About City of Los Altos
What is the City of Los Altos?
The City of Los Altos is the municipal government of Los Altos, California — a Santa Clara County city of about 32,000 in the heart of Silicon Valley, incorporated in 1952. It is a compact general-law, council-manager city with its own Police Department; fire protection is contracted to Santa Clara County Fire and libraries are run by the county library district. City departments cover Public Works and Engineering, Community Development, Recreation & Community Services and Administrative Services. Tech-history trivia: Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak built the first fifty Apple I computers in the Jobs family garage in Los Altos in 1976.
Where will I work?
Los Altos City Hall at 1 North San Antonio Road. The city runs what it calls a "Defined 9/80 Schedule": City Hall and Recreation staff work the same 80 hours, but over nine days every two weeks — and every other Friday, City Hall is closed to staff and the public. Police, fire and other emergency services are unaffected; for the civic workforce the alternating Friday off is the standing pattern, not an individual arrangement.
What is the City of Los Altos team like?
A small, senior-heavy civic team — the city describes itself as an organisation of about 130 employees, which means professional staff (engineers, planners, analysts, HR) get unusual breadth and visibility for local government. Recent civilian postings include an Assistant Engineer and a Human Resources Manager. We list Los Altos's civilian professional positions; sworn police roles and crossing-guard posts run separate schedules and are excluded from our feed.
Work-Life Balance
Every other Friday is yours, structurally — the building closes to staff and public alike. Employee reviews on Indeed rate work-life balance 4.2 (the highest sub-score in a small, older review set). 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 the country's wealthiest, leafiest small cities.
Perks and Benefits
- Defined 9/80 schedule — "Every other Friday, City Hall is closed to staff and the public" per the city's own announcements
- CalPERS defined-benefit pension
- Salary ranges published on every job bulletin
- Formal vacation, sick leave and paid-holiday provisions
- ~130-person organisation — breadth and visibility rare in local government