How South San Francisco is run
Who runs South San Francisco, 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 San Francisco's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs South San Francisco
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
- Nine months' base pay plus the value of health benefits as severance if fired without cause
- Same benefits as the city's executive managers, including retirement, health insurance and car allowance
- $10,000 housing stipend to help move within 20 miles of the city
- Vacation accrues at the rate for employees with 25 or more years of service
- Term runs through June 30, 2029; the council is to consider an extension before January 31, 2029
South San Francisco city staff
657 full-time-equivalent positions, including Parks and Recreation 203, Police 120, Public Works 102, Fire 95, Library 48. FY2026-27. Budgeted positions in all funds, up from 639.81, mostly from 15.77 new aquatics positions. City of South San Francisco · Jun 10, 2026
The city posts a full wage and salary schedule with pay ranges for every job class. We did not pull pay bands from the State Controller's database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is South San Francisco 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 city says the general fund has a structural deficit, with costs growing faster than revenue. Its 10-year forecast expects spending to outpace revenue for the foreseeable future, largely because the state is withholding property tax in lieu of vehicle license fee money. If the state repays that shortfall, the FY2026-27 deficit could fall by about $5 million. City of South San Francisco · Jun 10, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $92.4M (2025-06-30). City of South San Francisco · Dec 19, 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$61.9M · 39%
- Sales tax$21.6M · 14%
- Hotel tax$17.3M · 11%
- Charges for services$12.4M · 8%
- Licenses and permits$10.7M · 7%
- Interest and rent$8.3M · 5%
- Franchise fees$5.5M · 4%
- Business license tax$5.5M · 4%
- Other (other agencies, parking tax, transfers, fines, misc.)$13.7M · 9%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Salaries and benefits$133M · 82%
- Supplies and services$16.4M · 10%
- Charges from internal service funds$12.2M · 8%
- Transfers out$500,000 · 0%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
63 of the city's 68 tax rate areas pay 1.0873%. The amount above the 1% base levy pays school and college district bonds. A few areas in other school districts pay slightly different rates.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of South San Francisco
- 1% base levy (shared by the county, the city, schools and other agencies)1 · 92%
- School and college district bonds (South San Francisco Unified and San Mateo community colleges)0.0873 · 8%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.0873
FY2024-25 rates for most homes in South San Francisco (San Mateo County). City of South San Francisco · Dec 19, 2025
Who provides your services
Not everything in South San Francisco is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe citySouth San Francisco Police DepartmentCity of South San Francisco · Dec 19, 2024
- Fire and paramedic servicesThe citySouth San Francisco Fire DepartmentCity of South San Francisco · Dec 19, 2024
- Sewer and wastewater treatmentThe cityCity of South San Francisco (Water Quality Control Plant)The plant also serves San Bruno, which shares in its loan repayments.City of South San Francisco · Jun 10, 2026
- LibraryThe citySouth San Francisco Public Library (city)City of South San Francisco · Dec 19, 2024
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of South San Francisco Parks and Recreation DepartmentOver 250 acres of parks and open space.City of South San Francisco · Jun 10, 2026
- Streets, drainage and street lightingThe cityCity of South San FranciscoCity of South San Francisco · Dec 19, 2024
- SchoolsSeparate districtSouth San Francisco Unified School DistrictCity of South San Francisco · Jun 10, 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 San FranciscoCA | DavisCA | BrentwoodCA | Yorba LindaCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 65,239 | 66,002 | 66,070 | 66,190 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $395,616 | $288,453 | $304,515 | $315,000 |
| Council member pay | $16,800 | $16,392 | $13,807 | $6,000 |
| General fund per resident | $2,488 | $1,471 | $1,285 | $761 |
| Debt per resident | $4,007 | $1,388 | $2,201 | $183 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $3,588 | $2,433 | $779 | $301 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 10.1 | 5.8 | 5.3 | 2.6 |
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). Brentwood and Yorba Linda pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What South San Francisco 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 onlineThe contract and its August 2026 amendment are attached to council agenda items in Legistar. City of South San Francisco · Aug 13, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online City of South San Francisco · Jun 10, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe salary schedule lists council pay of $1,399.99 a month. City of South San Francisco · Jun 24, 2026
- Yes: Employee pay published City of South San Francisco · Jun 24, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 general fund budget uses $5.5 million of unassigned fund balance to cover a gap. Which steps would close the structural deficit without drawing on reserves each year?
- The two CalPERS plans were $234.1 million unfunded at June 30, 2025. Will the council use unassigned fund balance to pay this down faster?
- Measure W sales tax repays lease revenue bonds through 2046, the largest part of the city's $261.4 million of debt. How much Measure W money is left each year for other services?
Help decide what comes next
What do you want to know about South San Francisco next?
One tap, no sign-in. We count answers; we never show who chose what.
Every number here was checked by hand against the linked document. Cities publish on different schedules, so years differ between sections; each figure says which year it describes. Spotted something wrong or out of date?
See something wrong? Report an error
Something wrong or missing? Tell us what and where, with a link to a source if you have one. Reports feed the next verification run.