Government of Alameda County, California facts for kids
The Government of Alameda County is like the main team that helps run things in Alameda County, California. It's set up by the California Constitution and state laws. A lot of what the state government does is actually handled by county governments, like Alameda County's. This county government provides many important services for everyone living here.
These services include things like making sure elections happen smoothly, keeping records of births and deaths, managing property records, collecting taxes, and providing public health and social services. If you live in an area of the county that isn't part of a specific city (called "unincorporated areas"), the county government also acts as your local government, providing services like police and fire.
More than 9,000 people work for Alameda County in 21 different agencies and departments. They help provide these services to residents every day.
The county government is made up of:
- An elected five-member group called the Alameda County Board of Supervisors.
- Several other elected officials, like the Alameda County Sheriff-Coroner, the Alameda County District Attorney, and the Alameda County Treasurer-Tax Collector.
- Many county departments that work under the County Administrator.
Some cities within Alameda County, like Oakland and Berkeley, have their own police, libraries, parks, and other services. Other cities might ask the county to provide some of these services for them through special agreements.
Contents
How Alameda County Government Works
Who Runs the County?
The Board of Supervisors
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors (BOS) is a group of five elected people who make the main decisions for the county. They act like a county legislature, meaning they can create rules (called ordinances) for the parts of the county that aren't inside a city. For example, they might pass a rule about how restaurants display their health ratings.
They also act like an executive body, which means they guide the county departments on what to do and how to do it. Finally, they are a "quasi-judicial" body. This means they are the final place where people can appeal decisions about local planning issues.
As of January 3, 2011, the members of the Board of Supervisors are:
- Scott Haggerty—District 1
- Richard Valle—District 2
- Wilma Chan—District 3
- Nate Miley—District 4
- Keith Carson—District 5
Other Elected Leaders
Besides the Board of Supervisors, there are other important elected officials in Alameda County. Their jobs are required by the California Constitution and state laws.
The Alameda County Sheriff-Coroner acts as the main law enforcement for areas of the county that are not part of any city. They are like the county police for these areas. Some cities also hire the Sheriff's office to provide police services for them.
The Alameda County District Attorney is responsible for prosecuting (taking to court) serious crimes (felonies) and less serious crimes (misdemeanors) that happen in Alameda County.
Other Important Departments
The County Administrator (CAO) is a key advisor to the Board of Supervisors. They help the Board with all their responsibilities.
The Social Services Agency (SSA) helps manage many California welfare programs within the county. These include programs like Medi-Cal (which helps with health care costs), CalFresh (which helps families buy food), and CalWORKs (which helps families in need).
The Health Care Services Agency (HCSA) runs programs that provide health care services to people in the county, especially those with lower incomes.
Other important agencies and departments in Alameda County include:
- Community Development Agency (which includes departments for Agriculture, Housing, and Planning)
- General Services Agency
- Public Works Agency
- Registrar of Voters (who handles elections)
- Child Support Services
- Fire Department
- Probation Department
- Public Defender
- County Library
How the County Works with the State
The County Courts
The Alameda County Superior Court handles court cases for the entire county. It's important to know that this court is not a county department. Instead, it's part of California's state court system.
In the past, the buildings where court cases happened were owned and maintained by the county. This sometimes caused problems because the state judges had to ask the county for money to fix up their courthouses. To make things simpler, the state decided to take over ownership of all courthouses in 2008 and 2009. Now, the judges have more direct control over their own buildings. However, the county government still helps by providing security for the courthouses through an agreement with the state.
Images for kids
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The René C. Davidson Courthouse in Oakland, California, where the Alameda County Superior Court is located.
