How San Clemente is run
Who runs San Clemente, 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 San Clemente's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs San Clemente
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 the legal maximum each year into his 457 deferred compensation account
- $600 a month car allowance
- $500,000 term life insurance policy paid by the city
- CalPERS pension; he pays the same employee share as other classic Executive Group employees
- 96 hours of administrative leave a year
- Council members may enroll in city health coverage and pay the full cost minus the annual PEMHCA minimum
San Clemente city staff
199 full-time-equivalent positions, including Water utility 26, Maintenance Services 23, Sewer utility 19, Recreation 17. FY2026-27. 198 full-time positions plus 1.25 benefited part-time FTEs. Police and fire are contracted from the county Sheriff and the Orange County Fire Authority, so those officers are not city employees. City of San Clemente · Jun 2, 2026
The city posts salary schedules for all job classes and the city manager's contract on its Benefits & Compensation page. We did not pull pay bands from the State Controller's database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is San Clemente 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 general fund budget shows a small operating surplus of about $0.5 million in each of the two years. The city's five-year forecast says the outlook remains balanced for now, but revenues struggle to keep pace with rising costs, mainly police and fire contracts and pensions, and the city must evaluate new revenue options and update outdated fees. City of San Clemente · Jun 2, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $7.9M (2025-06-30). City of San Clemente · Feb 26, 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$49.4M · 56%
- Sales tax$12.9M · 15%
- Service charges (ambulance, recreation, parking and others)$8.1M · 9%
- Interest and rents$4.1M · 5%
- Hotel and short-term rental tax$3.3M · 4%
- Overhead charged to other city funds$3.2M · 4%
- Other$7.4M · 8%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Public safety (police, fire, ambulance, marine safety)$42.6M · 49%
- Public works$18.7M · 21%
- Community development$8.3M · 9%
- Beaches, parks and recreation$7.2M · 8%
- General government$6.5M · 7%
- Finance and administrative services$4.5M · 5%
Who provides your services
Not everything in San Clemente is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe countyOrange County Sheriff's Department (city contract)City of San Clemente
- Fire and paramedicsSeparate districtOrange County Fire Authority (city contract)City of San Clemente
- Ambulance transportContractorFalck Mobile Health Corp. (city contract)City of San Clemente
- Ocean lifeguards (marine safety)The cityCity of San Clemente Marine SafetyCity of San Clemente · Jun 2, 2026
- Sewer and storm drainsThe cityCity of San ClementeCity of San Clemente · Jun 2, 2026
- Trash collectionContractorPrivate hauler (city contract)City of San Clemente · Jun 2, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity of San Clemente Public WorksCity of San Clemente · Jun 2, 2026
- Beaches, parks, trails and the pierThe cityCity of San ClementeCity of San Clemente · Jun 2, 2026
- Animal control and shelterAnother agencyCoastal Animal Services Authority (joint agency with Dana Point)City of San Clemente · Jun 2, 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 | EncinitasCA | San ClementeCA | MontebelloCA | Santa CruzCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 62,193 | 62,636 | 62,994 | 63,065 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $333,564 | $324,966 | $354,235 | Not current (2022) |
| Council member pay | $20,636 | Not current (1998) | $12,384 | $20,524 |
| General fund per resident | $2,122 | $1,402 | $1,472 | $2,695 |
| Debt per resident | $1,133 | $128 | $4,812 | $4,197 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,129 | $685 | $422 | $3,531 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 4.1 | 3.2 | 9.7 | 15.6 |
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). Encinitas and San Clemente pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What San Clemente publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe two-year budget the council adopted on June 2, 2026 is posted in that meeting's agenda packet with Resolution 26-96. City of San Clemente · Jun 2, 2026
- Yes: City manager's contract findable online City of San Clemente
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online City of San Clemente · Jun 2, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online City of San Clemente · Jun 2, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentOrdinance No. 1217 sets council pay at $400 a month and is linked from the Benefits & Compensation page. City of San Clemente · Nov 18, 1998
- Yes: Employee pay publishedThe Benefits & Compensation page posts salary schedules for benefited and hourly employees, effective July 6, 2026. City of San Clemente
Questions to ask your council
- Public safety, mostly the Sheriff's and fire authority contracts, is $42.6 million of the $87.8 million general fund budget for FY2026-27. How will the city pay for future contract increases?
- The general fund spent $2.3 million more than it took in during FY2024-25. What would keep that from happening again?
- The city's net pension liability was $42.9 million at June 30, 2025. Does the city plan extra payments to reduce it?
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