California Counties - What are They

As you are a youngster, student, or even a newcomer to California and the United States, it is only logical that you wouldn't necessarily know and understand the concept of counties in California or any other U.S. state. There are 50 states in the United States of America. California is one of them. It is located on the West Coast facing the Pacific Ocean. Its border in San Diego County connects to Mexico at Tijuana. To its north is Oregon, and to the east are Nevada and Arizona.

California counties are contained in the California Constitution and the California Government Code and are described as the largest political subdivision of the state having corporate powers. It is vested by the Legislature with the powers necessary to provide for the health and welfare of the people within its borders. The specific organizational structure of a county in California varies from county to county.

County Powers

California Constitution authorizes counties in California to make and enforce local ordinances that do not conflict with general laws. A county also has the power to sue and be sued, purchase and hold land, manage or dispose of its properties, and levy and collect taxes authorized by law. Many additional powers have been granted to counties by the Legislature. The powers of a county can only be exercised by the Board of Supervisors or through officers acting under the authority of the Board or authority conferred by law. In addition, the Board must follow the procedural requirements in the statutes or its actions will not be valid. For example, if the Legislature has provided a method by which a county may abandon a road, that method must be followed. Also, where state law requires land use zoning by an ordinance, this statutorily prescribed method is binding on the county. On the other hand, where the law does not specifically prescribe a method for accomplishing a task, the county may adopt any reasonably suitable means.

County Versus City - What Makes them Different?

California cities have broad revenue generating authority and counties do not. Unless restricted by a specific provision of the California Constitution, the Legislature may delegate to the counties any of the functions which belong to the state itself. Conversely, the state may take back to itself and resume the functions which it has delegated to counties (e.g., state funding of trial courts). Counties lack broad powers of self-government.

Two Types of California Counties

General Law is one type of California county. The other type is Charter. There are currently 45 general law counties and 13 charter counties.

California's Original 27 Counties in 1850 were: Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Los Angeles, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Solano, Sonoma, Sutter, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yolo and Yuba.

For Tourism and Travel Purposes, the State of California is also divided into 12 regions that conveniently represent geographic bounds of either counties or natural features such as deserts, mountains and bays. See the California Regions Map.

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