How South Pasadena is run
Who runs South Pasadena, 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 Pasadena's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs South Pasadena
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
- An extra 100 hours of vacation leave added in 2026
- Performance reviews by the council under the contract; the first was held March 18, 2026
- The FY2026-27 council budget includes $12,500 for conventions and meetings
South Pasadena city staff
177 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 54, Public Works (including water) 39, Fire 23, Community Services 14, Community Development 12, Library 11, Finance 10, City Manager's Office 8. FY2026-27. Full-time budgeted positions, up from 171 in FY2025-26. Part-time staff are not counted. City of South Pasadena · Jun 17, 2026
The budget lists every full-time position by department. No citywide salary schedule was found on the city website. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is South Pasadena 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: $19M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: City policy calls for unassigned general fund balance of at least three months (about 25%) of the coming year's budgeted operating revenues. The audit put the balance at 50% of general fund spending on June 30, 2025. The budget projects $15.84 million, 34% of operating spending, on June 30, 2027, about $4.4 million above the minimum. The city meets this target. City of South Pasadena · Jan 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$18.3M · 40%
- Sales tax (including the city's Measure A sales tax)$6.2M · 14%
- State motor vehicle license fee backfill (intergovernmental)$4.9M · 11%
- Utility users tax$4.8M · 10%
- Charges for services (including paramedic fees)$4.1M · 9%
- Franchise fees, Prop. 172 sales tax and property transfer tax$2M · 4%
- Interest and rents$1.3M · 3%
- Licenses and permits$1.1M · 2%
- Other (library special tax, fines, other revenue and a transfer from the golf course fund)$2.9M · 6%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$14.8M · 33%
- Fire, paramedics and emergency preparedness$9.2M · 21%
- City manager, human resources, legal, clerk, elections and council$4M · 9%
- Community development (planning, building, housing)$3.7M · 8%
- Recreation, senior services and parks$3.4M · 8%
- Finance, information technology and treasurer$3.4M · 8%
- Library$2.8M · 6%
- Public works (engineering, environmental services, facilities)$1.8M · 4%
- Other (non-departmental costs)$1.6M · 4%
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 0.24 of each 1%, or about 24 cents of each base-levy dollar. Voter-approved rates for South Pasadena Unified, Pasadena City College and the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District are added on top.
21¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of South Pasadena
- Los Angeles County0.2857 · 25%
- Educational Revenue Augmentation Fund (state school funding shift)0.2551 · 22%
- City of South Pasadena0.24 · 21%
- School district (base levy share)0.1712 · 15%
- Community college (base levy share)0.032 · 3%
- Los Angeles County Flood Control0.0096 · <1%
- Los Angeles County Fire (FFW)0.006 · <1%
- Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District (base levy share)0.0005 · <1%
- South Pasadena Unified School District bonds0.1278 · 11%
- Pasadena Community College District bonds0.0243 · 2%
- Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District voter-approved rate0.007 · <1%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.1592
FY2024-25 rates for a home in South Pasadena (South Pasadena Unified School District). City of South Pasadena · Jan 12, 2026
See what a South Pasadena home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in South Pasadena is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe citySouth Pasadena Police DepartmentCity of South Pasadena · Jan 12, 2026
- Paramedic ambulance (EMS)The citySouth Pasadena Fire DepartmentCity of South Pasadena · Jun 17, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of South Pasadena water utilityCity of South Pasadena · Jan 12, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity of South Pasadena (Public Works)City of South Pasadena · Jan 12, 2026
- Trash and recyclingContractorAthens Services (city contract)City of South Pasadena
- LibraryThe citySouth Pasadena Public Library (city)City of South Pasadena · Jan 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 | HerculesCA | South PasadenaCA | PattersonCA | RiverbankCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 26,323 | 26,380 | 26,386 | 26,594 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $260,000 | $312,000 | $244,660 | Not current (2022) |
| Council member pay | $9,979 | $11,400 | Not confirmed | $10,800 |
| General fund per resident | $813 | $1,697 | $1,560 | $705 |
| Debt per resident | $1,767 | $1,979 | $3,245 | $218 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $798 | $1,735 | $478 | $352 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 2.5 | 6.7 | 6.1 | — |
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). Hercules and Patterson and Riverbank pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What South Pasadena 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 South Pasadena · Jun 17, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online City of South Pasadena · Jul 15, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online City of South Pasadena
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public document City of South Pasadena · Feb 7, 2024
Questions to ask your council
- The city's two CalPERS plans were $45.8 million short on June 30, 2025, and the safety plan was 74.9% funded. Should the city pay down the unfunded liability faster while reserves are above the 25% minimum?
- The water utility carries $52.2 million of bonds and state loans, and the budget says water and sewer rates are too low to support operations. How much would rates need to rise to cover debt payments and capital needs?
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