Photo: Dicklyon · CC BY-SA 4.0Mountain View spent more per resident in 2022 than 96% of similar cities
Mountain View’s city government spent $303.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $3,745 per resident. Water and other utilities ($39.9 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Mountain View is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Who’s in charge in Mountain View
From public records with a current term; a name is hidden the day its term ends.
Council members and agencies: mountainview.gov ↗
Mountain View’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on mountainview.gov ↗.
About $3,745 per resident a year, or $10.26 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 32%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$3,304 per resident in 2022: more than 96% of them
Mountain View’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($3,304 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 101 California cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,263, and the middle half spent $889–$1,736. Mountain View spent more than 96% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($31.2 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 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Mountain View itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 15% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Mountain View reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $3,304 · 2023: $3,437 · 2024: $3,745.
full-time in March 2025, up from 578 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
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 Mountain View’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 Mountain View’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Mountain View →
One full-time city employee for every 128 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (81,059).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Mountain View-Los Altos Union School District
Mountain View’s high school district, shared with Los Altos Hills, Los Altos, Palo Alto. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $33,926 per pupil, $21,358 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.
Mountain View Whisman Elementary School District · $25,472 per pupil
Los Altos Elementary School District · $23,589 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Mountain View’s votes are counted by county
California reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Mountain View alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Santa Clara County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat68.1%510,552 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican28.1%210,732 votesOthers: 3.8% (28,745 votes).
Most votes in Santa Clara County: Kamala D Harris
California: Harris 58.5%, Trump 38.3%
100% of Mountain View lies in Santa Clara County. Every 2024 race in Santa Clara County is on the county’s page.
Santa Clara 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 Mountain View.
- 1Your cityMayorEllen Kameias listed by Open States, October 9, 2026
- 2California AssemblyState representatives
- 3California SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of California
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Mountain View compares with the towns next door
Mountain View spent $3,304 per resident in 2022; the 3 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,959 to $3,898. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
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 Mountain View’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Mountain View’s government
How much does Mountain View spend per resident?
About $3,745 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $3,304 was more than 96% of 101 California cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools.
Who is the mayor of Mountain View?
Ellen Kamei, as listed by Open States (checked October 9, 2026). The council and agencies are listed on mountainview.gov.
How did Mountain View vote in 2024?
California counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Mountain View alone. Santa Clara County, where 100% of Mountain View lies, voted Harris 68.1%, Trump 28.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Mountain View?
633 full-time and 230 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $9.8M (about $117.9M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Mountain View in the state legislature?
State Senate District 13 (Josh Becker) and Assembly District 23 (Marc Berman). The Assembly district also covers 12 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Mountain View’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 →