The KUSP Land Use Report #47: The Structure of LAFCO

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The following Land Use Report is presented by Gary Patton, Executive Director of LandWatch Monterey County. The opinions expressed by Mr. Patton are not necessarily those of KUSP Radio, nor of any of our sponsors.

Local Agency Formation Commissions, or LAFCOs, exist in each California County. LAFCOs decide whether the voters should be allowed to create a new city, and they decide what sort of annexations to existing cities should be allowed. LAFCOs operate according to state law, and they act as a referee between city and county government. Two Members of the County Board of Supervisors sit on LAFCO. Two city Mayors sit on LAFCO. And then the city and county representatives select a “Public Member.” In Santa Cruz, and soon in Monterey County, the Special Districts in the County also select two representatives to sit on LAFCO, so LAFCO is a seven-member body, with very great decision-making power.

Should there be a new city of Carmel Valley? Well, there won’t be unless the people in Carmel Valley vote for that, but they won’t have the chance to vote unless LAFCO says it’s ok.

Should the City of Watsonville be able to annex farmland in the Pajaro Valley? The Santa Cruz County LAFCO will have to sign off first. Same thing in the Salinas Valley. Before Salinas Valley cities can annex productive farmland, the Monterey County LAFCO has to say “yes.”

The fate of the farmlands of the Salinas Valley, and the coastal agricultural lands of San Luis Obispo and Santa Cruz Counties, may well depend on LAFCO. Find out more, and make a comment or a suggestion, at the KUSP website.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

CALAFCO Website: http://www.calafco.org/

LAFCO Law:
The Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000, Government Code Section 56000 ff.
[http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?
section=gov&group=55001-56000&file=56000-56001]

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