Two or more counties, each contiguous to the other, or to one of the others, may consolidate into one county pursuant to this chapter.
Consolidation of CountiesGeneral Provisions
Section § 23500
This law allows two or more neighboring counties in California to merge into a single county.
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Section § 23501
This section provides definitions for terms used in this chapter related to county consolidation in California. An 'affected county' is any county involved in or proposed for consolidation with others. The 'principal county' is identified as the one with the most assessed property value within the consolidation. Lastly, 'clerk' refers to the individual responsible for duties related to elections and certifications, which can be either the county clerk or the registrar of voters, depending on the specific function.
As used in this chapter:
(a)CA Government Code § 23501(a) “Affected county” means each county which is proposed to be part of a consolidated county or which is consolidated with one or more counties.
(b)CA Government Code § 23501(b) “Principal county” means the county with the greatest proportion of assessed value, as shown on the last equalized assessment roll, to the total amount of taxable property in the county.
(c)CA Government Code § 23501(c) “Clerk” means the clerk of the county board of supervisors. Where the office of clerk of the board of supervisors is separate from the office of registrar of voters, “clerk” means the registrar of voters with respect to all duties pertaining to the conduct of elections and the certification of petitions and clerk of the board of supervisors with respect to all other duties specified in this chapter.
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Section § 23502
This law states that the processes outlined in this chapter are not governed by the rules concerning local agency formation commissions as detailed in another specified chapter.
Proceedings under this chapter shall not be subject to the provisions of Chapter 6.6 (commencing with Section 54773) of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 5, relating to local agency formation commissions.
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Section § 23503
If someone wants to challenge or confirm whether the merging of counties is valid according to this law, they need to follow a specific legal process outlined in another part of the California legal system, specifically starting with Section 860 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
Any action to determine the validity of the consolidation of counties pursuant to this chapter shall be brought pursuant to Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 860) of Title 10 of Part 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
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