How San Marino is run
Who runs San Marino, 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 Marino's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs San Marino
A City Manager appointed by the council oversees the city's daily work. The five council members, elected at large, are the city's governing body and also appoint the City Attorney and the City Treasurer. Each year the council picks one of its members as mayor. The city runs its own police and fire departments, library, parks and public works, mostly with city employees.
What they are paid
- Contract runs through June 30, 2032
- City pays 5% of base salary into a 457(b) or 401(a) deferred compensation plan
- CalPERS pension at 2% at 60; he pays the employee share
- Same medical and health benefits as department heads
- A one-time grant of 3 weeks of sick leave in 2025
San Marino city staff
129 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 40, Fire 21, Parks & Public Works 17, Library 16, Administration (manager, finance, HR, community services) 13, Community Development 13, Recreation 8. FY2026-27. City of San Marino · May 29, 2026
The city posts a salary schedule with pay ranges for every job title, its labor agreements and the City Manager's contract. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is San Marino 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 budget message calls the FY2026-27 budget balanced but says the city faces structural deficits. The General Fund Group has a $920,686 operating deficit, covered once with money from the city's pension prefunding trust. The five-year forecast shows deficits of $1.5 million in FY2027-28 growing to $1.9 million in FY2031-32, and it assumes voters renew the utility users tax, which expires March 31, 2027, and the public safety parcel tax, which expires after FY2028-29. The city lists $50.7 million of unfunded capital needs over the next five years. City of San Marino · May 29, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $19.1M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: City financial policies call for general fund unassigned balance of about 40% of general fund revenues. The audit put the ratio at 52% on June 30, 2025. The budget projects unassigned balance of $17.7 million, 48.7% of revenues, on June 30, 2027. The city meets this target. City of San Marino · Nov 4, 2025
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$21.6M · 58%
- Public safety parcel tax$3.9M · 10%
- Utility users, business license, franchise, sales and property transfer taxes$3.5M · 9%
- Property tax in lieu of vehicle license fees$2.3M · 6%
- Charges for services (planning, paramedic, recreation, library and other fees)$2.3M · 6%
- Licenses and permits (mostly building permits)$1.3M · 3%
- One-time draw from the pension prefunding trust (CEPPT)$920,686 · 2%
- Other (interest, rents, fines, donations, event fees and other revenue)$1.5M · 4%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$10M · 27%
- Fire and paramedics$8.4M · 22%
- General government (council, manager, attorney, finance, HR, citywide costs)$5.8M · 15%
- Parks and public works$5M · 13%
- Insurance funds (general liability and workers' compensation)$2.7M · 7%
- Community development (planning, building, code enforcement)$2.4M · 6%
- Library$1.6M · 4%
- Recreation and community events (including Fourth of July)$1.3M · 4%
- Other (spending from donations)$139,162 · 0%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Most of the bill is the 1% base levy, which the county splits among local agencies. The city's share is about 23.6 cents of each base-levy dollar. Voter-approved rates for the school district, the community college district and the water district are added on top. The audit also lists a Pasadena Unified School District rate, which applies only to some properties.
22¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of San Marino
- Other local agencies' shares of the 1% base levy0.7636 · 70%
- City of San Marino share of the 1% base levy0.2364 · 22%
- San Marino Unified School District0.064 · 6%
- Pasadena Community College District0.024 · 2%
- Metropolitan Water District0.007 · <1%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.095
FY2024-25 rates for a home in San Marino (San Marino Unified School District). City of San Marino · Nov 4, 2025
Who provides your services
Not everything in San Marino is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe citySan Marino Police DepartmentCity of San Marino · Nov 4, 2025
- FireThe citySan Marino Fire DepartmentCity of San Marino · Nov 4, 2025
- WaterPrivate companyCalifornia American Water or Sunnyslope Water Company, depending on the addressCity of San Marino
- Trash and recyclingContractorValley Vista Services (city agreement)City of San Marino
- ElectricityPrivate companySouthern California EdisonCity of San Marino
- LibraryThe cityCrowell Public Library (city)City of San Marino · Nov 4, 2025
- Parks, recreation and streetsThe cityCity of San Marino (Parks & Public Works and Community Services)119.5 lane miles of streets and one parkCity of San Marino · Nov 4, 2025
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 AnselmoCA | Grover BeachCA | San MarinoCA | LarkspurCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 12,474 | 12,502 | 12,513 | 12,650 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $295,992 | $273,780 | $289,596 | $291,838 |
| Council member pay | $3,600 | $8,640 | No salary | $11,400 |
| General fund per resident | $1,910 | $1,550 | $2,991 | $2,185 |
| Debt per resident | $733 | $3,108 | $0 | $2,935 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $149 | $1,284 | $3,479 | $336 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | 5.6 | 10.3 | 2.8 |
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 Anselmo and Grover Beach and Larkspur pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What San Marino 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 Marino
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online City of San Marino · May 29, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online City of San Marino
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public document City of San Marino
- Yes: Employee pay published City of San Marino
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 General Fund Group budget closes a $920,686 gap with one-time money from the pension prefunding trust, and the forecast shows deficits of $1.5 million in FY2027-28 growing to $1.9 million. What is the plan if voters do not renew the utility users tax that expires March 31, 2027?
- Police and fire cost $10.0 million and $8.4 million of the $37.4 million General Fund Group budget in FY2026-27, and the parcel tax that helps pay for them expires after FY2028-29. How would those services be funded if it is not renewed?
- The city lists $50.7 million of unfunded capital needs over five years, while the Capital Projects Fund is projected to fall to about $1.0 million by June 30, 2027. How will streets, sidewalks and storm drains be paid for?
- The city's three CalPERS plans were $43.5 million short on June 30, 2025, and FY2026-27 payments toward that gap are $4.3 million. Should the council refill the pension trust once revenues allow, as staff proposed?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The council heard the budget overview on Feb. 27, 2026, the mid-year review and five-year forecast on March 11, the capital plan on March 27 and the operating budget on April 24. It adopted the FY2026-27 budget 5-0 on May 29, 2026. The council meets on the second Wednesday of the month at 6 p.m. and the last Friday at 8:30 a.m. See who is running for council
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