Photo: Erica Fischer · CC BY 2.0Orinda spent less per resident in 2022 than 80% of similar cities
Orinda’s city government spent $17.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $892 per resident.
What stands out about how Orinda is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$865 per resident in 2022: less than 80% of them
Orinda’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($865 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 $1,385, and the middle half spent $906–$1,910. Orinda spent less than 80% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($127,000), 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; Orinda itself left out).
About $892 per resident a year, or $2.44 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 28%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 3% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Orinda 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: $865 · 2023: $892.
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 Orinda’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 Orinda’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Orinda →
Who’s in charge in Orinda
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Orinda’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityoforinda.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 590 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (19,483).
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.
Acalanes Union High School District
Orinda’s high school district, shared with Lafayette, Moraga, Richmond, Walnut Creek. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $20,081 per pupil, $11,596 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.
Orinda Union Elementary School District · $18,088 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Orinda’s votes are counted by county
California reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Orinda alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Contra Costa County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat67.4%355,460 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican29.3%154,751 votesOthers: 3.3% (17,548 votes).
Most votes in Contra Costa County: Kamala D Harris
California: Harris 58.5%, Trump 38.3%
100% of Orinda lies in Contra Costa County. Every 2024 race in Contra Costa County is on the county’s page.
Contra Costa 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 Orinda.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityoforinda.org ↗
- 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 Orinda compares with the towns next door
Orinda spent $865 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $602 to $843. 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 Orinda’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Orinda’s government
How much does Orinda spend per resident?
About $892 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $865 was less than 80% of 101 California cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
Who runs Orinda’s government?
See cityoforinda.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Orinda yet.
How did Orinda vote in 2024?
California counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Orinda alone. Contra Costa County, where 100% of Orinda lies, voted Harris 67.4%, Trump 29.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Orinda?
33 full-time and 12 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $280,258 (about $3.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Orinda in the state legislature?
State Senate District 9 (Tim Grayson) and Assembly District 16 (Rebecca Bauer-Kahan). The Assembly district also covers eight other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Orinda’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 →