About City of El Cajon
What is the City of El Cajon?
The City of El Cajon is the municipal government of El Cajon, California — a San Diego County city of roughly 106,000, incorporated in 1912 and self-styled "The Valley of Opportunity". The city runs its own El Cajon Police Department; fire and emergency medical services are delivered through Heartland Fire & Rescue, a joint-powers partnership with La Mesa and Lemon Grove that has operated since 2010. City departments include Parks & Recreation, Engineering Services, Public Works and Community Development; retail water comes from the separate Helix Water District. El Cajon hosts one of the largest Chaldean and Iraqi-American communities in the United States, and the Mother Goose Parade — running since 1946 — is billed as San Diego County's largest parade.
Where will I work?
El Cajon City Hall at 200 Civic Center Way. The city's own hours-of-operation page shows the 9/80 in action: City Hall is open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and on alternate Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. — with a published schedule of the alternate Fridays on which City offices are closed. Eighty hours over nine days per fortnight, every other Friday off.
What is the City of El Cajon team like?
A civic workforce in the 200-500 band across public safety support, engineering, recreation and community development. Recent civilian postings include an Associate Engineer (Traffic) and a range of Recreation Specialist roles. We list El Cajon's civilian professional positions; sworn police roles and part-time instructor posts run separate schedules and are excluded from our feed.
Work-Life Balance
Every other Friday is yours, structurally — the building's public schedule is built around it. Employee reviews are emphatic if few: El Cajon rates 4.6 overall on Indeed with work-life balance at 4.8, and the most recent review (an Equipment Mechanic, December 2024, five stars) reads "Perfect work life balance. Management cares about its employees." 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
- 9/80 schedule — City Hall open Monday-Thursday + alternate Fridays only, closed-Friday schedule published by the city
- CalPERS defined-benefit pension
- Salary ranges published on every job bulletin
- Formal vacation, sick leave and paid-holiday provisions
- Work-life balance rated 4.8/5 by employees on Indeed — "Perfect work life balance" in the most recent review