ongoing spending still exceeds ongoing revenue. Personnel costs are rising about 5.99% while underlying revenue grows about 3.4%. The transfer from the Measure LV sales tax, used for employee pay, rises to $4.96 million, and staff expect Measure LV spending to exceed its revenue after this year. City of La Verne · Jun 15, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $0 (2025-06-30). That means every dollar the general fund has saved is set aside in a named reserve or category, not that it has no savings. City of La Verne · Dec 30, 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 taxes (including property tax in lieu of vehicle license fees)$17.5M · 36%
- Transfers in (mainly Measure LV sales tax and district and paramedic funds)$10.6M · 22%
- Charges for services (paramedic billing, trash fees, recreation)$6.1M · 12%
- Sales tax$5.8M · 12%
- Utility users tax$3.8M · 8%
- Use of money and property (interest, rents, other)$2.1M · 4%
- Other taxes (franchise fees, business license, hotel tax)$1.4M · 3%
- Other (licenses and permits, state and county money)$1.8M · 4%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$17.3M · 35%
- Fire, paramedics and ambulances$15.3M · 31%
- Public works (buildings, streets, trash, park maintenance)$7M · 14%
- Administration (council, clerk, city manager, IT, attorney)$3.7M · 8%
- Parks and recreation$2.3M · 5%
- Community development$1.8M · 4%
- Other (finance, transfers out)$1.7M · 3%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
California caps the base property tax at 1% of assessed value; voter-approved rates for school and college bonds and the regional water district are added on top. La Verne has no city add-on rate of its own.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of La Verne
- 1% base levy (shared by the county, the city, schools and other agencies)1 · 73%
- School district bonds0.27723 · 20%
- Community college bonds0.08638 · 6%
- Metropolitan Water District0.007 · <1%
- Total (per $100 of assessed value)1.37062
FY2024-25 rates for a home in the city of La Verne (Los Angeles County). City of La Verne · Dec 30, 2025
See what a La Verne house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in La Verne is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityLa Verne Police DepartmentCity of La Verne · Jun 15, 2026
- FireThe cityLa Verne Fire DepartmentThree fire stationsCity of La Verne · Jun 15, 2026
- EMS / ambulanceThe cityLa Verne Fire Department (paramedic engines and city ambulances)Two paramedic engines, a paramedic quint and two basic life support ambulancesCity of La Verne · Jun 15, 2026
- 911 dispatchThe cityLa Verne Police Department Communications CenterDispatches police calls; fire and medical calls are transferred to LA County Fire Department CommunicationsLa Verne Police Department
- WaterThe cityCity of La Verne Public Works, Water and Sewer Operations132 miles of water mains serving about 8,700 connectionsCity of La Verne · Jun 15, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity of La Verne Public Works, Water and Sewer Operations112 miles of sanitary sewer and storm drain systemsCity of La Verne · Jun 15, 2026
- Trash and recyclingContractorWaste ManagementCity of La Verne
- City streetsThe cityCity of La Verne Public Works, Maintenance Services97 miles of streetsCity of La Verne · Jun 15, 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 | SaratogaCA | La VerneCA | San PabloCA | Paso RoblesCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 31,261 | 31,466 | 31,468 | 31,525 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $335,000 | $275,679 | $327,180 | $269,000 |
| Council member pay | $3,000 | $11,400 | $17,064 | $13,860 |
| General fund per resident | $1,114 | $1,557 | $1,919 | $1,793 |
| Debt per resident | $165 | $1,556 | $1,587 | $1,681 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $302 | $746 | $1,875 | $1,611 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 1.8 | 6.3 | 5.0 | 10.0 |
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). Saratoga pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What La Verne publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: City manager's contract findable online City of La Verne
- Partly: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes give the vote count and name absent or recused members; resolutions list ayes and noes by name. City of La Verne
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlinePast council meetings are posted on the city's website and YouTube channel; minutes are posted after approval. City of La Verne
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentOrdinance No. 24-1125, posted on the Compensation & MOUs page, sets mayor and council pay at $950 a month. City of La Verne
- Partly: Employee pay published City of La Verne
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 general fund budget moves $4.96 million from the Measure LV sales tax fund into the general fund, and staff expect Measure LV spending to exceed its revenue after this year. How will future pay raises be funded once Measure LV is used up?
- Personnel costs are budgeted to rise about 5.99% while underlying general fund revenue grows about 3.4%. Which services or revenues is the council weighing to close that gap in FY2027-28?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The city adopts a one-year budget: the council held a strategic planning session on February 7, 2026, a budget study session on May 18, 2026 and a follow-up discussion on June 1, 2026, and adopted the FY2026-27 budget on June 15, 2026. See who is running for council
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