Milpitas operates under a Council-Manager form of government. The City Council consists of a Mayor, who is elected to a two-year term, and four City Council members, who are elected at-large to overlapping four-year terms. The City Council is responsible for setting policy, passing local ordinances, and approving the city budget. They appoint a professional City Manager who oversees the day-to-day operations of the city's departments.
The city provides its own essential services, including the Milpitas Police Department and the Milpitas Fire Department. At the county level, Milpitas is represented on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. At the state and federal levels, it falls within California's heavily Democratic legislative and congressional districts.