Local and Regional Government Web Resources
Official City & County Sites
City and county official sites typically include names of elected officials, other directory information, and council/board agendas. They may also include ordinance codes, charters, budgets, planning documents, and economic development information.
Statewide directories- Directory of official state, county, and city websites
- California Counties' Websites
- League of California Cities
- California Roster - Includes city hall/county seat address, phone numbers, and names of elected and major appointed officials
Regional Directories
- Association of Bay Area Governments
- Southern California Association of Governments
- San Diego Association of Governments
- Orange County Government Information
(UCI Libraries Government Information Course Guide) - San Diego Government Information
(UCSD Libraries Government Information)
City and County Departments
California Planners' Information Network
County Treasurers and Tax Collectors
Special Districts, School Districts & Regional Bodies
Special districts are local entities that typically have a special purpose--e.g., fire protection, irrigation, waste disposal, etc. Their governing boards may be elected or appointed. School districts and redevelopment agencies are not considered special districts under California law. California has more than 4,800 special districts.
Regional bodies address concerns that extend beyond local city and county boundaries. Some are advisory only (e.g., councils of government), and others have true regulatory powers (e.g., air quality management districts). Regional bodies tend to have appointed boards, often consisting of elected officials from the cities and counties in which the regional bodies are located.
California Association of Councils of Governments
Association of California Healthcare Districts
California Local Agency Formation Commission
California Department of Education School Directory
Association of California Water Agencies
Financial Data
Most jurisdictions issue annual budgets and financial reports, which may be available on official websites. The IGS Library collects print versions from cities and counties. The state of California issues consolidated local financial data in several forms:
Sales Tax and Property Tax Data (State Board of Equalization) - Statistical appendix to the Board's annual report includes tables on assessed valuation of property by county, taxable sales by county, and revenue collected by local sales taxes. Online from 1997-98.
Local Government Annual Financial Reports (State Controller's Office) - Consolidated revenue and expenditure data issued in print and as PDF files. Includes annual reports for cities, counties, redevelopment agencies, school districts and special districts. Online versions start with the mid-1990s; some provide summary data only.
Election Returns
Statewide Election Results (Secretary of State) - Statement of Vote and Supplement to the Statement of Vote reports for each statewide election dating back to 1990.
Alameda County Elections (Alameda County Registrar of Voters)
California Elections Data Archives (Center for California Studies, and Institute for Social Research, California State University, Sacramento)
A repository of California local election data from 1995 onward.
Includes candidate and ballot measure results for county, city,
community college and school district elections. Data for 1999 onward
is available online. Data for 1995-1998 is available in printed reports.
San Francisco Voter Pamphlets & Propositions (San Francisco Public Library)
Provides
online access to San Francisco voter pamphlets and ballot propositions
from 1907 onward. Browse by date or search a database index.
Local Government Publications
California Local Planning Documents Database (UCB IGS Library) - Database of city and county planning documents collected by the IGS Library.
City, County and Regional Plans - Full-text planning documents from a range of jurisdictions.
City and County Ordinance Codes (UCB IGS Library) - List of codes collected by the IGS Library (links to online versions).
Local Government Associations
Websites of professional associations are excellent resources for current issues and policy developments in a subject area.
American Planning Association. California Chapter.
Association of California Healthcare District
Association of California Water Agencies
California Association for Local Economic Development
California Association of Councils of Governments
California Association of County Treasurers and Tax Collectors
California Association of Public Information Officials
California Association of Recreation and Park Districts
California Conference of Directors of Environmental Health
California Contract Cities Association
California District Attorneys Association
California Grand Juror's Association
California Institute for County Government
California Law Enforcement Association
California Municipal Treasurers Association
California Park and Recreation Society
California Police Chiefs Association
California Public Employers Labor Relations Association
California School Boards Association
California Society of Municipal Finance Officers
California Special Districts Association
California State Association of Counties
California State Firefighters' Association
City Clerks Association of California
