MISSION STATEMENT:
"To encourage the orderly development and reorganization of
Local Governmental Agencies, essential to the social, fiscal,
and economic well-being of the State."
LAFCO PROFILE:
Established by state law (Cortese/Knox-Hertzberg Act of 2000)
to discourage urban sprawl and encourage the orderly formation
and development of local government agencies, the Los Angeles
County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) is a regulatory
agency with county-wide jurisdiction.
GENERAL PURPOSE AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
LAFCO is responsible for coordinating logical and timely changes
in local governmental boundaries, including annexations and
detachments of territory, incorporations of cities, formations
of special districts, and consolidations, mergers, and dissolutions
of districts, as well as reviewing ways to reorganize, simplify,
and streamline governmental structure. In 1994, LAFCOs were
given the authority to initiate proposals involving district
consolidation, dissolution, establishment of subsidiary districts,
mergers, and reorganizations (combinations of the above jurisdictional
changes). In addition, LAFCO is responsible for reviewing contractual
service agreements between property owners and service providers.
The Commission also is charged with developing and updating
spheres of influence for each city and special district within
the county. Spheres are planning tools used to provide guidance
for individual proposals involving jurisdictional changes, and
are intended to encourage efficient provision of organized community
services and prevent duplication of service delivery. Territory
must be within a city or district's sphere in order to be annexed.
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