How South Gate is run
Who runs South Gate, 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 South Gate's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs South Gate
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
- Contract runs Dec. 1, 2023 to Nov. 30, 2027
- Severance if fired without cause: nine months of base salary and benefits
- City car, or a $542 monthly car allowance, plus a $120 monthly technology allowance
- City pays the IRS maximum into his 457 deferred compensation account
- City pays full health, vision and dental premiums for him and his family
- The FY2026-27 council budget has $30,000 for auto allowances and $4,800 for communications allowances
- $22,800 for council deferred compensation matching (FY2026-27)
- $53,492 for council group medical insurance (FY2026-27)
South Gate city staff
312 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 123, Public Works 85, Parks & Recreation 47, Administrative Services 23, Community Development 23. FY2026-27. Budgeted full-time positions, down from 335 in FY2025-26. Does not count the seven elected officials. City of South Gate · Jun 9, 2026
The budget lists budgeted positions by job title. For pay, the city's budget page links to the State Controller's public pay database. We did not pull pay bands from it. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is South Gate 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: $12.4M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Keep a general fund reserve, the committed emergency reserve plus unassigned balance, of at least 17% of regular operating spending, with a 25% target. At least 17% is held as a committed Emergency and Economic Uncertainty Reserve. The city also held a $13.0M emergency reserve and $6.0M budget stabilization reserve at June 30, 2025. City of South Gate · Feb 12, 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 tax in lieu of vehicle license fees$14.6M · 20%
- Local sales tax (Measure P, 1 cent, voter-approved 2008)$14M · 19%
- Sales tax (state formula share)$13.6M · 18%
- Other revenues (mostly overhead charged to other city funds)$5.6M · 7%
- Other property taxes$4.8M · 6%
- Franchise taxes$3.3M · 4%
- Fees and charges$3M · 4%
- Use of money and property$2.7M · 4%
- Other (business license tax, permits, fines, hotel and other taxes, grants)$6.8M · 9%
- From reserves and fund balance$6.7M · 9%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$41.9M · 56%
- Parks and recreation$10.7M · 14%
- General government (council, clerk, treasurer, attorney, manager, HR, administrative services)$7.4M · 10%
- Public works$6.2M · 8%
- Community development$5.5M · 7%
- Other (non-departmental)$3.2M · 4%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Our sum from the city's audited rate table: the 1% base levy plus the voter-approved rates of the Los Angeles Unified and Los Angeles Community College districts and the Metropolitan Water District. Not all overlapping rates apply to every property. Homes in parts of South Gate served by the Downey, Lynwood or Paramount school districts and other college districts pay those districts' rates instead. The city levies no voter-approved debt rate.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of South Gate
- 1% base levy (shared by the county, schools, the city and others)The city's share is about 0.061 of the 1%.1 · 84%
- Los Angeles Unified School District bonds0.12802 · 11%
- Los Angeles Community College District bonds0.05136 · 4%
- Metropolitan Water District0.007 · <1%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.18638
FY2024-25 rates for a home in the Los Angeles Unified and Los Angeles Community College districts (South Gate, Los Angeles County). City of South Gate · Feb 12, 2026
See what a South Gate house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in South Gate is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe citySouth Gate Police DepartmentCity of South Gate · Feb 12, 2026
- 911 dispatchThe citySouth Gate Police Department Dispatch CenterCity of South Gate · Jun 9, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of South Gate water divisionCity of South Gate
- SewerThe cityCity of South Gate sewer utilityCity of South Gate · Feb 12, 2026
- Trash and recyclingContractorUniversal Waste Systems, Inc. (UWS), by contractCity of South Gate
- ElectricityPrivate companySouthern California EdisonCity of South Gate
- Animal controlContractorSoutheast Area Animal Control Authority (SEAACA), by contractCity of South Gate · Jun 9, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of South Gate Parks & RecreationCity of South Gate · Feb 12, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity of South Gate Public WorksCity of South Gate · Feb 12, 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 | South GateCA | ComptonCA | Santa MonicaCA | ReddingCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 93,467 | 93,937 | 94,237 | 94,294 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $301,600 | Not confirmed | $410,604 | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | $22,800 | $7,200 | $18,384 | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $802 | $914 | $5,573 | $1,218 |
| Debt per resident | $311 | $1,205 | $3,282 | $2,053 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,099 | $1,726 | $4,467 | $3,777 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 3.3 | — | 24.3 | 10.1 |
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). Compton pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What South Gate 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 book and master fee schedule are posted on the city's Budgets & Financial Transparency page. City of South Gate
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineThe 2023 employment agreement and the January 2025 amended agreement are attached to council agenda items in the city's Granicus agenda system. City of South Gate · Jan 14, 2025
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes record roll-call votes by name, e.g. the FY2026-27 budget passed June 9, 2026, with four yes votes and Council Member Avalos voting no. City of South Gate · Jul 28, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineThe Granicus meeting page posts agendas, minutes and video. Meetings are also streamed live on YouTube. City of South Gate
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentOrdinance 2024-01-CC sets council pay at $1,900 a month per member. City of South Gate · Apr 9, 2024
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