Photo: Abby Lanes · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Palos Verdes Estates run?
Palos Verdes Estates’ city government spent $20.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $1,587 per resident.
What stands out about how Palos Verdes Estates is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District
Palos Verdes Estates’ K–12 school district, shared with Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,812 per pupil, $11,488 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.
About $1,587 per resident a year, or $4.35 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 33%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,587 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Palos Verdes Estates’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,587 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–$1,910. Palos Verdes Estates spent more than 60% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($3,000), 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; Palos Verdes Estates itself left out).
No trend yet
Palos Verdes Estates 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 Palos Verdes Estates’ 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 Palos Verdes Estates’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Palos Verdes Estates →
Who’s in charge in Palos Verdes Estates
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Palos Verdes Estates’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on pvestates.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 291 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (13,079).
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.
Palos Verdes Estates’ votes are counted by county
California reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Palos Verdes Estates alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Los Angeles County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat64.8%2,416,522 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican31.9%1,189,227 votesOthers: 3.3% (121,420 votes).
Most votes in Los Angeles County: Kamala D Harris
California: Harris 58.5%, Trump 38.3%
100% of Palos Verdes Estates lies in Los Angeles County. Every 2024 race in Los Angeles County is on the county’s page.
Los Angeles 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 Palos Verdes Estates.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: pvestates.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 Palos Verdes Estates compares with the towns next door
Palos Verdes Estates spent $1,587 per resident in 2022; the 3 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $806 to $1,790. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Rancho Palos Verdes | $806 | $10,000+ |
| Rolling Hills Estates | $1,265 | $10,000+ |
| Torrance | $1,790 | $6,782 |
| Palos Verdes Estates | $1,587 | $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 Palos Verdes Estates’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Palos Verdes Estates’ government
How much does Palos Verdes Estates spend per resident?
About $1,587 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 $1,587 was more than 60% of 101 California cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
Who runs Palos Verdes Estates’ government?
See pvestates.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Palos Verdes Estates yet.
How did Palos Verdes Estates vote in 2024?
California counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Palos Verdes Estates alone. Los Angeles County, where 100% of Palos Verdes Estates lies, voted Harris 64.8%, Trump 31.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Palos Verdes Estates?
45 full-time and 9 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $536,565 (about $6.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Palos Verdes Estates in the state legislature?
State Senate District 24 (Ben Allen) and Assembly District 66 (Al Muratsuchi). The Assembly district also covers 11 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Palos Verdes Estates’ 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 →