California Local Government Information Website
January 2006

"This site is a is a starting point for finding online information about California local government."

This site is a starting point for finding online information about California local government. It is primarily a collection of online directories of links to official sites and to particular types of agencies and government publications. Some unlinked and partially linked online directories are included, and are so noted. Also included is a list of pertinent California local government associations and professional societies. Corrections, updates and suggestions for new links welcomed, and may be sent to igsl@berkeley.edu.

California Local Government

There are four basic units of California local government: cities, counties, special districts and regional bodies.  All exist under the authority of the State of California and its laws, in particular the California Government Code.  California gives cities and counties the "home rule" option, which means that they can choose to be governed under the framework of the California Government Code or they can adopt a charter, which gives them more latitude in running their affairs.  The former are known as "general law" jurisdictions and the latter are known as "charter" jurisdictions.  The larger cities and counties tend to be charter jurisdictions.

Special districts are local entities that typically have a special purpose--e.g., fire protection, irrigation, mosquito abatement, street lighting, water supply, waste disposal, and so on.  Their governing boards may be elected or appointed.  In many cases the governing board is the city council or board of supervisors of the city or county in which the special district is located.  School districts and redevelopment agencies are not considered special districts under California law.  California has over 4,800 special districts.

Regional bodies address concerns that extend beyond local city and county boundaries.  Some are advisory only, and others have true regulatory powers.  Councils of government,  which have a regional planning function, are an example of the former.  Air quality management districts are an example of the latter.  Some regional bodies, such as the Bay Area's Metropolitan Transporation Commission, allocate federal funds in their regions, and in this way exercise considerable power.  Regional bodies tend to have appointed boards, often consisting of elected officials from the cities and counties in which the regional bodies are located.

Directories of City and County Official Sites

City and county official sites typically include names of elected officials, other directory information, and council/board agendas.  They may also include ordinance codes, charters, budgets, planning documents, and economic development information.

Statewide directories:
 

• City and County Website Lists www.ca.gov/state/portal/myca_homepage.jsp (Official California homepage) - Click to the lists from the "Quick Hits" section on the lower right side of the homepage.  

• State and Local Government on the Net: California www.statelocalgov.net/state-ca.htm  (Piper Resources) - Scroll down to city and county links.  

• Official City Sites: California officialcitysites.org/state.php3?st=CA - City and county links.  

• California Counties' Websites  www.csac.counties.org/counties_close_up/county_web/index.html (California State Association of Counties)  

• Cities Online www.cacities.org/cities_online/cities_online.asp (League of California Cities) - Searchable database.  

• Excite Directory: California www.excite.com ... - Select Localities or Counties in the left navigation bar. A mix of links to official sites and other local sites.  

• MuniNet Guide and Review muninetguide.com/ - Includes an extensive national database of links to official sites. California jurisdictions appear to be well represented.  

• USA CityLink: California www.usacitylink.com/citylink/ca  - A mix of official and unofficial sites.  

• Yahoo! Get Local: California dir.yahoo.com/Regional/U_S__States/California/ - Click on lists for counties/regions and cities. Official sites, if available, are in the "Community" category.  

• California Roster city and county lists www.ss.ca.gov/executive/ca_roster/ca_roster.htm (California Secretary of State) - Includes city hall/county seat address, central phone and fax numbers, and names of elected officials and major appointed officials (pdf file; online directory only, no links).

Regional directories:
 

• San Francisco Bay Area www.abag.ca.gov/ (Association of Bay Area Governments) - Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma Counties.  

• Southern California Region www.scag.ca.gov (Southern California Association of Governments) - Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura Counties.  

• Orange County www.lib.uci.edu/libraries/collections/govinfo/gimain.html  (UCI Libraries Government Information).  

• San Diego County (1) www.sandag.cog.ca.us/  (San Diego Association of Governments ); (2) govinfo.ucsd.edu/sandiego.html (UCSD Libraries Government Information).

Directories of City and County Departments

These "functional" directories are typically compiled by state government offices and professional societies associated with the function.

• California Library Directory www.library.ca.gov/html/main.cfm (California State Library) - Database searchable by city, county, zip code and type of library (some links).  

• City and County Planning Departments (1 - lists) www.calpin.ca.gov/directory/default.asp; (2 - database) www.calpin.ca.gov/information/default.asp (California Governor's Office of Planning and Research) - Database version includes information on the status of general plans and general plan elements (many links and e-mail contacts).  

• County Elections Officials www.ss.ca.gov/elections/elections_d.htm (California Secretary of State) (some links).  

• County Offices of Education (1) www.cde.ca.gov/re/sd/co/index.asp (California. Dept of Education); (2) www.slocoe.org (San Luis Obispo County Office of Education) - Follow the "Resources" link.  

• County Treasurers and Tax Collectors www.cacttc.org/ttclist.shtml (California Association of County Treasurers and Tax Collectors) (some links).  

• Law Enforcement Agencies www.policeinternational.com/display_links.php?cat_id=1&sub_cat_id=5&language=english/ (Police International) - Links to police departments and county sheriff departments.  

• Transit Agencies www.transweb.sjsu.edu/calsites.htm#transit (San Jose State U., Mineta Transportation Institute).

Directories of Special Districts, School Districts and Regional Bodies

• Councils of Governments (1) www.calcog.org/CALCOG%20members.htm (California Association of Councils of Governments); (2) www.calpin.ca.gov/directory/cog.asp (California Governor's Office of Planning and Research) (no links).  

• Health Care Districts www.achd.org (Association of California Healthcare Districts) - "Coming soon" [May 2005].  

• Local Agency Formation Commissions www.calpin.ca.gov/directory/lafco.asp (California Governor's Office of Planning and Reserch) (some links).  

• School Districts (1) www.cde.ca.gov/re/sd/simplesearch.asp (California Dept. of Education); (2) www.slocoe.org/ (San Luis Obispo County Office of Education) - Follow the "Resources" link.  

• Water Districts www.acwanet.com/aboutacwa/acwamembers/publicagency.asp (Association of California Water Agencies) (some links).

Financial Data

Most jurisdictions issue annual budgets and financial reports, which may be available on official websites. The IGS Library collects print versions from cities and counties. The state of California issues consolidated local financial data in several forms:

• Sales Tax and Property Tax Data - www.boe.ca.gov/annual/annualrpts.htm (State Board of Equalization) - Statistical appendix to the Board's annual report includes tables on assessed valuation of property by county, taxable sales by county, and revenue collected by local sales taxes. Online from 1997-98.  

• Local Government Annual Financial Reports www.sco.ca.gov/pubs/index.shtml#locgovrep (State Controller's Office) - Consolidated revenue and expenditure data issued in print and as PDF files. Includes annual reports for cities, counties, redevelopment agencies, school districts and special districts. Online versions start with the mid-1990s; some provide summary data only.

Local Government Publications

Here are useful online resources for locating planning documents and ordinance codes.

• California Local Planning Documents Database www.igs.berkeley.edu/library/calplans.html (UCB IGS Library) - Database of city and county planning documents collected by the IGS Library.  Searchable by jurisdiction, type of document and date (some links to full-text plans).  

• City, County and Regional Plans ceres.ca.gov/planning/plans/index.html (LUPIN, a project of CERES of the California Resources Agency) - Full-text planning documents from a range of jurisdictions.  

• City and County Ordinance Codes www.igs.berkeley.edu/library/calcodes.html (UCB IGS Library) - List of codes collected by the IGS Library (links to online versions).

Local Government Associations

Websites of professional associations are excellent resources for current issues and policy developments in a subject area.

• American Planning Association. California Chapter www.calapa.org

• Association of California Healthcare Districts www.achd.org

• Association of California Water Agencies www.acwanet.com/

• California Association for Local Economic Development www.caled.org/

• California Association of Councils of Governments www.calcog.org/

• California Association of County Treasurers and Tax Collectors cacttc.org/

• California Association of Public Information Officials www.capio.org/

• California Association of Recreation and Park Districts www.carpd.org/

• California Conference of Directors of Environmental Health www.ccdeh.com/

• California Contract Cities Association www.contractcities.org/

• California District Attorneys Association www.cdaa.org/

• California Grand Juror's Association www.cgja.org/

• California Institute for County Government www.cicg.org/

• California Law Enforcement Association www.clea.org/

• California Municipal Treasurers Association www.cmta.org/

• California Park and Recreation Society www.cprs.org/

• California Police Chiefs Association www.cpcachiefs.org/

• California Public Employers Labor Relations Association www.calpelra.org/

• California School Boards Association www.csba.org/

• California Society of Municipal Finance Officers www.csmfo.org/

• California Special Districts Association www.csda.net/

• California State Association of Counties www.csac.counties.org/

• California State Firefighters' Association www.csfa.net/

• City Clerks Association of California www.californiacityclerks.org/

• League of California Cities www.cacities.org/

 

California Local Government

Directories of City and County Official Sites
-Statewide directories
-Regional directories

Directories of City and County Departments

Directories of Special Districts, School Districts and Regional Bodies

Financial Data

Local Government Publications

Local Government Associations