Difference between revisions of "Monterey County"

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==Parks==
 
==Parks==
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County parks include:
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*[[Jacks Peak Park]]
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*[[Laguna Seca Recreation Area]]
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*[[Lake Nacimiento]]
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*[[Lake San Antonio]]
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*[[Manzanita Park]]
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*[[Royal Oaks Park]]
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*[[San Lorenzo Park]]
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*[[Toro Park]]
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==Links==
 
==Links==

Revision as of 23:25, 27 May 2018

Monterey County Supervisor Districts
Monterey County's Public Safety and Protection 2015-2016 Actual Budget[1]
Monterey County's Government Organization Chart, May 2017[2]

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 respect to environmental management.

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
Alternative Energy & the Environment Committee
  • Ensure county complies with Assembly Bill 32 California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006
  • Address opportunities to implement alternative energy and reduce transportation emissions
  • Ensure opportunities are pursued to enhance environmental resources[7]
Budget Committee
  • Review financial documents, develop budget priorities, and conduct inquires into budget problems[8]
Capital Improvement Committee
  • Review capital projects that impact Monterey County
  • Develop a 5-year Capital Improvement Plan
  • Review requests by departments for new leases exceeding $50,000/year[9]
Economic Opportunity Committee
  • Advise Board on economic development policies, programs, and activities that grow jobs
Equal Opportunity Committee
  • Meet, discuss, review and respond to issues brought forward by the Equal Opportunity Officer
Fort Ord Committee
  • Provide policy direction on issues affecting the Redevelopment and reuse of the unincorporated portion of Fort Ord
Health and Human Services Committee
  • (website incorrect, to be updated)[10]
Human Resources Committee
  • Meet, discuss, review and respond to issues brought forward by the Board, staff, and the public
Human Resources Centralization Steering Committee
  • Meet, discuss, review and respond to issues brought forward by the Board, staff, and the public
Board of Supervisors & Water Resources Agency Joint Board Leadership Committee
  • Foster coordination and communication between the Water Resources Agency's Board of Directors and the Monterey County Board of Supervisors
Legislative Committee
  • Review and make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors regarding state and federal legislative, administrative, regulatory and policy making initiatives


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

A number of departments and related agencies (see below) have substantial 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 and provides a wide variety of health-related services including the areas of public health, environmental health, behavioral health, and clinic services. Within the department there are seven Bureaus:

  • Administration Bureau - Manages budget and Finance, Human Resources, Planning/Evaluation/Policy, Information Technology, Facilities functions, and oversight of the six other Bureaus.
  • Behavioral Health Bureau - Supports county residents who have mental health and addictive disorders.
  • Clinic Services Bureau - Operates seven clinics similar to Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC).
  • Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Agency - Maintains the county EMS system by working with partners to provide medical care to pre-hospital emergency patients.
  • Environmental Health Bureau - Oversees, enforces, and educates the public about federal, state, and local statutes covering consumer health, drinking water, environmental health reviews, hazardous materials, recycling, and resources recovery.
    • 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] It also serves as a liaison between the Environmental Health Bureau and the Resource Management Agency (See below).
    • 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 all county water well constructions, and operates a cross-connection control program and a water reuse program.[14]
  • Public Health Bureau - Oversees the Children's Medical Services, Disease Prevention and Control, Public Health Laboratory, Women, Infants, and Children's Program, Nutrition Services, and Regional Health Teams.
  • Public Administration/Public Guardian - Controls and safeguards property of Monterey county residents who died without a will or heirs.

Related County Agencies

Although these county agencies are run by some members of the Board of Supervisors the goal is to establish autonomy from the central county government.

  • Monterey County Resource Management Agency (RMA) - Overseen by the Board of Supervisors, 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 is directed by nine appointed board members and strives to sustainably manage the county's water resources and is responsible for:
    • Flood plain management
    • Emergency flood preparation
    • Any form of water conservation
    • Water matters in incorporated and unincorporated areas
    • Buying, selling, and purveying water
    • Preventing groundwater contamination
    • Maintaining and managing the Nacimiento and San Antonio dams

Planning

California state law requires each city and county to adopt a comprehensive long-term plan to guide the development of the specified area. The policies of the Monterey County General Plan govern the land use and development according to the community's goals. County zoning ordinances, subdivisions, development projects, capital improvements, development agreements, and many other similar actions must conform to the general plan. [15]

Parks

County parks include:

<div/>

Links

References

  1. Public Safety and Protection 2015-2016 Actual Budget - https://montereycountyca.opengov.com/transparency#/765/accountType=expenses&breakdown=ab6fc695-f7da-4b16-98c3-21c993a0b50d&currentYearAmount=cumulative&currentYearPeriod=years&graph=pie&legendSort=coa&proration=true&saved_view=2030&selection=C2968DED540788533E50C9BEAB17ABDF&year=NaN&selectedDataSetIndex=5&fiscal_start=earliest&fiscal_end=latest
  2. Monterey County Government Organization Chart - http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/about/organizational-chart
  3. 2010 Census - https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml#
  4. Monterey County census quick facts - https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/dashboard/montereycountycalifornia,CA,US/PST045216
  5. Monterey County mission statement - http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/about/mission-values-goals
  6. General Information on Monterey County Structure - http://www.counties.org/general-information/county-structure-0
  7. 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
  8. Monterey County Budget Committee - http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/departments-a-h/clerk-of-the-board/board-standing-committees/budget-committee
  9. 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
  10. 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
  11. Monterey County Financial Forecast, March 2018 - http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/home/showdocument?id=63145
  12. Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner - http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/departments-a-h/agricultural-commissioner/about-us/what-we-do#ag
  13. Monterey County Health Department - http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/departments-a-h/health/environmental-health/environmental-health-review
  14. Mounterey County Health Department drinking water protection - http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/departments-a-h/health/environmental-health/drinking-water-protection
  15. Monterey County General Plan, Introduction - http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/home/showdocument?id=46012

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.