What kinds of governments below the state level provide essential services to residents of California? Describe the kinds of services they provide.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Students should name counties, cities, special districts, and school districts as providers of essential services. In their answers, students should demonstrate familiarity with a wide range of services. With respect to counties, these include (and are not limited to) assuring public safety and providing access to justice (courts, jails, probation, public defense, juvenile detention, sheriff, fire, and emergency services); providing public assistance (housing, homeless assistance, food stamps, and state welfare programs); managing elections and voting (voting processes and voter registration); tax collection; maintaining the environment and providing recreation (parks, recreation facilities, open space, waste removal, recycling, air quality, and water); improving public health (hospitals, mental health clinics, and drug rehabilitation programs); providing education (libraries and schools); providing social services (adoptions and children's foster care); providing mass transit (airports, bus and rail systems; bridges, road maintenance); and maintaining vital records (birth/death/marriage certificates). Cities also provide essential public services in the areas of public safety and emergency services; sewage and sanitation; public health; public works, including street maintenance; parks and recreation; libraries and schools; and land use planning. If cities lack their own facilities or resources, they can contract with counties for services, pool their resources in a joint-powers agreement, or contract with private firms. Special districts are geographic areas governed by an elected board for a specific purpose, to meet critical needs that cities and counties lack the will or capacity to address. Typical special districts are single purpose: they are created for one reason only. These include school districts (for education), vector control (eradicating pests and vermin), water districts (such as the Metropolitan Water District), port authorities, street lighting, and so forth. School districts provide education: Created by state law, they are governed by five-member boards that follow the instructions of the state's education code and implement the State Board of Education's mandates. They manage and make policy for their local school system.