Local Agency Formation Commission
Encyclopedia
A Local Agency Formation Commission (or LAFCo) is one of several decision making government
entities in California
with the responsibility to decide boundary issues pertaining to city
and county
(non-incorporated) lands, including spheres of influence, and issues about the annexation
of county lands into a city or special district.
county (except San Francisco
which would obtain one in 2001) by the California State Legislature
in 1963. LAFCos' current legal authority and mandate are defined by the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Act of 2000 (Government Code Section 56000 et seq).
Under the agency, no community within an incorporated city has ever been granted city status. This is partially due to the recently passed Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Act of 2000, which makes it difficult for communities to break away from their original cities by forcing the community to gain approval from the city it is detaching from, and heightened requirements from an election (2/3 vote from entire community and affected city). The only community within a city ever to be brought before a vote by LAFCo was the San Fernando Valley
in the early 2000s, which was denied. No detachments from a city have been successful in the state since 1947.
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
entities in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
with the responsibility to decide boundary issues pertaining to city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
and county
County (United States)
In the United States, a county is a geographic subdivision of a state , usually assigned some governmental authority. The term "county" is used in 48 of the 50 states; Louisiana is divided into parishes and Alaska into boroughs. Parishes and boroughs are called "county-equivalents" by the U.S...
(non-incorporated) lands, including spheres of influence, and issues about the annexation
Annexation
Annexation is the de jure incorporation of some territory into another geo-political entity . Usually, it is implied that the territory and population being annexed is the smaller, more peripheral, and weaker of the two merging entities, barring physical size...
of county lands into a city or special district.
History
Local Agency Formation Commissions were established in each CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
county (except San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
which would obtain one in 2001) by the California State Legislature
California State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...
in 1963. LAFCos' current legal authority and mandate are defined by the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Act of 2000 (Government Code Section 56000 et seq).
Authority
LAFCOs have both regulatory and planning authority:- As a regulatory agency, LAFCo is charged with “discouraging urban sprawlUrban sprawlUrban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a multifaceted concept, which includes the spreading outwards of a city and its suburbs to its outskirts to low-density and auto-dependent development on rural land, high segregation of uses Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a...
and encouraging the orderly formation and development of local agencies” based on “local circumstances and conditions.” LAFCo's regulatory responsibilities include reviewing, approving or denying proposals to annex land to cities or special districts. - As a planning agency, LAFCo is charged to determine and update, at least every five years, the “sphere of influence” of each city and special district. In updating spheres of influence, the LAFCo must prepare Municipal Service Reviews of relevant local agencies and services. A LAFCo may initiate proposals to consolidate special districts, merge a special district with a city, dissolve a special district, establish a subsidiary district, or any combination of these changes.
Under the agency, no community within an incorporated city has ever been granted city status. This is partially due to the recently passed Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Act of 2000, which makes it difficult for communities to break away from their original cities by forcing the community to gain approval from the city it is detaching from, and heightened requirements from an election (2/3 vote from entire community and affected city). The only community within a city ever to be brought before a vote by LAFCo was the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
in the early 2000s, which was denied. No detachments from a city have been successful in the state since 1947.