How San Jacinto is run
Who runs San Jacinto, 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 Jacinto's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs San Jacinto
San Jacinto is a general law city with a council-manager government. The five council members set policy and adopt the budget, and a City Manager appointed by the council runs the city day to day. Travis Randel has been interim city manager since June 2, 2026, when Robert Johnson left the post to run San Jacinto Power. The city contracts with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department for police and with the Riverside County Fire Department for fire service.
What they are paid
- Keeps the terms of his Deputy City Manager employment agreement
- Eligible for the July 1, 2026 cost-of-living adjustment
- No severance when the interim appointment ends
- Right to return to his Deputy City Manager post
San Jacinto city staff
80 full-time-equivalent positions, including Public Utilities 37, City Manager and administration 20, Community Development 15, Finance 8. FY2026-27. City of San Jacinto · Jun 16, 2026
The budget's staffing plan lists the monthly salary range for every job title. We did not pull pay bands from the State Controller's pay database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is San Jacinto 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
We found no multi-year forecast in the posted budget materials. The FY2026-27 general fund operating budget expects $41.7 million of revenue and $43.4 million of spending. With capital projects, the general fund plans to use $9.8 million of reserves. The public safety community facilities district again needs an advance of about $2.7 million from the general fund. City of San Jacinto · Jun 16, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $21.4M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: A contingency reserve of at least 15% of the upcoming year's budgeted general fund operating spending, counted within the unassigned balance. It held $6,069,130 on June 30, 2025. The FY2026-27 budget sets it at $6,509,874. The city meets this target. City of San Jacinto · Apr 14, 2026
Bar: unassigned savings of $21.4M. 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
- General fund operating revenue (taxes, fees, state aid)$27.6M · 49%
- Measure V one-cent sales tax$8.3M · 15%
- Development services fees$5.8M · 10%
- Grants for capital projects$5.2M · 9%
- From reserves (fund balance)$9.8M · 17%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police (Riverside County Sheriff contract, including Measure V)$21M · 37%
- Non-departmental (including $13.3M of capital projects)$13.8M · 24%
- Fire (Riverside County Fire contract, including Measure V)$3.5M · 6%
- Code enforcement$3.3M · 6%
- Parks$1.8M · 3%
- Streets$1.7M · 3%
- Finance$1.4M · 2%
- Other (city manager, clerk, planning, building, engineering, outreach, council and more)$10.2M · 18%
Who provides your services
Not everything in San Jacinto is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceContractorRiverside County Sheriff's Department (as San Jacinto Police Department)City of San Jacinto
- Fire and emergency servicesThe countyRiverside County Fire DepartmentTwo fire stations in the city, under contract since 1996City of San Jacinto
- Water (central area)The cityCity of San Jacinto Water DepartmentAbout 4,200 connections in the central area of the cityCity of San Jacinto
- Sewer linesThe cityCity of San Jacinto Wastewater DepartmentCity of San Jacinto
- StreetsThe cityCity of San Jacinto Streets DepartmentCity of San Jacinto
- ParksThe cityCity of San JacintoCity of San Jacinto · Apr 14, 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 | San JacintoCA | LincolnCA | Fountain ValleyCA | HighlandCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 55,900 | 56,494 | 56,596 | 56,655 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $287,964 | $281,190 | $306,569 | $289,000 |
| Council member pay | $19,200 | $7,860 | $6,001 | $9,600 |
| General fund per resident | $1,014 | $579 | $1,508 | $489 |
| Debt per resident | $248 | $404 | $544 | $111 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $257 | $551 | $1,652 | $110 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 0.7 |
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). San Jacinto and Highland pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What San Jacinto publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- No: Audited financial report filed on timeThe FY2024-25 audit is dated April 14, 2026, after California's Jan. 31 deadline. We found it on the Federal Audit Clearinghouse, not the city's website. City of San Jacinto · Apr 14, 2026
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineThe interim city manager's employment agreement is attached to the June 16, 2026 council agenda packet. City of San Jacinto · Jun 16, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineCouncil minutes name who made and seconded each motion and list ayes, nays, absences and abstentions. City of San Jacinto · Jun 16, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online City of San Jacinto · Jun 2, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public document City of San Jacinto · Jun 16, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 general fund budget spends $56.7 million against $46.9 million of revenue, using $9.8 million of reserves. Which capital projects could wait if revenue falls short?
- The public safety community facilities district needs an advance of about $2.7 million from the general fund in FY2026-27. What is the plan to close that gap?
- Police costs are about $21.0 million of the FY2026-27 general fund budget. How does the council review the Sheriff's contract each year?
- The FY2024-25 audit is dated April 14, 2026. When will the FY2025-26 audit be finished and posted on the city website?
The fiscal year starts July 1. City staff prepare a proposed budget for the council. The council held a budget workshop on June 2, 2026 and adopted the FY2026-27 budget on June 16, 2026 by a 4-0 vote, with one member absent. See who is running for council
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