Inside L.A. City Finances
L.A. Controller Kenneth Mejia's dashboard tracks the financial health of the City of Los Angeles in real time
All City Funds
Review the current balance of each fund created and used by the City of Los Angeles. This dataset includes the General Fund, Reserve Fund, Budget Stabilization Fund and all special purpose funds that help keep the City running.
Click "Source Data" to view this dataset on the Controller's Open Data portal.
General Fund
The General Fund is the primary operating fund for the City and source for discretionary spending. The money in it is derived from taxes, fines, fees, grants and other revenue sources. The General Fund pays for most of the core functions carried out by the City, including neighborhood services, public safety and infrastructure, and makes up the bulk of the annual budget. The amount shown is total budget vs. total expenditures during a fiscal year.
Hover over a bar to view the budget and expenditures of the General Fund for a fiscal year.
Reserve Fund
The City has a Reserve Fund where unrestricted cash is set aside for unforeseen expenditures, emergencies and General Fund revenue shortfalls. City policy states the Reserve Fund should contain at least 5% of the General Fund's budget for the year. The Reserve Fund is comprised of a Contingency Reserve Account and an Emergency Reserve Account. The amount shown is the current cash balance. The grey line indicates the 5% threshold.
Hover over the bar to view the current cash balance of the Reserve Fund.
Special Funds
Los Angeles has more than 600 special purpose funds. They are created by charter, ordinance or City Council
action, and are crucial to funding many of the City’s priorities. Unlike the
General Fund, which can be used for any City purpose, each special purpose
fund comes with its own set of rules and limitations.
Hover over a bar to view the balance for assets related to fund category. Click on a bar to drill down.
Debt Capacity
The City uses debt to pay for large infrastructure and other major projects. L.A.’s debt management policy establishes guidelines for how the City approaches its debt obligations, which include a non-voter-approved debt service cap of 6% and a
total debt service cap of 15% as a percent of General Fund revenues.
Hover over a bar to view the voter and non-voter approved debt capacity. View the legend in the bottom-right corner.
Total Payroll by Calendar Year
This shows the total amount spent by the City on payroll, including base pay, overtime pay, benefits and all other pay. To learn more about the City's payroll for each department and job classification, visit Payroll Explorer. The amount spent in the current calendar year is year-to-date and updates biweekly.
Hover over a line to view the amount spent on payroll for that year. View the legend in the bottom-right corner.
City Budget
Each fiscal year, the Mayor proposes a new City budget subject to City Council approval, which details expenditures for the entire fiscal year based on projected revenues that come in over the course of the year. These allocations pay for services, salaries and more. This chart shows the FY 2022 (July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2022) budget allocation for the top 12 departments and funds, with the remaining departments grouped as "Other."
Hover over a department to view the adopted budget and click on the pie chart for more detail. Apply filters to view previous fiscal years.
Revenue
The chart below shows the revenue collected by the City. Money comes to the City from a variety of sources throughout the fiscal year, and these revenue streams can and do fluctuate with the health of the overall economy. At the height of the pandemic, the City collected $40-$50 million less in revenue each month than in the year prior.
Hover over a revenue source to view the collected revenue for this fiscal year. Click on a bar for more detail. Apply filters to view past years.
Expenditures
Review City spending in the chart below. Expenditures can include payroll for personnel, and supplies and equipment used by a department to deliver services to Angelenos. For more detailed information about all the goods and services purchased by the City currently and in recent years, visit Checkbook LA.
Hover over a fund name to view the total expenditures for this fiscal year. Click on a bar for more detail. Apply filters to view past years.