About City of Downey
What is the City of Downey?
The City of Downey is the municipal government of Downey, California — a Los Angeles County charter city of roughly 114,000, incorporated in 1956 (charter since 1964). It is unusually full-service for a mid-size LA County city: its own Police Department AND its own Fire Department, plus Public Works with its own water system, Community Development, Parks & Recreation and a city library — and it even runs regional fire dispatch for neighbouring cities. Space history was made here: Apollo spacecraft were built at Downey's North American Aviation plant, and the city hosts the world's oldest operating McDonald's, serving since 1953.
Where will I work?
Downey City Hall at 11111 Brookshire Avenue. Downey is one of the region's newest 4/10 conversions: per the city's own Human Resources pages, "Effective July 6, 2026: Mon - Thu: 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM / Fri: CLOSED" — and HR maintains a dedicated "4/10 Work Schedule FAQ". Four ten-hour days and a three-day weekend, every week.
What is the City of Downey team like?
A workforce in the 501-1,000 band spanning both public-safety departments, the water system, planning, economic development and community services. Current civilian postings include a Deputy Director of Community Development (Planning), Economic Development Manager, Homelessness Solutions/Housing Manager and Building Inspector — a strong professional slate. We list Downey's civilian positions; sworn police and fire roles and dispatch run separate duty rosters and are excluded from our feed.
Work-Life Balance
Every Friday is yours, structurally, since July 2026: City Hall closes, and the city published an FAQ to walk staff and residents through the new compressed week. Standard California municipal conditions apply: CalPERS defined-benefit pension membership, formal vacation and sick accruals, paid holidays, and salary ranges published on every bulletin.
Perks and Benefits
- Citywide 4/10 schedule (from July 6, 2026) — "Fri: CLOSED" on the city's own HR pages, with a published 4/10 FAQ
- CalPERS defined-benefit pension
- Salary ranges published on every job bulletin
- Formal vacation, sick leave and paid-holiday provisions
- Full-service city — rare own-police-AND-fire structure means broad professional career paths