Los Angeles Political Hierarchy

The Los Angeles government is authorised and defined by California constitution and California law as well as the charter of the county of Los Angeles. In the entire California, most of the places are the responsibility of county governments like the government of Los Angeles County.

This government provides for most of the services like voter registration, elections and tax collection etc.  There is a proper hierarchy structure and organization followed within this county to ensure smooth running of all tasks and operations.  To understand this hierarchy order in a better way, you can go through the information given in the following part of the article:

Los Angeles political hierarchy

Board of supervisors

At the head of the political system or government of Los Angeles is the board of supervisors.  This is the county legislature but also operates in an executive and quasi judicial capacity.  Not only can it pass ordinances for the unincorporated areas but can also tell county departments what to do. As a judicial body, the board is the final area of appeal in the local process of planning.

Elected officers

Under the position of the board of supervisors comes the position of the elected officers. There is a hierarchy within these officers as well and it is given as follows:

  • The Los Angeles county sheriff

The sheriff provides general service law enforcement to unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. He serves as the equivalent to the county police for unincorporated areas.

  • The Los Angeles county district attorney

He is the individual who prosecutes felony as well as the misdemeanour crimes which occur within the jurisdiction of the Los Angeles County, California.

  • The Los Angeles county assessor

This position is given to the assessor who is responsible for discovering all taxable property in the county of LA except for the property which is state assessed. He is also responsible for listing all taxable property, valuing property and maintaining inventory.

Other Departments

There are many other departments and persons who are part of the LA political hierarchy and they are:

  • Chief executive officer-this individual is responsible for assisting the board of supervisors in handling the administrative tasks and details and also for making recommendations to the board.
  • Public safety departments-these departments include Los Angeles county coroner as well as the Los Angeles county public defender.
  • Health departments
  • Children and families departments
  • Community departments
  • Operations departments