Los Angeles County: a brief history and overview.* Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County, one of California's original 27 counties, was established Feb. 18, 1850. Originally the County occupied a comparatively small area along the coast between Santa Barbara Santa Barbara (săn'tə bär`brə, –bərə), city (1990 pop. 85,571), seat of Santa Barbara co., S Calif., on the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1850. and San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. , but within a year its boundaries were enlarged from 4,340 square miles to 34,520 square miles, an area sprawling east to the Colorado River Colorado River River, south-central Argentina. Its major headstreams, the Grande and Barrancas rivers, flow southward from the Andes Mountains and meet to form the Colorado near the Chilean border. It flows southeastward across northern Patagonia and the southern Pampas. . * During subsequent years, Los Angeles County slowly ebbed to its present size, the last major detachment occurring in 1889 with the creation of Orange County. Los Angeles County remains one of the nation's largest counties with 4,084 square miles, an area some 800 square miles larger than the combined area of the states of Delaware and Rhode Island Rhode Island, island, United States Rhode Island, island, 15 mi (24 km) long and 5 mi (8 km) wide, S R.I., at the entrance to Narragansett Bay. It is the largest island in the state, with steep cliffs and excellent beaches. . * Los Angeles County includes the islands of San Clemente San Clemente (săn klĭmĕn`tē), city (1990 pop. 41,100), Orange co., S Calif., on the Pacific coast; inc. 1928. Camp Pendleton, a large U.S. marine base, adjoins the city, which is chiefly residential. and Santa Catalina Santa Catalina (săn`tə kăt'əlē`nə) or Catalina Island, S Calif., one of the Santa Barbara Islands, off Huntington Beach, Calif. It is a resort island, 22 mi (35 km) long and 1 to 8 mi (1.6–12. . It is bordered on the east by Orange and San Bernardino San Bernardino, city, United States San Bernardino (săn bûr'nədē`nō), city (1990 pop. 164,164), seat of San Bernardino co., S Calif., at the foot of the San Bernardino Mts.; inc. 1854. Counties, on the north by Kern County, on the west by Ventura County, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. Its coastline is 81 miles long. * It has the largest population (9,902,700 million as of July 2002) of any county in the nation, and is exceeded by only eight states. Approximately 29 percent of California's residents live in Los Angeles County. * The Board of Supervisors, created by the state Legislature A state legislature may refer to a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. The following legislatures exist in the following political subdivisions: * As a subdivision of the state, the County is charged with providing numerous services that affect the lives of all residents. Traditional mandatory services include law enforcement, property assessment, tax collection, public health protection, public social services social services Noun, pl welfare services provided by local authorities or a state agency for people with particular social needs social services npl → servicios mpl sociales and relief to indigents. Among the specialized services are flood control, water conservation, parks and recreation, and many diversified cultural activities. * There are 88 cities within the County, each with its own city council. All of the cities, in varying degrees, contract with the County to provide municipal services. Thirty-seven contract for nearly all of their municipal services. * More than 65 percent of the County is unincorporated. For the 1 million people living in those areas, the Board of Supervisors is their "city council" and County departments provide the municipal services. The 2002-2003 County adopted budget is approximately $16.85 billion. Twenty-nine percent of the revenue comes from the state, 28% from the federal government, 14% from property taxes, and 29% from other sources. The largest percentage--28%--of the budget goes to pay for social services, while 20% is spent on public protection and 25% on health services health services Managed care The benefits covered under a health contract . * The County, with 92,713.9 budgeted employees, is the largest employer in the five-county region. Of these, 26,684 of the positions are in law and justice; 26,531.2 are in health services; and 20,807.5 are in social services. The spectrum of job listings--from clerk to truck driver, sanitarian sanitarian /san·i·tar·i·an/ (san?i-tar´e-an) one skilled in sanitation and public health science. san·i·tar·i·an n. A public health or sanitation expert. to psychiatrist, scientist to scuba diver, attorney to helicopter pilot--encompasses nearly every trade and profession, and illustrates the complexity of county government. Source: County of Los Angeles Quick Facts Los Angeles at a Glance Mayor: Antonio Villaraigosa (to June 2009) 2000 census population (rank): 3,694,820 (2); % change: 6.0; Male: 1,841,805 (49.8%); Female: 1,853,015 (50.2%); White: 1,734,036 (46.9%); Black: 415,195 (11.2%); American Indian and Alaska Native: 29,412 (0.8%); Asian: 369,254 (10.0%); Other race: 949,720 (25.7%); Two or more races: 191,288 (5.2%); Hispanic/Latino: 1,719,073 (46.5%). 2000 percent population 18 and over: 73.4%; 65 and over: 9.7%; Median age: 31.6. 2004 population estimate (rank): 3,845,541 (2) Land area: 469 sq mi. (1,215 sq km); Alt.: Highest, 5,081 ft.; lowest, sea level Avg. daily temp.: Jan., 58.3[degrees]F; July, 74.3[degrees]F Churches: 2,000 of all denominations; City-owned parks: 387 (15,600 at.); Radio stations: AM, 35; FM, 53; Television stations: 19 Civilian Labor Force (PMSA PMSA abbr. Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area ) April 2005: 4,894,6001; Unemployed: 265,8001, Percent: 5.4; Per capita [Latin, By the heads or polls.] A term used in the Descent and Distribution of the estate of one who dies without a will. It means to share and share alike according to the number of individuals. personal income (MSA (Metropolitan Service Area) An urban area with at least 50,000 people plus surrounding counties. There are 306 MSAs and 428 RSAs (rural service areas) in the U.S. MSAs and RSAs are used to allocate cellular licenses. ) 2003: $33,3472 Chamber of Commerce: Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce The Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce is southern California's largest not-for-profit business federation, representing over 1,500 businesses. Mission "By being the voice of business, helping its members grow and promoting collaboration, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of , 350 S. Bixel St., Los Angeles, CA 90017 Market Facts Los Angeles Business--Quick Facts * Private establishments with paid employees--227,941 * Private employment--3,889,686 * Nonemployer establishments,--653,523 * Manufacturers shipments ($1000)--106,706,380 * Minority-owned firms, percent of total--37.2% * Women-owned firms, percent of total--25.8% * Housing units authorized by building permits--16,454 * Federal funds Federal Funds Funds deposited to regional Federal Reserve Banks by commercial banks, including funds in excess of reserve requirements. Notes: These non-interest bearing deposits are lent out at the Fed funds rate to other banks unable to meet overnight reserve and grants ($1000)--52,908,254 Source: US Census Bureau Market Facts People of Los Angeles--Heritage White persons, percent, 2000: 48.7% Black or African American persons, percent, 2000: 9.8% American Indian and Alaska Native persons, percent, 2000: 0.8% Asian persons, percent, 2000: 11.9% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, percent, 2000: 0.3% Persons reporting some other race, percent, 2000: 23.5% Persons reporting two or more races, percent, 2000: 4.9% Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, percent, 2000: 44.6% White persons, not of Hispanic/Latino origin, percent, 2000: 31.1% Source: US. Census Bureau Commuting in Los Angeles County 2 vehicles 34.5% 1 vehicle 37.0% 3 or more vehicles 16% No vehicles 12.6% Note: Table made from pie chart. Source: US Census Bureau Los Angeles City Mayors 1848--Present 1848-1850 Stephen C. Foster 1850-1851 Alpheus P. Hodges 1851-1852 Benjamin D. Wilson 1852-1853 John G. Nichols 1853-1854 Antonio F. Coronel 1854-1855 Stephen C. Foster 1855-1856 Thomas Foster 1856 Stephen C. Foster 1856-1858 John G. Nichols 1859-1860 Damien Marchessault 1860 Henry Mellus 1861-1865 Damien Marchessault 1865-1866 Jose Mascarel 1866-1868 Cristobal Aguilar 1868-1870 Joel H. Turner 1871-1872 Cristobal Aguilar 1872-1874 James R. Toberman 1874-1876 Prudent Beaudry 1876-1878 Frederick A. MacDougall 1878-1882 James R. Toberman 1882-1884 Cameron E. Thom 1884-1886 Edward F. Spence 1886-1888 William H. Workman 1888-1889 John Bryson 1889-1892 Henry T. Hazard 1892-1894 Thomas E. Rowan 1894-1896 Frank Rader 1896-1898 Meredith P. Snyder 1898-1900 Fred Eaton 1900-1904 Meredith P. Snyder 1904-1906 Owen C. McAleer 1906-1909 Arthur C. Harper 1909 William D. Stephens 1909-1913 George Alexander 1913-1915 Henry R. Rose 1915-1916 Charles E. Sebastian 1916-1919 Frederick T. Woodman 1919-1921 Meredith P. Snyder 1921-1929 George E. Cryer 1929-1933 John C. Porter 1933-1938 Frank L. Shaw 1938-1953 Fletcher Bowron 1953-1961 Norris Poulson 1961-1973 Samuel Yorty 1973-1993 Thomas Bradley 1993-2001 Richard J. Riordan 2001-2005 James K. Hahn 2005-present Antonio Villaraigosa Source: City of Los Angeles |
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