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Government

The five-member Board of Supervisors, created by the state Legislature in 1852, is the governing body of the County of Los Angeles. The Board appoints all department heads other than the assessor, district attorney and sheriff, which are elective positions. As a subdivision of the state, the County is charged with providing numerous services that affect the lives of all residents, including law enforcement, property assessment, tax collection, public health protection, public social services, elections and flood control.There are 88 cities within the County, each with its own city council. All of the cities, in varying degrees, contract with the County to provide municipal services. The Board of Supervisors acts as the "city council" for unincorporated areas. There are separate governing boards for air quality, water, sanitation, transportation, and education.

                                    
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Highlights
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Discount Computer Equipment Available to Public Agencies Discount Computer Equipment Available to Public Agencies
Public agencies may purchase computer equipment at discount prices negotiated by the County of Los Angeles. Available are desktops, laptops and tablet personal computers; monitors and laser printers.

County Strategic Plan Updated
The Board of Supervisors on March 3 approved the third update to the County Strategic Plan. The plan includes the County's mission statement and strategies for reaching identified goals.

Voting Districts
By putting in a street address, you can find out what political districts represent that area and whether the area is unincorporated or in a city.
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Government Links
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   Cities


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   County Departments


   Federal Government


   Foreign Consulates


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   State Agencies


   Water Agencies


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Did You Know?
  • The County Charter was approved in 1913.
  • Videotapes of Board meetings are archived online from January 2003.
  • Board of Supervisors meetings are televised on KLCS, normally at 10 p.m. on Wednesdays.
  • The County began posting department correspondence to the Board of Supervisors online in 2001 to expand access to records.
  • The Southern California Broadcasters Associates sponsors an annual workshop to teach organizations how to prepare and place public service announcements.
  • La Opinion is the largest Spanish-language newspaper in the United States.
  • Former L.A. County District Attorneys Evelle Younger and John Van de Kamp served as California attorney general.
  • The L.A. County Board of Supervisors in 1913 appointed the first public defender in the U.S.
  • Former Gov. George Deukmejian once worked for the L.A. County Counsel's Office.
  • Lawsuits against the County increased by 10 percent in 2007-08.
  • There are approximately 2.7 million and outpatient and 270,000 emergency room visits at County facilities annually.
  • Child support services are provided annually to approximately 500,000 families.
  • More than 2.2 million meals are provided annually to older residents.
  • The County provides ocean lifeguard rescue and beach maintenance services to protect an estimated 55 million beach visitors.
  • All five county supervisors sit on the Metropolitan Transit Authority board of directors, which has 13 voting members.
  • Two county supervisors serve as members of the Local Agency Formation Commission, but it is not a county agency.
  • The superintendent and Board of Education members are appointed by the Board of Supervisors, but the County Office of Education is a state agency.
  • The Board of Supervisors appoints the members of the county committees and commissions.
  • There are 37 county departments.
  • A total of 377 votes were cast in the County’s first election in 1850.
  • A three-man Court of Sessions governed the County before the creation of the Board of Supervisors.
  • The County charter was approved in 1913.
  • The Board of Supervisors was created by the state Legislature in 1852, two years after the County was established.
  • There are four males and one female serving as county supervisors.
  • Supervisors are elected by the voters of their district.
  • Vacancies on the Board of Supervisors are filled by the governor.
  • Terms of new supervisors begin at noon the first Monday in December following their election.
  • Supervisors are limited to three, four-year consecutive terms.
  • The Board of Supervisors meets each Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. unless otherwise noticed.
  • The chair pro tem becomes the chair of the Board the Tuesday following the first Monday in December.
  • The chair of the Board of Supervisors is officially called mayor, though most members do not use the title.
  • Elections to the Board of Supervisors are non-partisan.
  • The County is governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors.
  • The Auditor's Office issues approximately 4.7 million checks annually on behalf of the County.
  • Chief Administrative Officer Lindon Hollinger started his County career as a messenger in the Auditor's Office.
  • The Civic Center Mall fountain is named after Arthur J. Will, the County's second chief administrative officer.
  • The County operated 88 years before it appointed its first chief administrative officer.
  • There have been more than 140 supervisors in LA. County's history.
  • 88 cities and 130 unincorporated areas comprise LA County.
  • Twenty-two percent of the County's revenues are from the state and 22 percent from the federal government.
  • Twenty-five percent of the County budget goes for social services.
  • There are separate governing boards for air quality, water, sanitation, and transportation.
  • There are more than 500 political districts in the County.
  • There are more than 140 cultures and 135 languages, some say as high as 224, not including differing dialects.
  • There are four elected county offices: supervisor, assessor, district attorney, sheriff.
  • There are 88 city councils.
  • There are 80 boards of education for elementary and secondary levels.
  • There are 75 miles of mainland beach in L.A. County – 9 percent of the state's coastline.
  • There are 101,113 budgeted county positions.
  • There are 1,823 k-12 schools with 1.7 million students in the county.
  • The proposed County budget goes to the Board of Supervisors in April; the Board generally adopts the budget in June.
  • The last major detachment of land from L.A. County was in 1889 with the creation of Orange County.
  • The largest population of persons of Filipino, Guatemalan, Korean, Mexican, Salvadoran and Thai descent outside their native countries live in L.A. County.
  • The largest percent of the County budget (27 percent) goes for health services.
  • The county is the nation's top international trade center and the largest manufacturing center.
  • The county is the most religiously diverse in the world.
  • The county is home to more than 90 countries' consulate offices.
  • The county has the largest number of foreign-born residents in the nation (more than 3.4 million).
  • The average rainfall in the County is 15.5 inches.
  • The County's 4,084 square miles makes it one of the nation's largest counties.
  • The County spends 27 percent of its budget on public protection.
  • The County operates on a fiscal year that begins July 1.
  • The County is the most populous county in the nation, with 10.3 million people.
  • The County is the largest employer in the five-County region.
  • The County is the largest and most complex election jurisdiction in the U.S.
  • The County has two islands: Santa Catalina and San Clemente.
  • The County has more minority-and women-owned businesses than any other in the nation.
  • The County has 4.3 million registered voters.
  • The 2009-2010 final adopted County budget is $23.6 billion.
  • Superior Court judges are elected by county voters, but are state officials.
  • Students in Los Angeles Unified School District speak 92 languages.
  • Public higher education institutions include UCLA, five state university campuses and 21 community colleges.
  • Property tax provides 20 percent of the County's revenues.
  • Only Cook County has more black residents than L.A. County.
  • Los Angeles County was established Feb. 18, 1850.
  • Los Angeles County produces more college graduates and has more individuals with Ph.D.s than any other county in nation.
  • Los Angeles County is one of California's original 27 counties.
  • Los Angeles County is one of 58 counties in California.
  • L.A. County is the nation's aerospace research/development capital, birthplace of the Space Shuttle and Stealth fighter.
  • L.A. County is home to more than 244,000 businesses.
  • L.A. County is bordered by Orange, San Bernardino, Kern and Ventura counties.
  • If the County were a state, it would be the eighth most populous.
  • If a nation, the county's economy would be the 17th largest in the world.
  • At one time, L.A. County was eight times its present size – 34,520 square miles, going all the way to the Colorado River.
  • Approximately 7% of minority U.S. residents live in L.A.County.
  • Approximately 30 percent of California's residents live in the County.
  • Altitudes in the County vary from 9 ft. below sea level in Wilmington to 10,080 ft. above sea level at Mt. San Antonio.
  • Almost half of the residents speak only English. (2000 Census)
  • About one-third of the County's positions are in law and justice, one-third in health, and one-fourth in social services.
  • "Seventy-Six Cities" is the County's official song, adopted in 1965

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