Local Government in California: Counties, Cities, and Their Elected Officials

County Governments in California

• California is divided into $58$ counties.
  • Every county possesses its own county-level governing body: the County Board of Supervisors (BOS).
  • Example of name confusion: Los Angeles is both a city and a county.
  • Los Angeles City ➔ governed by a City Council and Mayor.
  • Los Angeles County ➔ governed by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors.

County Boards of Supervisors: Structure, Election & Terms

• Standard pattern across the state
  • Membership: $5$ supervisors elected to four-year terms.
  • Districts: The county is partitioned into equal-population BOS districts; each resident votes for only one supervisor.
  • Term limits: Adopted on a county-by-county basis through voter initiatives (e.g., L.A. County imposed term limits in $2002$).
• Sole exception: San Francisco is a consolidated city-county with an $11$-member BOS.

Responsibilities

• Oversee services to unincorporated areas (areas outside any city) and, in some domains, to all residents county-wide.
• Major policy areas: law enforcement (Sheriff), prosecution (District Attorney), land-use decisions for unincorporated regions, public health, elections administration, social services, etc.

Other Countywide Elected Offices

• Typical ballot includes separate contests for:
  • County Assessor
  • District Attorney (DA)
  • Sheriff / Coroner (combined or separate, depending on county)
  • Treasurer / Tax Collector
  • Superintendent of Schools
• These officials operate independently of the BOS yet must collaborate on budgets and service delivery.

Geographic & Demographic Variation

• Territorial size ranges dramatically:
  • San Bernardino County = one of the largest U.S. counties by area.
  • Orange County = comparatively small in land area.
• Population density spectrum:
  • Sparsely populated mountain / desert counties (e.g., Alpine, Modoc)
  • Extremely dense urban centers (e.g., Los Angeles County with $\approx10{,}000{,}000$ residents, hosting $\approx90$ incorporated cities & $\approx140$ unincorporated communities).

Linking Assignment Guidance — County Portion

• Steps students must follow:
  1. Identify which of the $58$ counties contains your address (or use the CSULB address / last CA address if living out of state).
  2. Determine the supervisorial district for that address (web links provided in class).
  3. Research your supervisor:
  • Full name & district number
  • Tenure (years in office)
  • Educational background
  • Professional & political résumé (previous offices, careers, notable initiatives)

City Governments in California

• Cities are created by the people via an incorporation vote rather than by the state legislature.
  • Incorporation transfers many local-service burdens from county to city.
  • New incorporations are rare (only a handful in the past decade) owing to the cost & responsibility of self-government.
• Areas that never incorporate remain unincorporated areas ➔ county government = lowest layer of representation & service.

Consequence for Residents

• Live in an incorporated city ➔ you have BOTH city & county officials.
• Live in an unincorporated area ➔ no city council or mayor; the county handles policing, fire, zoning, utilities, parks, etc.
  • For the class assignment such residents skip the city portion.

City Government Structures

Two primary models exist in California:

1. Council–Manager System (dominant in small/medium cities)

• Composition: $5$ (sometimes $7$) councilmembers elected for four-year terms at-large (entire city votes for each seat).
• Mayor:
  • Often not separately elected; the title rotates among councilmembers (ceremonial leadership).
• Professional City Manager hired by council:
  • Executes day-to-day administration & hires department heads (police chief, fire chief, planning director, etc.).
• Examples: San Jose, Sacramento, many suburban municipalities.

2. Mayor–Council System (large or very small cities)

• Separate popular elections for:
  • Mayor (city-wide executive, may possess veto and agenda powers).
  • Councilmembers (either by-district or at-large depending on charter).
• Typical in CA’s largest population centers: Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Francisco.

Service Domains (regardless of structure)

• Police & Fire
• Land-use/Planning & Zoning
• Parks & Recreation
• Libraries & Cultural Affairs
• Public Works (roads, water, sewer)
• Economic Development & Housing

Electoral Variations: At-Large vs District Councils

• At-Large Elections
  • All voters cast ballots for all seats.
  • Tends to favor citywide majorities; criticized for under-representing geographic or minority communities.
• By-District Elections
  • City split into equal-population districts; each district elects one councilmember.
  • Enhances neighborhood-level representation; increasing trend under CA Voting Rights Act pressure.

Long Beach Example

• Long Beach has $9$ council districts (map provided in lecture slide).
• Residents elect:
  • One councilmember for their district.
  • Mayor (Robert Garcia) city-wide.
• Illustrates mayor–council & district-based model.

Case Study Highlights & Real-World Relevance

• COVID-19 Response underscores the tangible power of local officials:
  • Mayor Garcia’s frequent email updates on business closures, beach rules, testing sites, etc.
  • County BOS decisions on public-health orders shape daily life in unincorporated areas and, via joint orders, even within cities.
• Policy areas like land-use (deciding where housing vs industry may locate), police budgeting, and wildfire readiness are first decided at city/county levels before state or federal actors become involved.

Ethical & Philosophical Considerations

• Subsidiarity & Accountability: Smaller jurisdictions (cities, districts) can tailor solutions to local needs but risk unequal capacities (wealthier cities deliver superior services).
• Democratic Linkage: Knowing your closest representatives fosters responsiveness; the linking assignment operationalizes this civic habit.
• Equity in Representation: Debates over at-large vs district elections parallel broader civil-rights questions about fair access to power for minority communities.