Town Hall · Hawthorne

Hawthorne, CA town hall & government

Hawthorne spent $138 million in the year to June 30, 2023, about $1,603 per resident.

Where the money goes, where it comes from, property taxes, and how to reach Hawthorne's government.

Local leadership

Who runs Hawthorne

Alex VargasMayorSince 2015 Wikidata ↗ Out of date? Sign in to tell us

From public records (Open States and Wikidata), which can lag behind an election. If a name is out of date, tell us: when two neighbors agree, it's hidden until the records catch up.

Town budget

Where Hawthorne's money goes

Spent
$138 million
fiscal year to June 30, 2023
Per resident
$1,603
typical California cities: $2,457
Long-term debt
$134.6 million
$1,564 per resident
Police
$44.6 million32%
Administration & buildings
$21.8 million16%
Roads & transportation
$16.5 million12%
Housing & development
$13.4 million10%
Fire
$12.8 million9%
Interest on debt
$6.1 million4%
Parks & libraries
$5.7 million4%
Health & welfare
$1.7 million1%
Courts, inspections & corrections
$765,0001%
Sewer & trash
$325,000<1%
Other
$14.3 million10%

Where the money comes from

  • Sales taxes 44%
  • Property taxes 14%
  • Fees & charges 12%
  • Other taxes & licenses 8%
  • Interest, fines & other 7%
  • From the federal government 7%
  • From the state 4%
  • From other local governments 3%
  • Utility sales 1%
Town workforce

Who works for Hawthorne

Full-time staff
224
69 part-time too
Average full-time pay
$118,000
a year, before benefits
Sworn police officers
113
full-time, with power of arrest
Police
131 full-time20 part
Administration & buildings
37 full-time2 part
Parks & libraries
11 full-time19 part
Housing & development
7 full-time3 part
Roads & transportation
5 full-time2 part
Courts, inspections & corrections
4 full-time2 part
Sewer & trash
4 full-time
Health & welfare
3 full-time
Other
22 full-time21 part

Staff on the town's payroll in March 2022. Pay is March payroll times twelve, so it's approximate.

Schools · school year 2023–24

Centinela Valley Union High School District

Hawthorne's high school district, shared with Inglewood and Lawndale. It is its own government, with a budget separate from the town's.

Spending per pupil
$21,163
California: $21,206
Students
5,600
in the whole district
Long-term debt
$453.9 million
at year end

Where the district's money comes from California districts overall: 36% local, 52% state, 11% federal

  • Local 37%
  • State 52%
  • Federal 11%

Of the $21,163 per pupil, $11,342 goes to classroom instruction (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to support services such as buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren't in the per-pupil figure.

Also serving Hawthorne: Hawthorne Elementary School District ($20,768 per pupil) · Wiseburn Unified School District ($15,509 per pupil) · Los Angeles Unified School District ($25,643 per pupil).

Property tax

What homeowners in Hawthorne pay

Typical tax bill
$5,975
a year · California typical $5,124
Effective rate
0.69%
of home value · California 0.70%
Typical home value
$863,400
owner-occupied

The median yearly bill homeowners report, covering every local property tax on the home (town, schools, county). The effective rate is that bill divided by the median home value, so it's a rough guide, not the official tax rate.

Local

Contact Hawthorne's government

🏛️ Official websitecityofhawthorne.org ↗

Town hall & decisions in Hawthorne →

Beyond town hall

Who represents Hawthorne

Hawthorne is represented in Congress by Senators Alex Padilla and Adam B. Schiff and Representative Maxine Waters. Gavin Newsom is governor.

All of Hawthorne's representatives, with contacts →

Budget: U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Finance (every city and town government's revenue, spending and debt, grouped into plain categories). Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 5-year estimates.

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Hawthorne

California · CA
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