How San Juan Capistrano is run
Who runs San Juan Capistrano, 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 Juan Capistrano's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs San Juan Capistrano
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
- Up to six months of paid COBRA health premiums after a covered termination
- City pays the annual IRS maximum into his 457 deferred compensation account
- $650 a month car allowance or a city vehicle
- Orange County Employees Retirement System pension; he pays the employee share
- 80 hours of administrative leave a year
- Housing Authority board members get a $50 stipend per Housing Authority meeting
San Juan Capistrano city staff
63 full-time-equivalent positions, including Public Works 20, City Manager's department (incl. HR and community services) 19, Development Services 15. FY2026-27. City of San Juan Capistrano · Jun 16, 2026
The city posts salary schedules for every job class and the city manager's and city clerk's contracts. 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 Juan Capistrano 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.
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $24.5M (2025-06-30). City of San Juan Capistrano · Feb 19, 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 taxes (incl. vehicle license fee swap)$19.1M · 42%
- Sales tax$13.1M · 29%
- Licenses, fees and permits (mostly building and development)$4.1M · 9%
- Hotel, property transfer and business license taxes$3M · 7%
- Franchise fees$1.8M · 4%
- Other agencies (landfill host fees, grants)$1.4M · 3%
- Fines and forfeitures$1.2M · 3%
- Other (interest and rents, charges to other funds, reimbursements)$1.2M · 3%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Public safety (Orange County Sheriff police contract)$15.5M · 35%
- Public works (streets, parks, buildings, engineering)$11.7M · 27%
- City Manager's department (incl. HR, IT, community services)$6.2M · 14%
- Development services (planning, building, code enforcement)$4.7M · 11%
- Finance$2.6M · 6%
- Capital projects$1.9M · 4%
- Other (city attorney, city clerk, city council)$1.6M · 4%
Who provides your services
Not everything in San Juan Capistrano 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 Juan Capistrano
- Fire and emergency medical responseSeparate districtOrange County Fire AuthorityCity of San Juan Capistrano
- Water and sewerSeparate districtSanta Margarita Water DistrictThe city ran its own water and sewer utility until it transferred the systems on Nov. 15, 2021City of San Juan Capistrano · Feb 19, 2026
- City streets and storm drainsThe cityCity of San Juan Capistrano Public WorksCity of San Juan Capistrano · Jun 16, 2026
- Parks and open spaceThe cityCity of San Juan Capistrano Public WorksCity of San Juan Capistrano · Jun 16, 2026
- Recreation programs and community centersThe cityCity of San Juan Capistrano Community ServicesCity of San Juan Capistrano · Jun 16, 2026
- Street sweepingContractorSweeping Corp of America (city contract)City of San Juan Capistrano
- Animal control and shelterThe countyCounty of Orange (OC Animal Care, city contract)City of San Juan Capistrano · Jun 16, 2026
- LibraryThe countyOC Public Libraries (county)OC Public Libraries
- Information technologyContractorInfinity Technologies (city contract)City of San Juan Capistrano · Jun 16, 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 | Manhattan BeachCA | West HollywoodCA | San Juan CapistranoCA | MartinezCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 34,333 | 35,283 | 35,331 | 36,521 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $306,375 | $368,500 | $362,100 | $282,468 |
| Council member pay | $6,000 | $20,697 | Not confirmed | $9,984 |
| General fund per resident | $3,398 | $4,835 | $1,250 | $1,083 |
| Debt per resident | $2,807 | $5,215 | $610 | $1,451 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $554 | $1,185 | $413 | $1,460 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 10.4 | 7.3 | 1.8 | 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). West Hollywood and San Juan Capistrano pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What San Juan Capistrano publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe FY2026-27 adopted budget is posted in the Archive Center linked from the city's Budget page. City of San Juan Capistrano · Jun 16, 2026
- Yes: City manager's contract findable online City of San Juan Capistrano
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineThe city's Granicus archive posts video, agendas and minutes of council and commission meetings. City of San Juan Capistrano
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public document City of San Juan Capistrano · Jun 16, 2026
- Yes: Employee pay publishedThe city posts salary schedules for classified, management, part-time and executive employees on its Compensation page. City of San Juan Capistrano
Questions to ask your council
- City staff expect general fund spending to outpace revenue beginning in 5 to 7 years. Which costs or new revenues will the council look at first?
- Public safety, mostly the Orange County Sheriff's contract, is $15.5 million of the $44.2 million general fund budget for FY2026-27. How will the city pay for any raise from the deputies' pending labor talks?
- The general fund balance fell $9.2 million in FY2024-25, mainly to rehabilitate local streets. How much more street and bridge work is planned, and from which funds?
- The city's share of the OCERS pension plan was $14.6 million unfunded at Dec. 31, 2024. Does the city plan extra payments to reduce it?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The council held a budget workshop on May 19, 2026 and adopted the FY2026-27 budget on June 16, 2026. See who is running for council
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