How San Leandro is run
Who runs San Leandro, 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 Leandro's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs San Leandro
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
- Six months' base salary plus medical and dental coverage as severance if fired without cause
- CalPERS retirement; she pays 7% of salary plus 3% toward the city's share
- City matches her 457 deferred compensation up to 2% of base pay
- $400 a month car allowance
- Up to $10,000 a year for professional memberships and conferences
- $30 per Successor Agency meeting attended, up to four meetings a month
San Leandro city staff
455 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 138. FY2026-27. City of San Leandro · May 4, 2026
The city posts a master salary schedule, approved by the council, with the pay range for every job title, including the city manager, mayor and council. Fire service is contracted, so firefighters are not city staff. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is San Leandro 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 against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $61.7M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Keep an economic uncertainty reserve of 20% of budgeted general fund spending (excluding significant one-time spending), plus a $5 million major emergency reserve. Both are held within the unassigned balance. Staff proposed dropping the $5 million target in September 2025. The city meets this target. City of San Leandro · Dec 30, 2025
Bar: unassigned savings of $61.7M. 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
- Sales and use taxes$53.6M · 34%
- Property taxes$35.4M · 22%
- Other taxes$30.8M · 19%
- Licenses and permits$12.2M · 8%
- Franchise taxes$7.7M · 5%
- Use of money and property$4.3M · 3%
- Charges for services$4.1M · 3%
- Other (internal service charges, other agencies, fines, misc.)$5.6M · 4%
- From reserves (fund balance)$5.3M · 3%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$50.9M · 32%
- Fire (Alameda County Fire Department contract)$36.2M · 23%
- Recreation and parks$11.6M · 7%
- Community development$9.8M · 6%
- Public works$9.4M · 6%
- Library$9.3M · 6%
- Transfers to other funds (mostly capital)$8.5M · 5%
- Other (city manager and council, finance, HR, human services, non-departmental)$23.3M · 15%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
California caps the base property tax at 1% of assessed value; voter-approved bond rates are added on top. Of the 1% base levy in San Leandro's main tax rate area, about 16 cents of each dollar goes to the city. The city has no voter-approved bond rate of its own.
13¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of San Leandro
- County of Alameda (rest of the 1% base levy)0.843319 · 69%
- San Leandro Unified School District (voter-approved bonds)0.1603 · 13%
- City of San Leandro (share of the 1% base levy)0.156681 · 13%
- Chabot-Las Positas Community College District (bonds)0.0393 · 3%
- Bay Area Rapid Transit (bonds)0.0148 · 1%
- Alameda County (general obligation bonds)0.0089 · <1%
- East Bay Regional Park District (bonds)0.0013 · <1%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.2246
FY2024-25 rates for a home in San Leandro (Alameda County, tax rate area 10-001). City of San Leandro · Dec 30, 2025
See what a San Leandro home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in San Leandro is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe citySan Leandro Police DepartmentCity of San Leandro
- SewerThe cityCity of San Leandro Water Pollution Control PlantCity of San Leandro
- Trash and recyclingContractorAlameda County Industries (about 60% of customers); Waste Management through Oro Loma Sanitary District (about 40%)City of San Leandro
- ElectricityAnother agencyAva Community Energy supplies power; PG&E delivers itCity of San Leandro
- LibraryThe citySan Leandro Public Library (city)City of San Leandro
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of San Leandro Recreation & ParksCity of San Leandro
- StreetsThe cityCity of San Leandro (Engineering and Transportation, Public Works)City of San Leandro
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 | LivermoreCA | Rancho CordovaCA | San LeandroCA | Mountain ViewCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 86,118 | 87,312 | 87,431 | 88,533 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $392,895 | $318,000 | $373,118 | $452,777 |
| Council member pay | $13,482 | $6,000 | $22,800 | $16,930 |
| General fund per resident | $1,843 | $961 | $1,819 | $2,343 |
| Debt per resident | $991 | $133 | $736 | $1,077 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,832 | $77 | $2,644 | $2,676 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 5.9 | 1.6 | 5.2 | 8.1 |
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). Livermore and Rancho Cordova pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What San Leandro 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 San Leandro
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online City of San Leandro
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public document City of San Leandro
Questions to ask your council
- Fire service from the Alameda County Fire Department is budgeted at $36.2 million in FY2026-27, the second-largest general fund cost after police. How does the council review that contract's cost?
- The miscellaneous CalPERS plan was 69% funded at the June 30, 2024 measurement, and the city's total net pension liability was $231.2 million. How will the $35.5 million the general fund holds for pension contributions be used?
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $61.7 million on June 30, 2025, above the $31.7 million the reserve policy calls for. What is the plan for the amount above the target?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The city adopts a two-year budget in June (the FY2025-26 and FY2026-27 budget on June 16, 2025) and updates the second year at mid-cycle (FY2026-27 changes adopted May 4, 2026). Budget work starts in November with a council priority-setting workshop, community outreach, study sessions and public hearings. See who is running for council
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