Discover PVE Residents

Public Safety. Financial Stability. Our Community’s Future.

What makes Palos Verdes Estates special?

Palos Verdes Estates is not a typical city.

• A master-planned coastal community designed to preserve open space and natural beauty 
• A city that prioritizes residential character over commercial development 
• A community that maintains its own police department and funds essential services locally 
• A city that allocates 28% of its acreage to protected open space
• A city that lacks major commercial, hotel, or rental revenue

What makes PVE special—its location, design, and independence—also creates unique financial challenges.

Why We Are at a Crossroads?

For years, the City has relied on voter-approved parcel taxes to help fund public safety:

• Measure D failed in 2017 
• Measure E passed in 2018 and expires June 30, 2027

Measure E helped preserve local police services—but it didn't adequately fund PVE's financial requirements.

It was set at a level believed most likely to pass the two-thirds approval requirement under Proposition 13.

• No cost-of-living adjustment 
• Flat revenue since 2018 
• Expenses growing ~5% annually 

The result: a growing gap between revenue and reality

The Financial Reality

Palos Verdes Estates faces:

• Structural operating deficits 
• Pension obligations that fluctuate with market performance 
• Approximately $80 million in infrastructure needs (next 10 years) 
• Limited revenue flexibility due to Proposition 13 
• Minimal commercial tax base 

At the same time, PVE:

• Maintains its own police department 
• Pays directly for fire and paramedic services
• Has increased costs associated with maintaining 28% of the City’s acreage as open space.  

Higher responsibilities with fewer revenue tools

Not All Cities Are the Same

Nearby cities like Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills Estates, and
Rolling Hills

• Receive a lower share of property taxes 
• But don't pay for County-funded fire services 

If PVE operated under that same model:

It would save approximately $2.5 million annually

Comparisons without this context are misleading

The Decision Before Voters

Measure PF — $16.25 Million

• Citizen-led initiative 
• Dedicated to police, fire, and emergency services 
• Requires only a simple majority to pass 

Benefits:

• Fully funds essential services 
• Stabilizes City finances 
• Reflects current cost realities 

A Critical Juncture

Measure PF is different.

· It is citizen-led

· It requires only a simple majority (50% + 1)

This allows voters to decide based on what the City actually needs, not what might clear an artificial supermajority threshold.

Why Waiting Is Risky

Opponents say there is more time.

But history shows the risk:

• Measure E was a compromise based on what might pass under Prop 13 
• It created today’s funding gap
• Creates another year of depleting reserves
• Creates another year of not addressing infrastructure

Looking ahead:

A proposal supported by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association on the November 2026 ballot could eliminate citizen-led initiatives like Measure PF.

If that happens:

Future measures would again require two-thirds approval
The City could be forced to ask for less than what is needed

We risk repeating the same mistake

“No Plan”? The Facts

Opponents claim the City has no plan.

That is not accurate.

• The City is legally restricted from advocating or detailing spending tied to a ballot measure 
• However, it has extensively documented its needs during City Council meetings and Town hall discussions.  All of the following are available on the City's website: 
  • Budget presentations 
  • Financial outlooks 
  • Infrastructure plans 
  • Pension analyses 

The constraint is legal—not a lack of planning

Why Public Safety Comes First

Police and fire services are:

• Essential      
• Ongoing      
• Non-negotiable      

They must be fully funded before addressing other priorities.

Let’s Learn from History — Not Repeat It 

Measure E was:

• Set below actual need 
• Not indexed for inflation 
• A product of a two-thirds constraint 

It created a growing gap

Measure PF gives us the opportunity to:

• Align funding with reality 
• Fully fund essential services 
• Break the cycle of underfunded solutions 

The Bottom Line

Palos Verdes Estates is unique.

• Unique in its beauty 
• Unique in its structure 
• Unique in its financial challenges 

The choice is clear:

Continue a cycle of underfunding
or
Get it right this time

Protect Public Safety. Plan for the Future.