Monterey County
This is not the official Monterey County website. This page was created as part of the ENVS 560/L Watershed Systems class at CSUMB to highlight basic county structure and function in respects to environmental management.
Contents
Overview
Monterey County is located on the central coast of California and is one of the largest counties in the state. It includes the vast agricultural areas of the Salinas Valley and the extensive Santa Lucia mountains of the Big Sur coastline. It is home to over 415,000 people[3], 59% of which compose the county's civilian labor force[4].
Government
Mission statement:
"The Mission of Monterey County is to Excel at providing Quality Services for the benefit of all Monterey County residents while developing, maintaining, and enhancing the resources of the area".[5]
Monterey County consists of five districts each with an elected county supervisor. Supervisors are responsible for making local ordinances and directing various staff to enforce ordinances. The County has the power to execute purchasing and holding land, managing properties, and collecting taxes as authorized by the law. This power of the county can only be exercised by the Board of Supervisors or officers acting under their authority.[6]
Individual supervisors are also part of Monterey County Board Standing Committees. These committees provide recommendations to the whole Board of Supervisors within the discipline of the committee. There are eleven committees, most of which have some influence in environmental management. Below is an alphabetical list of the committees and their primary responsibilities.
Board Standing Committees | |
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Alternative Energy & the Environment Committee |
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Budget Committee |
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Capital Improvement Committee |
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Economic Opportunity Committee |
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Equal Opportunity Committee |
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Fort Ord Committee |
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Health and Human Services Committee |
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Human Resources Committee |
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Human Resources Centralization Steering Committee |
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Board of Supervisors & Water Resources Agency Joint Board Leadership Committee |
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Legislative Committee |
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Monterey County's expenses vary from employee salaries to natural disaster resources. The Soberanes Fire and winter storms of 2017 required the Board to approve $16.8 million towards critical repair work with a total repair cost of $62.3 million once funding becomes available. [11]
Departments
Monterey County has a total of 25 different departments which provide a wide variety of services. Several of these departments are led by elected officials: Assessor/Recorder-County Clerk, Auditor-Controller, District Attorney, Sheriff-Coroner, and the Treasurer-Tax Collector.
- Administrative Office
- Agricultural Commissioner
- Assessor/Recorder
- Auditor-Controller
- Child Support Services
- Civil Rights Office
- Clerk of the Board
- Cooperative Extension
- County Counsel
- District Attorney
- Elections
- Emergency Communications/911
- Health
- Human Resources
- Information Technology
- Library
- Military and Veterans' Affairs
- Natividad Medical Center
- Probation
- Public Defender
- Recorder-County Clerk
- Sheriff-Coroner
- Social Services
- Treasurer-Tax Collector
The departments listed below have increased involvement in environmental management:
Agricultural Commissioner
Appointed by the Board of Supervisors, the Agricultural Commissioner enforces State agricultural laws and regulations, promotes farm worker health and safety, protects environmental resources, and assures a fair marketplace. One of the most important programs is the foreign plant quarantine and pest control - detecting incipient infestations while they are small enough to be eradicated is essential to agricultural success.[12]
Health Department
The Monterey County Health Department enforces Environmental Health laws. Within this department, the Environmental Health Review Services (EHRS) reviews land use projects and building permits and oversees quarterly monitoring of effluent produced by sewage treatment and wastewater reclamation facilities.[13]
The Drinking Water Protection Services (DWPS) regulates domestic water systems that serve at least 25 people for a minimum of 60 days a year. DWPS assists to resolve water quality and quantity issues, permits water well constructions, and operates a cross-connection control program and a water reuse program.[14]
Related County Agencies
- Monterey County Resource Management Agency (RMA) - The RMA is responsible for a variety of Land Use and Capital services and consists of three divisions:
- Land use and Community Development
- Public Works and Facilities
- Administrative Services
- Monterey County Water Resources Agency (MCWRA) - The MCWRA strives to sustainably manage the county's water resources and is responsible for:
- Flood plain management
- Emergency flood preparation
- Water conservation
Links
- Use of Sloped Areas in Monterey County
- Monterey County Service Area 50 (CSA-50)
- TMDL for Fecal Coliform for the Lower Salinas River Watershed, Monterey County, California
References
- ↑ Public Safety and Protection 2015-2016 Actual Budget - https://montereycountyca.opengov.com/transparency#/765/accountType=expenses&breakdown=ab6fc695-f7da-4b16-98c3-21c993a0b50d¤tYearAmount=cumulative¤tYearPeriod=years&graph=pie&legendSort=coa&proration=true&saved_view=2030&selection=C2968DED540788533E50C9BEAB17ABDF&year=NaN&selectedDataSetIndex=5&fiscal_start=earliest&fiscal_end=latest
- ↑ Monterey County Government Organization Chart - http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/about/organizational-chart
- ↑ 2010 Census - https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml#
- ↑ Monterey County census quick facts - https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/dashboard/montereycountycalifornia,CA,US/PST045216
- ↑ Monterey County mission statement - http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/about/mission-values-goals
- ↑ General Information on Monterey County Structure - http://www.counties.org/general-information/county-structure-0
- ↑ Monterey County Alternative Energy & the Environment Committee - http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/departments-a-h/clerk-of-the-board/board-standing-committees/alternative-energy-the-environment-committee
- ↑ Monterey County Budget Committee - http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/departments-a-h/clerk-of-the-board/board-standing-committees/budget-committee
- ↑ Monterey County Capital Improvement Committee - http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/departments-a-h/clerk-of-the-board/board-standing-committees/capital-improvement-committee
- ↑ Monterey County Health and Human Services Committee - http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/departments-a-h/clerk-of-the-board/board-standing-committees/health-and-human-services-committee
- ↑ Monterey County Financial Forecast, March 2018 - http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/home/showdocument?id=63145
- ↑ Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner - http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/departments-a-h/agricultural-commissioner/about-us/what-we-do#ag
- ↑ Monterey County Health Department - http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/departments-a-h/health/environmental-health/environmental-health-review
- ↑ Mounterey County Health Department drinking water protection - http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/departments-a-h/health/environmental-health/drinking-water-protection
Disclaimer
This page may contain students's work completed as part of assigned coursework. It may not be accurate. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion or policy of CSUMB, its staff, or students.