About City of La Mesa
What is the City of La Mesa?
The City of La Mesa is the municipal government of La Mesa, California — a San Diego County city of roughly 61,000, incorporated in 1912 and known as "The Jewel of the Hills". The city runs its own Police Department alongside Fire, Public Works, Community Development and Community Services; retail water comes from the Helix Water District. La Mesa is loved locally for its compact, walkable downtown Village district, and it hosts one of the largest Oktoberfests in the western United States every autumn.
Where will I work?
La Mesa City Hall at 8130 Allison Avenue, steps from the Village and the La Mesa Boulevard trolley stop. The city's own directory states the schedule: "Monday - Thursday: 7:30 am to 5:30 pm", "Friday: 7:30 am to 4:30 pm" — and "Closed alternate Fridays". That is the classic 9/80: eighty hours over nine days per fortnight, with every second Friday off.
What is the City of La Mesa team like?
A compact civic workforce (roughly 200-350 including part-time staff) across policing, fire, engineering, planning and community services. Hiring runs in waves for a city this size — at the time of listing the open civilian role is a Police Dispatcher recruitment, with professional engineering, planning and administrative postings appearing through the year on the city's GovernmentJobs portal. We list La Mesa's civilian positions; sworn police roles run separate duty rosters and are excluded from our feed.
Work-Life Balance
Every other Friday is yours, structurally — "Closed alternate Fridays" is printed in the city's own directory, so the alternating pattern is the organisation's standing rhythm rather than an individual arrangement. Standard California municipal conditions apply: CalPERS defined-benefit pension membership, formal vacation and sick accruals, paid holidays, and salary ranges published on every bulletin — in one of San Diego County's most walkable small cities, with trolley access straight into downtown San Diego.
Perks and Benefits
- 9/80 schedule — "Closed alternate Fridays" verbatim in the city's own directory
- CalPERS defined-benefit pension
- Salary ranges published on every job bulletin
- Formal vacation, sick leave and paid-holiday provisions
- Walkable Village location with San Diego trolley access