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.
In 1959, Governor Edmund G. Brown, Sr., responded to this problem 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 Knox-Nisbit Act of 1963 contained the Commission's recommendations on local
governmental reorganization resulting in the creation of Local Agency Formation
Commission, or LAFCos, operating in each county except San Francisco. Additional
powers were given to the commissions in 1965 and 1977.
The District Reorganization Act of 1965 (DRA) standardized the method for special
district boundary changes and combined the separate laws governing special district
boundaries enumerated in their principal acts into a single statute.
The Municipal Organization Act of 1977 (MORGA) consolidated various laws regulating
boundary changes and established new procedures for city boundary changes.
These three separate laws contained many parallel, duplicative provisions and were
not always consistent.
The Cortese Knox Local Government Reorganization Act of 1985 replaced the three
acts and placed the requirements of the three acts into one unified section of the
Government Code.
The Cortese Knox Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000 makes significant
changes to LAFCo policies, procedures and operations. It streamlines and clarifies
procedures and strengthens LAFCo's role and powers to prevent urban sprawl and protect
open space. It includes many changes related to making LAFCos more balanced and
independent in representation and operation, making LAFCos more accountable and
visible to the public and enhancing communication among LAFCos and other local governments.
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 resources. By discouraging sprawl, LAFCo
limits the misuse of land resources and promotes a more efficient system of local
governmental services.
LAFCo 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, LAFCo assists with the preservation of our valuable
agricultural resources.