By: @Kyle Packham
Nearly every one of California’s 39 million residents receives at least one essential service from California’s 2,000 independent special districts.
“Special districts are the workhorses of government in California, providing vital services ranging from fire protection to water, cemeteries to sewers.”
--California Little Hoover Commission, 2017, Report #239, Special Districts: Improving Oversight & Accountability
Where special districts fit in the public services puzzle
California’s communities are diverse in the nature and extent of public services they need. The result is a network of public service agencies, each with a purpose under state law. Within this framework, special districts are formed, governed, and “owned” by the community. They are created to meet the essential needs of local families and economies, and are directly accountable to the communities they serve.
Like cities and counties, special districts are subject to “sunshine laws,” audits, and regulatory compliance requirements. Special districts are also arguably the most responsive form of government because they are established, operated, and controlled by local voters, and employ highly-trained experts focused on a single mission to most efficiently and effectively meet the community’s needs.
Special districts focus on providing a “special-purpose” municipal service, like water, sanitation, fire protection, parks, mosquito abatement, cemeteries, resource conservation, ports and harbors, airports, or libraries where a city or county does not.
Special districts are addressing California’s biggest statewide challenges—at the local level
California is the world’s fifth largest economy and plays an integral part in the continued prosperity of the country as a whole. The state is faced with many challenges, any one of which could be considered the biggest issues of our time. Climate change, wildfires, drought, homelessness, and mental health, all require thoughtful approaches built from the ground up, and they are all being tackled every day by the locally-focused experts of California’s special districts.
Special districts, sometimes referred to as special services districts, are locally-formed and independently administered units of local government, created to oversee everything from how people get their water and power to how they enjoy their parks and open spaces. Our state simply could not function without them.
Special districts operate at the nexus of cutting-edge technology and community engagement
Special districts are addressing the biggest statewide problems by taking what the experts learn at the local level and turning that knowledge into future-focused, long-term solutions.
Scientists, firefighters, engineers, healthcare professionals, water operators, lab technicians, environmental analysts, and many other specialists provide special district services. Their expertise allows special districts to respond to a rapidly changing world and develop and implement technologies quickly when evolving needs require new, state-of-the-art tools of the trade.
Whether responding to drought conditions with more effective water conservation and groundwater sustainability technologies, mitigating wildfire risk and recovery, addressing transportation needs with innovative strategies, or simply serving the physical, mental, and emotional health needs of diverse populations, special districts are developing world-class solutions to the everyday needs of the communities they serve.
Learn More
To learn more about special districts, visit csda.net/learn-about or contact the California Special Districts Association (CSDA) at 877-924-2732.
CSDA has long-undertaken a concerted effort to enhance public awareness and understanding of special districts as well as continue raising the bar on transparency and accountability. These proactive efforts have included:
- Supporting certifications, accreditations, and scholarships through the non-profit Special District Leadership Foundation.
- Building an interactive statewide map of special districts.
- Launching the Districts Make the Difference public outreach campaign, now maintained by the National Special Districts Coalition.
- Sponsoring legislation to require websites and equipping special districts with the tools to effectively implement.
- Sponsoring legislation to facilitate special district representation on Local Agency Formation Commissions and working collaboratively to support and encourage their engagement.
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