How Manhattan Beach is run
Who runs Manhattan Beach, 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 Manhattan Beach's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Manhattan Beach
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
- City pays 8.5% of base salary into a 401(a) retirement account (6% before May 16, 2026)
- CalPERS pension, medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, as for other executive managers
- Contract runs to May 4, 2028, unless extended
Manhattan Beach city staff
356 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 119, Public Works 78, Fire 41, Community Development 39, Parks and Recreation 21. FY2026-27. Authorized full-time positions, counting the five council members and the treasurer. The city also has about 190 part-time employees. City of Manhattan Beach · Jun 2, 2026
The city runs its own police, fire, water and sewer services, so their staff are city employees. It posts a citywide salary schedule and yearly pay and benefit reports by position. We did not pull pay bands from the State Controller's database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Manhattan Beach 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 says the general fund is structurally balanced: FY2026-27 ongoing revenue of $119.0M exceeds ongoing spending of $116.2M by $2.7M. After one-time costs and transfers, including $6.0M to refill the insurance fund, fund balance is projected to fall $8.8M, to $25.6M. The $4.0M economic uncertainty reserve is used up for now, and the $3.5M yearly transfer to the pension trust is paused. The five-year forecast says ongoing transfers from the general fund are unsustainable without new revenue. City of Manhattan Beach · Jun 2, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $23.6M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Keep a reserve of 20% of operating expenditures plus a $4.0M economic uncertainty reserve, both inside unassigned fund balance. Together they were $24.0M at June 30, 2025. The city was temporarily below this after buying 400 Manhattan Beach Blvd, and in FY2025-26 it issued $12.5M of certificates of participation to reimburse the general fund. The city is below this target. City of Manhattan Beach · Dec 22, 2025
Bar: unassigned savings of $23.6M. Line: the amount the city's target calls for.
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)$49.6M · 42%
- Sales taxes (including Measure MMB's half-cent tax)$18.6M · 16%
- Service charges (plan checks, ambulance, recreation classes)$12.4M · 10%
- Hotel and short-term rental taxes$9.3M · 8%
- Business license tax$5.9M · 5%
- Interest, rents and leases$5.6M · 5%
- Charges to other city funds and transfers in$5.4M · 5%
- Licenses and permits (mostly building)$5.4M · 5%
- Other (parking fines, franchise and property transfer taxes, state aid, misc.)$7M · 6%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$45.1M · 39%
- Fire (including paramedics and ambulance)$22.5M · 19%
- Public Works$13.8M · 12%
- Parks and Recreation$11.8M · 10%
- Community Development (planning, building, code enforcement)$9.9M · 8%
- Management Services (council, city manager, clerk, city attorney)$5.6M · 5%
- Other (finance, human resources)$8M · 7%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
The 1% base levy plus the voter-approved school, college and water district rates, as listed in the city's audited report. The city itself has no separate voter-approved property tax rate.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Manhattan Beach
- 1% base levy (shared by the county, schools, the city and others)The city gets about 14.6 cents of each dollar of the 1% levy.1 · 90%
- School and college district bonds0.1109 · 10%
- Metropolitan Water District0.0035 · <1%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.1144
FY2024-25 rates for a home in Manhattan Beach (Los Angeles County). City of Manhattan Beach · Dec 22, 2025
See what a Manhattan Beach house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Manhattan Beach is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityManhattan Beach Police DepartmentOne station, 72 sworn officersCity of Manhattan Beach
- Fire and paramedicsThe cityManhattan Beach Fire DepartmentTwo stationsCity of Manhattan Beach
- 911 dispatchAnother agencySouth Bay Regional Public Communications AuthorityA joint authority of Manhattan Beach, Gardena and HawthorneCity of Manhattan Beach
- WaterThe cityCity of Manhattan Beach Public Works (Utilities)Groundwater from two city wells plus imported water from the Metropolitan Water DistrictCity of Manhattan Beach
- Sewer and storm drainsThe cityCity of Manhattan Beach Public Works (Utilities)City of Manhattan Beach
- Trash and recyclingContractorWaste Management (city franchise contract)City of Manhattan Beach
- Streets and street sweepingThe cityCity of Manhattan Beach Public WorksCity of Manhattan Beach
- ParkingThe cityCity of Manhattan Beach (parking fund)City of Manhattan Beach
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 | Menlo ParkCA | Pleasant HillCA | MoorparkCA | Manhattan BeachCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 33,785 | 33,853 | 34,161 | 34,333 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $324,000 | $303,420 | $252,346 | $306,375 |
| Council member pay | $11,400 | $11,400 | Not confirmed | $6,000 |
| General fund per resident | $2,658 | $1,070 | $763 | $3,398 |
| Debt per resident | $819 | $483 | $0 | $2,807 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $2,156 | $1,625 | $22 | $554 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 8.8 | 3.7 | 2.3 | 10.4 |
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). Moorpark pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Manhattan Beach publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe city's budget page posts the FY2027 adopted budget, a budget snapshot and line-item detail by fund and department. City of Manhattan Beach
- Yes: City manager's contract findable online City of Manhattan Beach · May 28, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online City of Manhattan Beach · May 19, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineThe city's Granicus portal posts agendas, minutes and on-demand video of council meetings, with archives back to 2005. City of Manhattan Beach
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe citywide salary schedule lists council members and the treasurer at $500 a month. City of Manhattan Beach · Jul 7, 2026
- Yes: Employee pay publishedThe city posts a salary schedule for every job class and yearly pay and benefit reports by position for 2020 through 2025. City of Manhattan Beach
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund balance was $23.6 million on June 30, 2025, below the $24.0 million the reserve policy calls for. With the $4.0 million economic uncertainty reserve now used for the insurance fund, when will the council rebuild it?
- The FY2026-27 budget pauses the $3.5 million yearly transfer to the pension trust while CalPERS payments rise to $2.7 million. When will the transfers resume?
- The general fund will send $11.3 million to other funds in FY2026-27, and the forecast says ongoing transfers are unsustainable without new revenue. What new revenue or cuts is the council weighing?
Help decide what comes next
What do you want to know about Manhattan Beach next?
One tap, no sign-in. We count answers; we never show who chose what.
Every number here was checked by hand against the linked document. Cities publish on different schedules, so years differ between sections; each figure says which year it describes. Spotted something wrong or out of date?
See something wrong? Report an error
Something wrong or missing? Tell us what and where, with a link to a source if you have one. Reports feed the next verification run.