Calabasas
An affluent city in the hills west of the San Fernando Valley, Calabasas sits among the Santa Monica Mountains and is known for gated communities, the Calabasas Commons, and a small historic Old Town.
- Population 23,241
- Size band small
- Area 13.2 sq mi
- Government Council–Manager (general law)
- Council at-large
- Incorporated 1991
Coverage: 6 meetings · 42 substantive items · 2026-03-11 → 2026-05-27 · agenda source: PrimeGov
Calabasas council activity from March through May 2026 clusters around three dominant themes: fiscal and budget management, environmental stewardship, and housing/development standards. On the fiscal side, the council has been running its full annual cycle — mid-year financial update (March), landscape maintenance and lighting district assessment proceedings (April and May), Community Facility District tax levy authorization, engagement of an audit firm, and a quarterly investment report. A notable arc is the voter-approved Measure K general sales tax, whose results were canvassed from the May 5 election and codified into ordinance at the May 27 meeting, signaling a new revenue stream coming online. Pension liability is a persistent undercurrent: CalPERS actuarial cost analysis for additional service credit appeared at both April meetings and remains unresolved.
Environmental and infrastructure contracts make up the bulk of contracting activity. The council approved on-call watershed support and management contracts, a coordinated watershed monitoring program agreement, and an amendment to the Calabasas Lake maintenance contract — reflecting ongoing commitments to the city's natural water features and stormwater compliance. On the infrastructure side, a West Calabasas Road roundabout construction contract and a citywide traffic signal safety improvement contract represent the most concrete capital spending visible in this period, alongside on-call contracts for traffic markings and signage.
The multi-family and mixed-use Objective Design Standards (ODS) ordinance is the most significant land-use action of the period, moving from a discussion item in April to formal adoption in May. Coupled with recurring state legislative advocacy (opposition to AB 1768, broader positions on pending California bills), the council is actively managing the tension between state housing mandates and local development control. Legal closed sessions — covering both existing litigation and potential litigation — appear at every meeting, suggesting sustained legal exposure that has not yet resolved.
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Key items (8)
- [18] Second Reading and Adoption of Ordinance No. 2026-422 Relating to a Transaction and Use Tax Measure (Measure K) Approved by Voters at the May 5, 2026 Special Municipal Election — Calabasas, 2026-05-27 · Adoption of Measure K sales tax ordinance following voter approval — the most significant new revenue action of the period.
- [6] Adoption of Ordinance No. 2026-424 - Objective Design Standards (ODS) for Multi-Family and Mixed-Use Projects — Calabasas, 2026-05-27 · Final adoption of Objective Design Standards for multi-family/mixed-use after a multi-meeting arc from April discussion to May ordinance — major land-use milestone.
- [9] CalPERS Actuarial Cost Analysis Report for Granting Two Years of Additional Service Credit — Calabasas, 2026-04-22 · CalPERS pension service credit actuarial analysis, recurring across April 8 and April 22 meetings without resolution — an open fiscal liability question.
- [11] West Calabasas Road Roundabout Construction Contract — Calabasas, 2026-04-08 · West Calabasas Road roundabout construction contract — one of the most concrete capital infrastructure expenditures visible in the period.
- [3] Construction Contract for Citywide Traffic Signal Safety Improvements Project, Specification No. PW2025-08, with Select Electric, Inc. — Calabasas, 2026-03-25 · Citywide traffic signal safety improvements construction contract — second major infrastructure capital commitment.
- [12] On-Call/As-Needed Contracts for Watershed Support Services — Calabasas, 2026-05-27 · On-call watershed support contracts illustrate the city's sustained environmental compliance spending tied to stormwater and habitat management.
- [10] Community Facility District Tax Levies — Calabasas, 2026-05-27 · Community Facility District tax levy authorization reflects the annual special district fiscal cycle and how the city funds amenity maintenance.
- [6] Opposition to AB 1768 (Bryan) - County of Los Angeles Transaction and Use Taxes — Calabasas, 2026-04-22 · City opposition to AB 1768 shows active state legislative engagement, a recurring pattern of Calabasas pushing back on Sacramento mandates affecting local tax and land-use authority.
Honest scorecard vs 6 cohort peers
Each topic is shown as this city's share of council attention (% of its substantive items) next to the median share of its peer cohort — so size doesn't distort the comparison. Dollars are shown per resident (a causal denominator) and suppressed where too few peers have extracted amounts.
| Topic | Attention share | Peer median | vs peers | $ / resident | Peer median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governance & Administration | 36% | 24% | ▲ +12pp | — | $9.89 |
| Budget & Finance | 32% | 33% | ▼ -1pp | — | $441.41 |
| Climate & Environment | 10% | 4% | ▲ +6pp | — | $126.34 |
| Permitting & Land Use | 8% | 9% | ≈ | — | n/a |
| Streets & Infrastructure | 6% | 14% | ▼ -8pp | — | $205.75 |
| Public Safety | 5% | 5% | ≈ | — | $12.07 |
| Housing | 4% | 3% | ≈ | — | n/a |
| Economic Development | 0% | 4% | ▼ -4pp | — | $0.48 |
| Homelessness | 0% | 1% | ▼ -1pp | — | n/a |
| Other | 0% | 1% | ▼ -1pp | — | n/a |
pp = percentage points of attention share. Peers: Claremont, Culver City, Sierra Madre, Redondo Beach, Signal Hill, Pomona.
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Peer cohort comparable cities
Cities most comparable to Calabasas by population, size, governance, and sub-region — the basis for fair comparison. Budget attributes are not loaded yet; cohort uses size, governance, and sub-region. With a small sample this is a soft grouping — the framework scales as cities are added.
Learning from peer cities
Matches found from similar agenda wording across cities — useful starting points to investigate, not proof that one city copied another.
Where Calabasas and peers overlap
Matters Calabasas worked on that peer cities also took up.
Ideas from peer cities (not found here yet)
Matters peer cities acted on that we haven't found a comparable item for in Calabasas.