How Santa Paula is run
Who runs Santa Paula, 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 Paula's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Santa Paula
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
Santa Paula city staff
141 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27. Full-time equivalent employees in the FY2026-27 budget, up from 137.71 in FY2025-26. City of Santa Paula · Jun 17, 2025
The budget prints a salary schedule with pay ranges for every job title. We did not find a city list of pay by employee. Named pay here is only for elected officials and the city manager. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Santa Paula 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's five-year forecast has general fund spending growing faster than revenue. For FY2027-28 it projects $29.7M of spending against $29.1M of revenue, and it expects a shortfall of over $1.5 million in FY2028-29 and FY2029-30. City of Santa Paula · Jun 17, 2025
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $7M (2024-06-30). The city's own target: Council policy asks the city to keep a general fund contingency reserve of at least 20% of ongoing general fund and sub-fund spending, with a floor of 5%. The audit says the $7.0M unassigned balance includes a council-approved operating reserve of $3.8M. City of Santa Paula · Sep 11, 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
- Sales tax (including the Measure T and Measure R local sales taxes)$12.5M · 44%
- Property taxes and related$6.6M · 23%
- Charges for services$2.5M · 9%
- Licenses and permits$2.4M · 8%
- Transfers from other funds$2.3M · 8%
- Franchise fees$1.1M · 4%
- Other (intergovernmental, other taxes, investments and rents, fines, other)$1.1M · 4%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$11.3M · 41%
- Capital improvements$3.9M · 14%
- Parks and recreation$3.7M · 13%
- Community and economic development$2.3M · 8%
- Human resources$2.1M · 7%
- City manager$1.8M · 6%
- Finance$1.1M · 4%
- Other (information technology, public works, non-departmental)$1.8M · 6%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Every property pays the 1% base levy, which the county splits among the county, the city, schools and other agencies. Voter-approved school and college bonds and a United Water Conservation District levy are added on top. The city has no separate voter-approved rate.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Santa Paula
- 1% base levy (shared by the county, the city, schools and other agencies)1 · 88%
- Santa Paula Unified School District bonds0.0402 · 4%
- Santa Paula high school bonds0.0352 · 3%
- United Water Conservation District (land and improvements)0.026241 · 2%
- Santa Paula elementary school bonds0.0172 · 2%
- Ventura County Community College District bonds0.0139 · 1%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.132741
FY2025-26 rates for a home in the city of Santa Paula (Ventura County), tax rate area 04001. Ventura County Auditor-Controller
Who provides your services
Not everything in Santa Paula is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe citySanta Paula Police DepartmentCity of Santa Paula · Jun 17, 2025
- 911 dispatchThe citySanta Paula Police DepartmentThe police Emergency Communications Center answers 911 calls for police and fireCity of Santa Paula · Jun 17, 2025
- Fire and emergency medicalThe countyVentura County Fire DepartmentThe city disbanded its own fire department under a 2017 annexation agreement with the countyCity of Santa Paula
- WaterThe cityCity of Santa PaulaCity of Santa Paula · Jun 17, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of Santa PaulaCity of Santa Paula · Jun 17, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Santa PaulaCity of Santa Paula · Jun 17, 2025
- LibrarySeparate districtBlanchard/Santa Paula Library DistrictCity of Santa Paula · Jun 17, 2025
- Public transitAnother agencyVentura County Transportation CommissionCity of Santa Paula · Jun 17, 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 | SeasideCA | AtwaterCA | Los AltosCA | Santa PaulaCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 31,681 | 31,806 | 31,921 | 31,976 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $285,000 | $193,747 | $340,808 | $222,664 |
| Council member pay | $4,800 | No salary | $11,400 | $7,200 |
| General fund per resident | $1,720 | $681 | $2,235 | $870 |
| Debt per resident | $513 | $1,880 | $255 | $3,489 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $2,019 | $888 | $1,426 | $1,037 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 5.1 | 3.5 | 5.0 | 4.4 |
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). Atwater and Los Altos and Santa Paula pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Santa Paula 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 FY2023-24 audit is dated Sept. 11, 2025, more than a year after year end. The Financial Reports page lists no FY2024-25 audit. City of Santa Paula
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe Financial Reports page posts the FY2025-27 budget and earlier budgets. City of Santa Paula
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineThe Dec. 4, 2019 agenda lists approval of his employment agreement, but we did not find the agreement posted. City of Santa Paula · Dec 4, 2019
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes list how each member voted, e.g. the June 17, 2026 consent calendar vote. City of Santa Paula · Oct 7, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineThe city's meeting portal posts council agendas, minutes and videos, with a searchable archive. City of Santa Paula
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public documentThe budget's salary schedule lists $600 for each council member without saying per month; the council salaries line is $36,000. City of Santa Paula · Jun 17, 2025
- Yes: Employee pay published City of Santa Paula · Jun 17, 2025
Questions to ask your council
- The budget's forecast expects a general fund shortfall of over $1.5 million in FY2028-29 and FY2029-30. Which steps would close it?
- CalPERS reported the city's two pension plans $33.2 million short at June 30, 2025. Does the city plan payments beyond the required ones?
- The FY2023-24 audit was dated Sept. 11, 2025, more than a year after the year ended June 30, 2024. When will the FY2024-25 audit be published?
Help decide what comes next
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