About Lafco
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Lassen, California Location
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LAFCO's History
At the end of World War II, California experienced a population explosion. This culminated in the sporadic formation of cities and special service districts. The results of this development boom emerged as more and more agricultural land was converted to urban uses across the state. This premature and unplanned development created a system of utilizing small units of local government to deliver public services that was expensive and inefficient.
lafco Early on
Governor Edmund G. Brown recognized this predicament and, in 1959, appointed the Commission on Metropolitan Area Problems to address it. The Commission was directed to study the “misuse of land resources” as well as the growing complexity of overlapping, local governmental jurisdictions, and make recommendations. These recommendations for local governmental reorganization were introduced in the Legislature and resulted in the establishment of the Local Agency Formation Commission, or “LAFCO” in 1963. LAFCo would begin to operate in each California County except San Francisco, which didn't form until 2001.
In 1965, the Legislature approved the District Reorganization Act (DRA) which combined separate laws governing special district boundaries into a single law. The Municipal Organization Act of 1977 (MORGA) also consolidated various city incorporation and annexation laws into one law.
These three laws each contained several parallel and duplicative provisions, although, similar procedures varied slightly from one law to another. The procedures necessary for one type of boundary change were also found in vastly different sections of the three laws. While MORGA was the most current revision of city annexation statutes, a number of cities across the state were required to use DRA so areas being annexed could be simultaneously detached from special districts. Even though all three laws contained application and hearing procedures for LAFCOs, there were inconsistencies amongst them. This resulted in city and district boundary changes that were unnecessarily confusing and complicated for local agencies and LAFCOs, in addition to residents and property owners.
In 1965, the Legislature approved the District Reorganization Act (DRA) which combined separate laws governing special district boundaries into a single law. The Municipal Organization Act of 1977 (MORGA) also consolidated various city incorporation and annexation laws into one law.
These three laws each contained several parallel and duplicative provisions, although, similar procedures varied slightly from one law to another. The procedures necessary for one type of boundary change were also found in vastly different sections of the three laws. While MORGA was the most current revision of city annexation statutes, a number of cities across the state were required to use DRA so areas being annexed could be simultaneously detached from special districts. Even though all three laws contained application and hearing procedures for LAFCOs, there were inconsistencies amongst them. This resulted in city and district boundary changes that were unnecessarily confusing and complicated for local agencies and LAFCOs, in addition to residents and property owners.
about the Cortese-Knox local government reorganization act of 1985
The Cortese-Knox Local Government Reorganization Act of 1985 was the result of collaborative work between Assembly Member Dominic Cortese, the former Chair of the Assembly Local Government Committee, and the California Association of Local Agency Formation Commissions (CALAFCO). Effective from January 1, 1986, this Act integrated California's three primary laws governing boundary changes for local governments into a cohesive and singular law.
Lafco now
The Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000 (AB 2838) enhanced the consolidation of LAFCO law and allowed LAFCOs to take a prominent role in the orderly development of all local agencies. Section 56001 of the Government Code reaffirms and underscores the legislative policies of the State Legislature:
- Discouraging Urban Sprawl and Promoting Orderly Development
- Accommodating Growth Within Agencies Best Able to Provide Services
- Extending Government Services Efficiently
- Collaboration of Local Officials in Addressing Issues of Regional Growth
- Preserving Open-Space
- Providing Housing for People of all Incomes
- Giving Responsibility to the Agency Best Able to Provide Government Services (\A756001)
The reason for lafco
LAFCOs evaluate proposals relating to the formation of new local government agencies and organizational changes in existing agencies. California is comprised of 58 counties, encompassing approximately 500 cities and over 3,000 special districts. Agency boundaries often are unrelated to each other, sometimes overlapping. This often leads to higher costs for taxpayers and confusion regarding service areas. LAFCO decisions aim to balance California's needs for affordable housing, economic opportunities, and natural resource conservation.
The core goals of LAFCOs include promoting organized formation of local government agencies, preserving agricultural and open space lands, and mitigating urban sprawl. In Lassen County, Lassen County LAFCO exclusively oversees local government organizational changes. Procedures for altering the organization of special districts or cities are subject to LAFCO review under the Cortese/Knox/Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000 (Government Code Section 56000 et seq.).
Organizational changes can be any of the following:
- A city incorporation;
- A district formation;
- An annexation to, or detachment from, a city or district;
- A disincorporation of a city;
- A district dissolution;
- A consolidation of cities or special districts;
- A merger or establishment of a subsidiary district;
- An authorization of a special district to exercise one of its latent powers or to extend the area over which a latent power is exercised; or
- A reorganization involving two or more of the above-listed changes of organization.
public involvement with lafco
Citizens are invited and encouraged to attend regular LAFCO meetings and participate in public hearings to express their views on proposals before the Commission. These meetings also offer a valuable chance for citizens to learn about the growth, development, and inter-jurisdictional challenges affecting Lassen County.
