CITY OF CALIPATRIA

What CITY OF CALIPATRIA does

The City of Calipatria is a General Law municipality in Imperial County, California, incorporated in 1919 and operating under a City Manager form of government. It delivers a standard portfolio of municipal services to its residents and businesses, including police, fire, public works, parks, planning, finance and billing, and utilities. The city sits at an elevation of 185 feet below sea level, the lowest incorporated municipality in the Western Hemisphere, and is positioned on Highway 111 within the NAFTA corridor, with direct access to a municipal airport and Union Pacific rail lines.

The city's economic positioning is built around three structural assets: its location as a logistics and cross-border commerce gateway to Mexico, its proximity to seven operational geothermal plants providing low-cost energy, and its federal Enterprise Zone designation and CDBG Program access, which together create a tax-incentive layer for incoming industrial and commercial tenants. The city's civilian service population is approximately 3,500, supplemented by roughly 4,000 state prison inmates housed within city limits, which inflates service demand without proportionally expanding the tax base.

Recent strategic activity centers on the Eastside Specific Plan, a land-use planning effort to direct growth and infrastructure on the city's eastern periphery, alongside approximately $2 million in road and public infrastructure investments. The city is also notable as the location of a 184-foot flagpole, the tallest in the United States, an incidental tourism and civic-identity asset. The business model is conventional municipal finance: property and sales taxes, user fees for utilities and services, intergovernmental grants (CDBG, Enterprise Zone incentives), and occasional capital project financing.

Name

CITY OF CALIPATRIA

Legal name

City of Calipatria

Website

https://calipatria.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1919

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The City of Calipatria is a General Law municipality in Imperial County, California, delivering police, fire, public works, utilities, and planning services to roughly 7,500 residents within its city limits. It operates as a NAFTA-corridor logistics and geothermal-energy hub.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Government Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241), Waste Collection (56211)

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950), Refuse Systems (4953), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities) (BPAIACAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Solid Waste & Recycling Services Administration (BPAIACAH), Municipal Wastewater Collection (Sewer Networks) (BPALAMAA)

Keywords

• Municipal government services
• Public safety services
• Wastewater utility services
• Planning and zoning services
• Economic development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Calipatria

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The City of Calipatria delivers traditional municipal services to residents and businesses within its incorporated boundaries, including police and fire protection, public works (wastewater collection, street and storm drain maintenance, parks maintenance), planning and zoning administration, finance and billing for sewer and trash utilities, and economic development support via Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and a federally designated Enterprise Zone. Its sole commercial offering to citizens is the monthly billing and collection of sewer and trash utility fees, payable online or in-person at City Hall.

Product overview

The City of Calipatria provides comprehensive municipal government services as a General Law city operating under a City Manager form of government. The city serves approximately 7,800 residents through five council seats and offers core public services including Police, Fire, and Parks. The city's service portfolio includes Public Works (wastewater treatment, street/park maintenance), Finance and Billing (sewer/trash billing, business licensing), Planning Services (permits, zoning, environmental review), and a CDBG Program for housing rehabilitation. Calipatria also administers an Enterprise Zone providing tax incentives to local businesses. The city's governance structure includes regular City Council meetings and Planning Commission sessions, with infrastructure improvement projects managed through RFP/RFQ processes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public Safety Services (Police and Fire) 24-hour police, fire, dispatch, and animal control services delivered to City of Calipatria residents and businesses. Operated from the shared Police and Fire facility at 401 North Park Avenue.
• Utility Billing Services (Sewer and Trash) Monthly billing and collection of sewer and trash utility fees for customers within City limits, with payments accepted online via a third-party portal or in person at City Hall Finance Department.
• Public Works Services Wastewater collection, street and storm drain maintenance, parks maintenance (Lion's Park and Stewart Park), and utility operations delivered to the residents and businesses of Calipatria.
• Planning and Zoning Services Permitting, zoning review, environmental review, and advance planning (including the Eastside Specific Plan) administered through the City's Planning Commission for property owners and developers within City limits.
• Finance and Business Licensing Services Business license issuance, utility billing administration, and related accounting services for residents and commercial operators in Calipatria.
• Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program Low-interest funding support for qualifying housing rehabilitation, economic development, and public infrastructure projects through the federally funded CDBG program managed by the City.
• Federal Enterprise Zone Incentives Tax credits, reduced fees, and access to financing tools available to businesses locating or expanding within the City of Calipatria's federally designated Enterprise Zone.
• Mandatory Recycling Program City-administered mandatory recycling and food recovery program serving all Calipatria households, required for compliance with California's recycling and food recovery legislation.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Calipatria FoundationcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 9 June 2025Collaborative partner for community events including 4th of July celebrations and fireworks display. Works with the City to host Spectacular Fireworks, Fun and Festivities events.
• Imperial Irrigation District (IID)coreOthersImperial Irrigation District provides electricity services to Calipatria residents and businesses. Located at 138 South 8th, Brawley, CA 92233. IID also hosts community events such as Powering Our Community Together/Open House.
• Golden State Water CompanycoreOthersProvides water utility services to Calipatria. Contact at 631 South Sorensen, phone (760) 348-2303.
• Southern California Gas Co.coreOthersNatural gas utility provider for Calipatria. Contact for planning and development projects regarding safe building around major natural gas pipelines. Located at 1111 West Main, El Centro, CA 92243.
• Pacific BellcoreOthersTelecommunications provider for Calipatria. Located at 763 State St, El Centro, CA 92243.
• CR&R Waste & Recycling ServicescoreOthersWaste and recycling services provider for Calipatria under California AB 341 and AB 1826 compliance. Contact CR&R at 877-482-5656 to establish recycling services for businesses and multi-family complexes.
• Imperial Valley Resource Management AgencyminorOthersProvides outreach specialist Daveline Villaseñor for mandatory recycling and organics program compliance assistance. Located at 300 S Imperial Ave, Ste 11, El Centro, CA 92243.
• Campesinos Unidos Inc.minorOthersFood recovery organization accepting food donations for organics compliance under AB 1826. Locations at 1535 Main St Brawley and 949 N 8th St El Centro.
• Imperial Valley Food BankminorOthersFood recovery organization accepting food donations for organics compliance. Located at 329 Applestille Rd, El Centro.
• Federal Government (CDBG Program)coreOthersFederal government provides Community Development Block Grant funds through State of California to rehabilitate communities. City's CDBG Program has been active since early 1980s.
• State of California Housing and Community DevelopmentcoreOthersState agency that redirects CDBG funding to local jurisdictions including Calipatria for housing rehabilitation and community development programs.
• Imperial CountyminorOthersCounty government partner. Calipatria Branch of Imperial County Free Library renovated to better serve the community. The County of Imperial completed library renovations in 2026.
• Imperial County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo)minorOthersRegional planning body where Mayor Michael Luellen represents Calipatria. Handles boundary changes and municipal service reviews.
• California League of CitiesminorOthersStatewide municipal league where Mayor Luellen serves on the Governance, Transparency, and Labor Relations Policy Committee. Imperial County Division's elected officials' body.
• Imperial County Workforce Development BoardminorOthersCounty workforce development board where Mayor Luellen sits on the Youth Committee.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• City of Westmorland: Adjacent Imperial Valley city with similarly small population and General Law municipal structure; closest functional peer given size and service mix overlap.
• City of Brawley: Larger Imperial County city operating under the same California municipal framework with comparable utility-billing, public works, and CDBG program structure.
• City of Imperial: Neighboring Imperial Valley city providing parallel police, fire, public works, and enterprise-zone economic development services.
• City of Holtville: Small Imperial Valley General Law city with similar wastewater, sewer-billing, and CDBG-driven housing programs.
• City of Calexico: Border-region Imperial Valley city with NAFTA-corridor economic development orientation, providing analogous cross-border trade and logistics positioning.
• City of Coachella: Small Southern California General Law city operating with similar enterprise-zone, public-works, and utility-billing functions.
• City of El Centro: Imperial County seat running a comparable municipal services portfolio (police, fire, public works, utilities, planning) under a City Manager form of government.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/city-of-calipatria

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CITY OF CALIPATRIA