How Santa Ana is run
Who runs Santa Ana, 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 Santa Ana's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Santa Ana
A city manager appointed by the council runs daily operations and proposes the budget. The council of seven, a mayor elected citywide and six members elected by ward, makes policy, adopts the budget and selects the city manager, city attorney and city clerk.
What they are paid
- 12 months' base pay as severance if fired without cause
- City vehicle, or a $500 a month car allowance
- CalPERS pension at 2.7% at 55; he pays 8% of pay toward the employer cost
- City pays the legal maximum into his 457 deferred compensation plan, including catch-up
- City pays 100% of his health premiums and 90% for dependents
- $500,000 city-paid term life insurance
- $500 a month car allowance
- $50 per Housing Authority session, up to four a month
- City-paid medical and dental coverage, as for unrepresented appointed staff
- Optional CalPERS pension, or deferred compensation with a 3.75% city match
- $20,000 basic life insurance while in office
Santa Ana city staff
1,437 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 653, Public Works 327. FY2026-27. Authorized full-time positions, down 18 from FY2025-26. The city also employs over 400 part-time workers. City of Santa Ana · Jul 30, 2026
The council adopts salary schedules by job title, posted on the city website. We did not pull pay bands from the State Controller's database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Santa Ana 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 FY2026-27 general fund budget uses $7.7M of savings for one-time projects and insurance fund subsidies; the city says the rest is structurally balanced after closing a projected $19M shortfall. Its ten-year outlook says spending will grow faster than revenue, and the Measure X sales tax drop from 1.5% to 1.0% in April 2029 will cut about $30M a year, so the budget will need ongoing adjustments. City of Santa Ana · Jul 30, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $97.1M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Keep a general fund operating reserve of at least 18% of annual recurring general fund revenue. Any use of it must come with a plan to rebuild it. The city meets this target. City of Santa Ana · Dec 12, 2025
Bar: unassigned savings of $97.1M. 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
- Measure X local sales tax (1.5%)$84M · 19%
- Sales tax (including the public safety half-cent)$62.4M · 14%
- Property tax$51.9M · 12%
- Property tax in lieu of vehicle license fees$47.8M · 11%
- Utility users taxes (electric, gas, telephone, water)$29.4M · 7%
- Charges for services$27.8M · 6%
- Business tax$18.3M · 4%
- Franchise fees$14.1M · 3%
- Other (cannabis and hotel taxes, jail rental income, cost recovery, permits, fines, misc.)$91.6M · 21%
- From savings (fund balance)$7.7M · 2%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$166M · 38%
- Fire and EMS (Orange County Fire Authority contract and ambulance)$62.6M · 14%
- Public works (streets, park maintenance, trees, streetlights)$58.5M · 13%
- Pension unfunded liability payments$49M · 11%
- Transfers to other funds$19.3M · 4%
- Planning and building$17.7M · 4%
- Parks, recreation and community services$13.9M · 3%
- Finance and management services$13.9M · 3%
- Other (library, city attorney, city manager, HR, community development, council, clerk, museum)$34.2M · 8%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Most of the bill is the 1% base levy that the state constitution caps. The county splits it among local agencies; in the city's largest tax rate area the city gets about 19 cents of each base-levy dollar. Homes in the parts of the city served by Tustin, Garden Grove or Orange unified, or by Coast college district, pay those districts' bond rates instead.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Santa Ana
- 1% base levy (shared by the county, schools, the city and special districts)The city's share is about 19% in its largest tax rate area1 · 90%
- Santa Ana Unified School District bonds0.06076 · 5%
- Rancho Santiago Community College District bonds0.04509 · 4%
- Metropolitan Water District0.007 · <1%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.11285
FY2024-25 rates for a home in Santa Ana in the Santa Ana Unified and Rancho Santiago college districts (Orange County). City of Santa Ana · Dec 12, 2025
Who provides your services
Not everything in Santa Ana is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe citySanta Ana Police DepartmentCity of Santa Ana
- FireContractorOrange County Fire Authority (by contract since FY2012-13)City of Santa Ana
- AmbulancePrivate companyFalck Ambulance (city contract)City of Santa Ana
- WaterThe cityCity of Santa Ana Public Works (water utility)City of Santa Ana
- Sewer and storm drainsThe cityCity of Santa Ana Public WorksCity of Santa Ana
- LibrariesThe citySanta Ana Public LibraryCity of Santa Ana
- Parks, recreation and the Santa Ana ZooThe cityCity of Santa Ana Parks, Recreation and Community Services50 parks, 5 community centers and the Santa Ana ZooCity of Santa Ana
- City streetsThe cityCity of Santa Ana Public WorksCity of Santa Ana
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 | Santa AnaCA | IrvineCA | RiversideCA | StocktonCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 312,808 | 317,744 | 321,884 | 322,436 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $340,200 | $434,242 | $405,696 | $390,277 |
| Council member pay | $12,000 | $10,560 | $45,732 | $30,833 |
| General fund per resident | $1,391 | $982 | $1,191 | $1,068 |
| Debt per resident | $1,677 | $1,048 | $5,627 | $1,377 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,118 | $533 | $1,209 | $2,061 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 4.6 | 3.5 | 8.5 | 5.6 |
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). Santa Ana and Irvine pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Santa Ana publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted online City of Santa Ana · Jul 30, 2026
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineThe May 2026 amended and restated agreement with Alvaro Nuñez is posted on the city website. City of Santa Ana · May 5, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineOrdinances list each member's vote, e.g. the 7-0 vote adopting the FY2026-27 budget on June 16, 2026. City of Santa Ana · Jun 16, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineAgendas, minutes and staff reports since 2014 are online, and meetings are broadcast live and archived. City of Santa Ana
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe city's council compensation page lists the $1,000 monthly salary, $500 car allowance and benefits. City of Santa Ana
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Santa Ana · May 5, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The ten-year outlook says the Measure X sales tax falls from 1.5% to 1.0% in April 2029, cutting about $30 million a year. What is the plan to cover that gap?
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $97.1 million on June 30, 2025, of which $73.9 million is the 18% operating reserve. How will the amount above that reserve be used?
- Fire and EMS cost $62.6 million in the FY2026-27 general fund, mostly for the Orange County Fire Authority contract. How does the council check that the contract is good value?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The city manager presents a draft budget in May, and the council holds a public hearing (June 2, 2026 this year). The council adopted the FY2026-27 budget 7-0 on June 16, 2026; the charter requires adoption by July 31. See who is running for council
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