What is a County
The provisions for the government of California counties are
contained in the California Constitution and the California
Government Code. A county is the largest political subdivision
of the state having corporate powers. It is vested by the
Legislature with the powers necessary to provide for the health
and welfare of the people within its borders. The specific
organizational structure of a county in California varies from
county to county.
County as Distinguished from a City
Counties lack broad powers of self-government that California
cities have (e.g., cities have broad revenue generating
authority and counties do not). In addition, legislative control
over counties is more complete than it is over cities. Unless
restricted by a specific provision of the state Constitution,
the Legislature may delegate to the counties any of the
functions which belong to the state itself. Conversely, the
state may take back to itself and resume the functions which it
has delegated to counties (e.g., state funding of trial courts).
Types of Counties
The California Constitution recognizes two types of counties:
general law counties and charter counties. General law counties
adhere to state law as to the number and duties of county
elected officials. Charter counties, on the other hand, have a
limited degree of "home rule" authority that may provide for the
election, compensation, terms, removal, and salary of the
governing board; for the election or appointment (except the
sheriff, district attorney, and assessor who must be elected),
compensation, terms, and removal of all county officers; for the
powers and duties of all officers; and for consolidation and
segregation of county offices. A charter does not give county
officials extra authority over local regulations,
revenue-raising abilities, budgetary decisions, or
intergovernmental relations.
A county may adopt, amend, or repeal a charter with majority
vote approval. A new charter or the amendment or repeal of an
existing charter may be proposed by the Board of Supervisors, a
charter commission, or an initiative petition. The provisions of
a charter are the law of the state and have the force and effect
of legislative enactments. There are currently 45 general law
counties and 13 charter counties. They are as follows:
General Law Counties: Alpine, Amador, Calaveras,
Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Imperial,
Inyo, Kern, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Madera, Marin, Mariposa,
Mendocino, Merced, Modoc, Mono, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Plumas,
Riverside, San Benito, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Santa
Barbara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma,
Stanislaus, Sutter, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Ventura, Yolo,
Yuba
Charter Counties: Alameda, Butte, El Dorado, Fresno,
Los Angeles, Orange, Placer, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San
Diego, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Tehama
County Powers
The California Constitution authorizes a county to make and
enforce local ordinances that do not conflict with general laws.
A county also has the power to sue and be sued, purchase and
hold land, manage or dispose of its properties, and levy and
collect taxes authorized by law. Many additional powers have
been granted to counties by the Legislature. The powers of a
county can only be exercised by the Board of Supervisors or
through officers acting under the authority of the Board or
authority conferred by law. In addition, the Board must follow
the procedural requirements in the statutes or its actions will
not be valid. For example, if the Legislature has provided a
method by which a county may abandon a road, that method must be
followed. Also, where state law requires land use zoning by an
ordinance, this statutorily prescribed method is binding on the
county. On the other hand, where the law does not specifically
prescribe a method for accomplishing a task, the county may
adopt any reasonably suitable means.
Source: California State Association of Counties
California's Original 27 Counties in 1850 were:
Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Los Angeles, Marin, Mariposa,
Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin,
San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Solano, Sonoma,
Sutter, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yolo and Yuba.
