Photo: Pgnielsen79 · CC BY 3.0How is Santa Paula run?
Santa Paula’s city government spent $31.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,030 per resident. Water and other utilities ($11.8 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Santa Paula is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,030 per resident a year, or $2.82 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 35%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,145 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Santa Paula’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,145 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 92 California cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,164, and the middle half spent $831–$1,742. Santa Paula spent less than 52% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($15.7 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 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Santa Paula itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is down 8% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Santa Paula 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: $1,145 · 2024: $1,030.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $4,024 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.66% of the home’s value, vs 0.70% across California.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Santa Paula’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 Santa Paula’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Santa Paula →
Who’s in charge in Santa Paula
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Santa Paula’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on ci.santa-paula.ca.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 274 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (31,018).
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.
Santa Paula Unified School District
Santa Paula’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $23,745 per pupil, $14,149 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.
Briggs Elementary School District · $17,881 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Santa Paula’s votes are counted by county
California reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Santa Paula alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Ventura County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat56.1%216,781 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican41.0%158,168 votesOthers: 2.9% (11,225 votes).
Most votes in Ventura County: Kamala D Harris
California: Harris 58.5%, Trump 38.3%
100% of Santa Paula lies in Ventura County. Every 2024 race in Ventura County is on the county’s page.
Ventura 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 Santa Paula.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ci.santa-paula.ca.us ↗
- 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.
Reach Santa Paula’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Santa Paula’s government
How much does Santa Paula spend per resident?
About $1,030 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 $1,145 was less than 52% of 92 California cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Santa Paula?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,024 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.66% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.70% across California. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.santa-paula.ca.us.
Who runs Santa Paula’s government?
See ci.santa-paula.ca.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Santa Paula yet.
How did Santa Paula vote in 2024?
California counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Santa Paula alone. Ventura County, where 100% of Santa Paula lies, voted Harris 56.1%, Trump 41.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Santa Paula?
113 full-time and 27 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $978,530 (about $11.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Santa Paula in the state legislature?
State Senate District 21 (Monique Limón) and Assembly District 38 (Steve Bennett). The Assembly district also covers six other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Santa Paula’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 →