Guide to the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000 -- 2009 update (pdf version). This guide, produced by the Assembly Local Government Committee includes the complete text of the LAFCo law and related sections of the Revenue and Taxation Code. It is updated with all changes in laws through 2009 (December, 2009).
Guide to C-K-H Reorganization Act of 2000 -- 2009 update (word version -- Handy if you want to excerpt portions. (Note: this only contains the body of the law)

Printed copies of the 2009 edition of the Guide to the CKH Government Reorgaization Act are now available from CALAFCO. To order copies please complete the: CKH Guide Order Form.

Summary of Changes to LAFCo Law from 2001 to 2009 -- Summary of LAFCo-related legislation chaptered each year since C-K-H became law.

LAFCo 101 -- Handout from presentations introducing Local Agency Formation Commissions.

It's Time To Draw the Line: A Citizen's Guide to LAFCo 2003 (pdf)
It's Time to Draw the Line: A Citizen's Guide to LAFCo 2003 (word version -- Handy if you want to excerpt portions for a report. This is a large document)

Growth Within Bounds: Report of the Commission on Local Governance for the 21st Century (pdf). This extensive report is the result of the Commission's 16 months of work to review current statutes and recommend revisions to the laws that govern city, county, and special district formation and boundary changes, along with overall governance issues. This key report formed the basis of the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000, and is a foundation for the role and function of LAFCo.

Summary of Legislative Intent in Enacting Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg (pdf)

Reinventing LAFCo: Changes Made by the Cortese-Knox-Herzberg Act (pdf). This primer for Commissioners was first distributed in March, 2001. It highlights the major changes to LAFCo authority, procedures and independence which were implemented in 2000.

Senate Local Government Committee Quick List 2009. An annotated glossary of local government statutes. Newly revised, the 2009 version lists nearly 200 key state laws, their statutory citations, and handy references.  Also included are step-by-step directions for retrieving public documents and a list of helpful websites.

LEGAL CORNER
Resource page with links to Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and Superior Court decisions, and Attorney General Opinions which affect LAFCo.

LAFCo Court Decisions and Attorney General Opinions

Judicial Review of LAFCo Decisions and Boundary Changes -- Summarizes timelines for judicial review of LAFCo decisions and boundary changes.

CALAFCO White Paper: The Good, the Bad and the Confusing: Current Protest Requirements under the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000 (2009-pdf)

CALAFCO White Paper: The Metamorphasis of Special Districts: Current Methods for Consolidation, Dissolution, Subsidiary District Formation and Merger (2008-pdf)

CALAFCO Summary of G.C. 56133: New or Extended Services Outside Jurisdictional Boundaries (pdf)

CALAFCO Report: 25 Year Summary of LAFCo Activity: 1963-1988 (pdf)

CALAFCO University Incorporations Workshop (ppt)
Slides from the workshop, including new materials presented at the workshop.

CALAFCO Inventory of Pending and Potential Municipal Incorporations (pdf)
California Cities by Incorporation Date -- List of all California cities by date of incorporation (doc)

Incorporations Terms and Conditions (pdf) -- A summary of the terms and conditions imposed on seven recent incorporations (March, 2008).

Newly Incorporated Cities: Successfully Transitioning to Cityhood (pdf) -- A CALAFCO White Paper on surviving the post-incorporation blues. A checklist of everything new cities need to think about during the transition (September, 2008).

Incorporations, Annexations and the New Public Finance -- How the 2006 changes in VLF and property tax subventions affect incorporations and annexations. From the Senate Local Government Committee (Nov. 2006):
City Incorporations and the New Public Finance (doc)
City Annexations and the New Public Finance (doc)

Calculating the New Supplemental VLF Amounts for Incorporations and Inhabited Annexations-- From Michael Coleman at CaliforniaCityFinance.com. How to estimate the new VLF allocations for annexations and new incorporations under the 2006 legislation, AB1602 (Laird).
The VLF for Property Tax Swap of 2004: Effects on inhabited annexations and new incorporations (revised, Oct. 2006)-- From Michael Coleman at CaliforniaCityFinance.com. A more complete discussion of the VLF for property tax swap of 2004, its problematic provisions for annexations and new incorporations, and the remedies provided in the new 2006 law, AB1602.

Island Annexation Resources Exellent resource materials on island annexations (small pieces of unincorporated territory substantially surrounded by a city) are available from Santa Clara LAFCo and the City of Fontana. Visit:

• Santa Clara LAFCo Island Annexations
• Making Your City Whole: Taking Advantage of the Current Opportunity to Annex Urban Unincorporated Pockets From Santa Clara LAFCo (pdf-805 KB)
• City of Fontana Island Annexation Program

Guide to the LAFCo Process for Incorporation (pdf)
Guide to the LAFCo Process for Incorporation Appendices (pdf)

ALTERNATIVES TO CITY INCORPORATION
California Law provides some options to incorporation for those unincorporated communities seeking more of voice in local decisions which affects them. Municipal Advisory Councils and Area Planning Commissions provide two opportunities for citizens to participate in decision making. Two historic papers outline the "county town" concept that continues to be viable today:

Very Local Planning: A Study of Area Planning Commissions in California (July, 1980, State Office of Planning and Research)
Municipal Advisory Councils: An Experiment in Community Participation (June, 1977, State Office of Planning and Research)

These fact summary sheets are prepared by the Senate Local Government Committee and provide an excellent overview of local agencies. Updated to reflect 2009 data.
City Fact Sheet (pdf)
County Fact Sheet (pdf)
Special District Fact Sheet (pdf)

Williamson Act: Past, Present, Future? (March, 2010)
Summary Report by the Senate Local Government Committee for a hearing on the Act held on 3 March. An excellent summary of the Act, history of the law, and what the future holds for the law.Comprehensive summary includes staff briefing, summary of speaker comments, research paper and all of the materials distributed by speakers at the hearing.
Full Summary Report (large pdf; will take a few minutes to download)
Staff Briefing Report Only

Find Any Public Park or Open Space in California (March, 2010).
Get current GIS data and detailed park information for over 15,000 parks. Easy to use interactive map. Prepared by the non-profit GreenInfo Network. Visit www.ParkInfo.org.

Revenues and Responsibilities: An Inventory of Local Tax Powers (Dec. 2007)
Having been asked these questions innumerable times – in innumerable ways – the staff of the Senate Local Government Committee prepared this annotated inventory of local tax powers.

Governments Working Together: A Citizen's Guide to Joint Power Agreements (Aug. 2007)
This guide from the Senate Local Government Committee discusses the authority, composition, and use of JPAs in California. (pdf)

Catalogue of Senate Citizen Guides -- The Senate Local Government has published a series of Citizen Guides to California local public agency processes and laws. These excellent resources cut confusion and make govenment more accessible. Eight guides are now available. Order Form.

Miss a session or couldn't attend a CALAFCO conference? Check out these handout and presentation materials in the Member's Library (some will require a member log-in):

2009 Conference Handout and Presentation Materials
2008 Staff Workshop Presentation Materials
2007 Conference Handout and Presentation Materials
2006 Conference Handout and Presentation Materials
2006 Staff Workshop Handout and Presentation Materials
2005 Conference Handout and Presentation Materials
2004 Conference Handout and Presentation Materials

Working With Your LAFCo: Building Strong Relationships (doc)

LAFCo 101 (ppt). This 2009 Powerpoint presentation is an overview of Local Agency Formation Commissions. Contains the history, highlights of current law, LAFCo powers and decisions, policies and procedures, LAFCo resources and current issues.

2010 CALAFCO Annual Event Calendar (pdf)
CALAFCO Conference and Workshop Schedule: 2009-2013

EO List Serve Discussion Topic Index - Available only to members.

CALAFCO Member Website Log In

CALAFCO Office Location, Parking and Lodging (pdf)