How West Hollywood is run
Who runs West Hollywood, 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 West Hollywood's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs West Hollywood
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
- Six months' base salary as severance if fired without cause
- City pays 3% of base salary into deferred compensation
- $250 a month for car and business expenses and $100 a month for technology
- City-paid term life insurance policy of $500,000
- CalPERS retirement, 2.7% at 55 formula for classic members
- Two-year term to Jan. 8, 2028, renewing for one more year unless the council gives notice
- $150 a month for phone and internet and $100 a month for office and transportation costs
- City medical contributions plus life and disability insurance
- Special Council Program Funds for projects and co-sponsorships: $250,000 proposed for FY2026-27, cut by $50,000 at adoption
West Hollywood city staff
257 full-time-equivalent positions, including Public Works 45, Community Services 44, Community Development 36, Human Services and Rent Stabilization 26, Finance and IT 24. FY2025. The FY2026-27 budget adds a net 2.0 permanent positions and leaves the vacant Deputy City Manager and an Arts Coordinator position unfunded. City of West Hollywood · Dec 29, 2025
Police and fire are county contracts, so their staff are not city employees. The city posts a salary schedule with the pay range for every job. We did not pull pay bands from the State Controller's database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is West Hollywood 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 calls its two-year budget balanced: a $45,540 general fund surplus in FY2026-27 and $30,940 in FY2027-28. Separately it plans to draw $13.2M from general fund reserves in FY2026-27 for capital projects, Proposition A purchases, social services and parking fund deficits. Staff say revenue growth has slowed while costs rise, and $187.5M of capital projects have no funding. City of West Hollywood · Jun 15, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $6.5M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Keep a general fund emergency reserve equal to 35% of the general fund expenditure budget. The city holds it as a separate committed reserve ($61.9M at June 30, 2025), not in the unassigned balance. The city meets this target. City of West Hollywood · Dec 29, 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
- Taxes$117M · 68%
- Use of money and property$24.4M · 14%
- Other revenues$9.2M · 5%
- Licenses and permits$8.7M · 5%
- Fines and forfeitures$7.6M · 4%
- Charges for services$3.5M · 2%
- Other (developer fees, intergovernmental)$560,000 · 0%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Community Safety (Sheriff's contract, security ambassadors)$39.9M · 23%
- Public Works$32.5M · 19%
- Human Services and Rent Stabilization$18.1M · 11%
- Community Services$17.5M · 10%
- Community Development$12.7M · 7%
- Administrative Services$11.4M · 7%
- Non-departmental$11M · 6%
- Legislative and Executive (council, city manager)$9.4M · 6%
- Other (finance and technology, communications, economic development, development support)$18.1M · 11%
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 school and college districts and the Metropolitan Water District. The city levies no voter-approved debt rate of its own. Not all overlapping rates apply to every property.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of West Hollywood
- 1% base levy (shared by the county, schools, the city and others)The city's share is about 0.179 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 West Hollywood (Los Angeles County). City of West Hollywood · Dec 29, 2025
See what a West Hollywood home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in West Hollywood is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceContractorLos Angeles County Sheriff's Department (West Hollywood Station), by contractCity of West Hollywood
- Security ambassadorsContractorBlock by Block, by contractCity of West Hollywood
- LibraryThe countyLA County Library (in a city-owned building)City of West Hollywood
- WaterAnother agencyLos Angeles Department of Water and Power (most of the city); Beverly Hills Water (parts of the west side)City of West Hollywood
- Trash and recyclingContractorAthens Services, under a city franchiseCity of West Hollywood
- Rent stabilizationThe cityCity of West HollywoodCity of West Hollywood · Dec 29, 2025
- Animal controlThe countyLos Angeles CountyCity of West Hollywood
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 | MoorparkCA | Manhattan BeachCA | West HollywoodCA | San Juan CapistranoCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 34,161 | 34,333 | 35,283 | 35,331 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $252,346 | $306,375 | $368,500 | $362,100 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $6,000 | $20,697 | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $763 | $3,398 | $4,835 | $1,250 |
| Debt per resident | $0 | $2,807 | $5,215 | $610 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $22 | $554 | $1,185 | $413 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 10.4 | 7.3 | 1.8 |
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). Moorpark and West Hollywood and San Juan Capistrano pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What West Hollywood publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe city's budget page links the approved FY2027 and FY2028 two-year budget book, a digital budget book and the adoption staff report. City of West Hollywood
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineThe employment agreement is attached to the Dec. 15, 2025 council agenda, item F.1. City of West Hollywood · Dec 15, 2025
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineThe city's Granicus archive posts video, agendas and minutes for council meetings. City of West Hollywood
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentOrdinance No. 24-19 and the FY2026-27 salary schedule list $1,724.79 a month for each council member. City of West Hollywood · Jul 15, 2024
- Yes: Employee pay published City of West Hollywood · Jun 15, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 budget draws $13.2 million from general fund reserves for capital projects, social services and parking fund deficits. How long can the city keep doing that?
- Staff list $187.5 million of capital projects with no funding. Which ones will the council fund first, and how?
- Unassigned general fund balance was $6.5 million on June 30, 2025, apart from a $61.9 million emergency reserve and other set-asides. How does the council decide how much of the general fund balance to assign to each purpose?
The fiscal year starts July 1. West Hollywood adopts a two-year budget and updates the second year a year later. The council's Finance and Budget Subcommittee met March 9 and May 5, 2026. The proposed budget was released at a May 18, 2026 study session and adopted June 15, 2026. See who is running for council
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