HISTORY OF LAFCO The end of World War II saw California experiencing a tremendous population increase, which resulted in the sporadic formation of cities and special service districts. The results of this development boom became evident as more of California's agricultural land was converted to urban uses. Premature and unplanned development created inefficient, expensive systems of delivering public services using various small units of local government. Governor Edmund G. Brown, Sr. responded to this problem in 1959 by appointing the Commission on Metropolitan Area Problems. The Commission's charge was to study and make recommendations on the "misuse of land resources" and the growing complexity of overlapping, local governmental jurisdictions. The Commission's recommendations on local governmental reorganization were introduced in the Legislature in 1963, resulting in the creation of Local Agency Formation Commissions or "LAFCOs", operating in each county except San Francisco. OBJECTIVES OF LAFCO TO ENCOURAGE THE ORDERLY FORMATION OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES LAFCOs review proposals for the formation of new local governmental agencies and changes of organization in existing agencies. In California, there are 58 LAFCOs working with nearly 4,000 governmental agencies in 58 counties, approximately 500 cities, and over 3,000 special districts. Agency boundaries are often unrelated to one another and sometimes overlap at random. This overlapping often leads to higher service costs to the taxpayer and general confusion regarding service area boundaries. LAFCOs' decisions strive to balance the competing needs in California for affordable housing, economic opportunity and conservation of natural resources. TO PRESERVE AGRICULTURAL LAND RESOURCES LAFCOs must consider the effect that any proposal will produce on existing agricultural lands. By guiding development toward vacant urban land and away from agricultural preserves, LAFCOs assist with the preservation of our valuable agricultural resources. TO DISCOURAGE URBAN SPRAWL Urban sprawl can best be described as irregular and disorganized growth occurring without apparent design or plan. This pattern of development is characterized by the inefficient delivery of urban services (police, fire, water and sanitation) and the unnecessary loss of agricultural land. By discouraging sprawl, LAFCOs limit the misuse of land resources and promotes a more efficient system of local government. AUTHORITY OF LAFCO BOUNDARY CHANGES LAFCOs regulate, through approval or denial, the boundary changes proposed by other public agencies or individuals. LAFCOs do not have the power to initiate boundary changes on their own, except for proposals involving the dissolution, merging or consolidation of special districts. Typical applicants might include: • Individual home owners requesting annexation to a sewer district due to a failing septic tank. • Developers seeking annexation to cities in order to obtain urban densities and urban service extended to the new housing. • Cities wishing to annex pockets or "islands" of unincorporated land located within their borders in order to avoid duplication of services with the county. • Special Districts or cities seeking to consolidate two or more governmental agencies into one, thereby streamlining their services and reducing the cost to the local taxpayer. » Apply Here