Photo: Don Ramey Logan, Diosthenese, User:CactusWriter · CC BY 3.0Laguna Beach spent more per resident in 2022 than 94% of similar cities
Laguna Beach’s city government spent $86.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $3,806 per resident. Water and other utilities ($3.8 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Laguna Beach is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$3,806 per resident in 2022: more than 94% of them
Laguna Beach’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($3,806 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 101 California cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,377, and the middle half spent $885–$1,875. Laguna Beach spent more than 94% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($13.7 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
California cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Laguna Beach itself left out).
About $3,806 per resident a year, or $10.43 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 28%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Laguna Beach reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
Typical bills top $10,000 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Laguna Beach’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Laguna Beach’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Laguna Beach →
Who’s in charge in Laguna Beach
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Laguna Beach’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on lagunabeachcity.net ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 90 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (22,687).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Laguna Beach Unified School District
Laguna Beach’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $33,583 per pupil, $20,820 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
California districts overall: 36% local, 52% state, 11% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Laguna Beach’s votes are counted by county
California reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Laguna Beach alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Orange County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat49.7%691,577 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican47.1%654,494 votesOthers: 3.2% (44,403 votes).
Most votes in Orange County: Kamala D Harris
California: Harris 58.5%, Trump 38.3%
100% of Laguna Beach lies in Orange County. Every 2024 race in Orange County is on the county’s page.
Orange County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Laguna Beach.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: lagunabeachcity.net ↗
- 2California AssemblyState representatives
- 3California SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseSplit between districts
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of California
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Laguna Beach compares with the towns next door
Laguna Beach spent $3,806 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $474 to $1,269. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Laguna Woods | $474 | $2,713 |
| Aliso Viejo | $528 | $6,034 |
| Laguna Niguel | $923 | $7,206 |
| Dana Point | $1,269 | $9,432 |
| Laguna Beach | $3,806 | $10,000+ |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Laguna Beach’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Laguna Beach’s government
How much does Laguna Beach spend per resident?
About $3,806 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $3,806 was more than 94% of 101 California cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
Who runs Laguna Beach’s government?
See lagunabeachcity.net for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Laguna Beach yet.
How did Laguna Beach vote in 2024?
California counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Laguna Beach alone. Orange County, where 100% of Laguna Beach lies, voted Harris 49.7%, Trump 47.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Laguna Beach?
251 full-time and 134 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $3.0M (about $35.8M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Laguna Beach in the state legislature?
State Senate District 36 (Tony Strickland) and Assembly District 72 (Diane Dixon). The Assembly district also covers seven other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Laguna Beach’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →