Los Angeles County

Los Angeles County is geographically one of the largest counties in the nation with approximately 4,083 square miles. The County stretches along 75 miles of the Pacific Coast of Southern California, and is bordered to the east by Orange and San Bernardino Counties, to the north by Kern County, and to the west by Ventura County. Los Angeles County also includes the offshore islands of Santa Catalina and San Clemente.

The unincorporated areas account for approximately 65% of the total Los Angeles County land area. The unincorporated areas of the County cover a large geographic area and are ecologically and climatically diverse. A truly unique aspect of planning in the County is the non-contiguous nature of the County’s jurisdiction. The unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County consist of 124 separate, non-contiguous land areas. The unincorporated areas in the northern part of the County are covered by large amounts of sparsely populated land and include the Angeles National Forest, a portion of the Los Padres National Forest, and the Mojave Desert. The unincorporated areas in the southern part of the County consist of 58 pockets of unconnected communities, often referred to as the County’s unincorporated “urban islands.”

Los Angeles County is divided in to five (5) supervisorial districts. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, created by the state Legislature in 1852, is the governing body for the County. Five supervisors are elected to four-year terms by voters within their respective districts. The Board has executive, legislative, and quasi-judicial roles. It appoints all department heads other than the assessor, district attorney, and sheriff, which are also elected positions.