HISTORY
The end of World War II saw California experiencing a tremendous population increase, which resulted in the sporadic formation of cities and special service districts.
The results of this development boom became evident as more of California's agricultural land was converted to urban uses. Premature and unplanned development created inefficient, expensive systems of delivering public services using various small units of local government.
Governor Edmund G. Brown, Sr., reponded to this problem in 1959 by appointing the Commission on Metropolitan Area Problems. The Commission's charge was to study and make recommendations on the "misuse of land resources" and the growing complexity of overlapping, local governmental Iurisdictions. The Commission 5 recommendations on local governmental reorganization were introduced in the Legislature in 1963, resulting in the creation of Local Agency Formation Commissions or "LAFCO's", operating in each county except San Francisco.
OBJECTIVES OF LAFCO
TO ENCOURAGE THE ORDERLY FORMATION OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES
LAFCOs review proposals for the formation of new local governmental agencies and changes of organization in existing agencies. In California there are 57 LAFCO's working with nearly 4,000 governmental agencies in 57 counties, 500+ cities, and 3,000+ special deistricts. Agency boundaries are often unrelated to one another and sometimes overlap at random. This overlaping often leads to higher service cost to the taxpayer and general confusion regarding service area boundaries. LAFCO's decisions strive to balance the competing needs in California for affordable housing, economic opportunity and conservation of natural resources.
TO PRESERVE AGRICULTURAL LAND RESOURCES
LAFCO must consider the effect that any proposal will produce on existing agricultural lands. By guiding development toward vacant urban land and away from agricultural preserves, LAFCO assist with the perservation of our valuable agricultural resources.
TO DISCOURAGE URBAN SPRAWL
Urban sprawl can best be described as irregular and disorganized growth occourring without apparent design or plan. This pattern of development is characterized by the inefficient delivery of urban services (police, fire, water and sanitation) and the unnecessary of loss of agricultural land. By discouraging sprawl, LAFCO limits the misuse of land resources and promotes a more efficient system of local governmental agencies.
AUTHORITY OF LAFCO
BOUNDARY CHANGES
LAFCOs regulate, through approval or denial, the boundary changes proposed by other public agencies or individuals. LAFCO's do not have the power to initiate boundary changes on their own, except for proposals involving the dissolution, merging or consolidation of special districts.
Typical applicants might include:
- Individual home owners requesting annexation to a sewer district due to a failing septic tank.
- Developers seeking annexation to cities in order to obtain urban densities and urban service extended to the new housing.
- Cities wishing to annex pockets or "islands" of unincorporated land located within their borders in order to aviod duplication of services with the county.
- Special Districts or cities seeking to consolidate two or more governmental agencies into one, thereby streamlining their services and reducing the cost to the local taxpayer.
SPHERE OF INFLUENCE STUDIES
One of the most important charges given LAFCO was the adoption of "Spheres of Influence" for local governments (1972).
A "Sphere of Influence" is the physical boundary and service area that a local governmental agency is expected to serve in the future. Establishment of this boundary is necessary to determine which governmental agencies can provide services in the most efficient way to the people and property in any given area. The Sphere of Influence requirement also works to discourage urban sprawl by preventing overlapping jurisdictions and duplication of services.
Commissions cannot tell counties or cities what their planning goals should be. Rather, LAFCO's coordinate the orderly development of a community through reconciling differences between city and county plans so the most efficient urban service arrangements are created for the benefit of area residents and property owners.
SPECIAL STUDIES
Through special studies, LAFCO's encourage governments to evaluate their current operations and options for reorganization. Local agencies often overlap and have the potential of duplicating services. LAFCO's conduct service studies and consolidation feasibility studies. These studies provide general infomation about local governments and present alternatives for improving services and reducing operational cost.
INITIATION OF SPECIAL DISTRICT CONSOLIDATIONS
As of July 1, 1994, LAFCO's have the authority to initiate proposals that include the dissolution or consolidation of special districts, the merging of an existing district or establishment of subsidiary districts. Prior to initiating such an action, LAFCO must determine that the district's customers would benefit from the proposal through adoption of a sphere of influence or other special study.
OUT OF AGENCY SERVICE AGREEMENTS
Cities and districts are required to obtain LAFCO's approval prior to entering into contracts with private individuals or organizations to provide services outside of the agencies boundaries.
LAFCO's RESPONSIBILITIES
LAFCOs are responsible for coordinating logical and timely changes in local governmental boundaries, conducting special studies that review ways to reorganize, simplify and streamline governmental structure and preparing a Sphere of Influence for each city and special district within each county. The Commission's efforts are directed to seeing that services are provided efficiently and economically while agricultural and open-space lands are protected.
COMMISSION COMPOSITION/PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT
COMMISSION COMPOSITION
The Riverside LAFCO Commission is composed of two county supervisors selected by the Board of Supervisors; two city council representatives selected by a majority of the mayors in the county; two special district board members selected by the special district selection committee and one public member selected by the other six members. There is an alternate for each category - city, county, special district and public. The composition of Local Agency Formation Commissions may vary in other counties. Some LAFCO's do not have independant special district representation on their Commission, thereby reducing the Commission to five members. Also some LAFCOs including Los Angeles, Sacramento, Santa Clara and San Diego, through special legislation, have reserved a seat on the Commission for a representative from the county's major city.
CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT
Citizens are welcome and encouraged to attend regular LAFCO meetings and state their views during public hearings on proposals before the Commission. In addition, the meetings provide an excellent opportunity for citizens to familiarize themselves with the growth, development and inter-jurisdictional issues facing their county. Copies of the minutes, meeting agendas and staff reports are available, and may be downloaded off of this internet page, faxed off the County's bulliten board system or by contacting the Riverside LAFCO.
LEGISLATIVE ACT
A section of the California Government Code, the Cortese Knox Local Government Reorganization Act of 1985 exists to provide LAFCO with its powers, procedures and functions. This law gives LAFCO power to "approve or disapprove with or without amendment, who fly, partially or conditionally" proposals concerning the formation of cities and special districts, and other changes of jurisdiction or organization of local government agencies.
Adapted from a publication of the California Association of LAFCOs (CALAFCO)