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The Nature of State &Local Relations
• Most state constitutions create a unitary system
in which power is concentrated in a central
government
• Unlike states, local governments usually have no
constitutional authority in their own right
• Constitutional home rule granted constitutional
independence to some local units
The Nature of State &Local Relations
Counties in the United States
• The largest jurisdiction within a state
• Originally organized on the idea that the county
seat would be no more than a day’s journey for
anyone within the county’s borders
• Traditional functions:
– Law enforcement
– Highway construction/maintenance
– Tax collection and property assessment
– Recording legal papers
– Administration of welfare programs
Growth of Governments in the United States
Type of government
U.S. government
State government
Local government
County
Municipal
Township
School district
Special district
Total
1997
1
50
87,453
3,043
19,372
16,629
13.726
34,683
87,504
2007
3,033
37,381
89,527
SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of the Census, at www.census.gov.
The 17 Largest U.S. Counties by Population
1. Los Angeles County, California
2. Cook County, Illinois
3. Harris County, Texas
4. Maricopa County, Arizona
5. San Diego County, California
6. Orange County, California
7. Kings County, New York
8. Miami-Dade County, Florida
9. Dallas County, Texas
10. Queens County, New York
11. Riverside, California
12. San Bernardino County, California
13. Wayne County, Michigan
14. King County, Washington
15. Clark County, NV
16. Broward County, Florida
17. Santa Clara County, California
The Commission
Form of County
Government
The Council with
Elected Executive
Form of Government
Towns, Cities, Suburbs
•The Rise of “Edge Cities”
Ten Largest U.S. Cities and Nine Fastest
Growing by Population
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
New York, N.Y.
Los Angeles, Calif.
Chicago, Ill.
Houston, Tex.
Philadelphia, Pa.
Phoenix, Ariz.
San Antonio, Tex.
San Diego, Calif.
Dallas, Tex.
San Jose, Calif.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Lincoln, CA
Surprise, AZ
Frisco, TX
Goodyear, AZ
Beaumont, CA
Louisville/Jefferson
County, KY
7. Pflugerville, TX
8. Indian Trail, NC
9. Wylie, TX
SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2010
City Government
Different ways of structuring city
government, and the functions of mayors.
City Government
• 19,492 municipalities
• 9,000 have less than 1,000 residents
• 58 have 300,000 or more
• Three supercities
• New York
• Los Angeles
• Chicago
City Government Today
•The Mayor-Council Charter
•Weak Mayor Councils and Strong Mayor
Councils
•The Council-Manager Charter
The MayorCouncil Form of
City Government
Weak Mayor-Council Form
Members of the city council
select the mayor, who then
shares power with other
elected or appointed boards
and commissions
Strong Mayor-Council Form
Voters directly elect the city
council and the mayor, who
enjoys almost total
administrative authority and
appoints department heads
makes
policy
carry out policy
The CouncilManager Form of
City Government
makes
policy
appoints
Department heads
carry out policy
The 10 Fastest-Growing Metropolitan Areas
1. Palm Coast, FL
2. St. George, UT
3. Las Vegas-Paradise, NV
4. Raleigh-Cary, NC
5. Cape Coral-Fort Meyers, FL
6. Provo-Orem, UT
7. Greeley, CO
8. Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
9. Myrtle Beach-North Myrtle Beach-Conway, SC
10. Bend, OR
SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2010
The Central City and Its Politics
Meeting the Challenges of Growth
and Economic Development
• Annexation
• Agreements to
furnish services
• Public authorities
• Special districts
• Regional
coordinating and
planning councils
• City council
consolidations
• Federated
government
• Community selfhelp
California Consists of
Ten Largest Cities in California
1. Los Angeles
2. San Diego
3. San Jose
4. San Francisco
5. Long Beach
6. Fresno
7. Sacramento
8. Oakland
9. Santa Ana
10. Anaheim
3,957,875
1,305,736
944,857
799,263
491,564
464,727
452,959
412,318
351,697
345,317
58
Counties
500+ Cities
1025+ School Districts
Other Districts
Regions
The Central City and Its Politics
Central City Politics
• Most people live in metropolitan areas.
• 84% live in metropolitan areas.
• 27% live in cities bigger than 100,000.
• Gentrification
• Wealthy people buy property in poorer
areas of a city.
The Central City and Its Politics
• Today, most people live
in metropolitan areas,
which include large
cities and their suburbs
• The shrinking tax base
in cities has made it
difficult to raise
sufficient revenue
• However, the demand
for services has not
decreased
• In recent years, many
central cities have
shown signs of
rejuvenation
Urban renewal has brought new
life to the Inner Harbor in
Baltimore, MD
Metropolitics Today
Future of Metropolitan Reorganization
• Problems of central cities
• Congestion, smog, tension, loss of
community, drugs, unsafe streets,
neglected children, visual pollution
• Centers of innovation, excitement, and
vitality
Meeting the Challenges of Growth
and Economic Development
• Until recently, almost everybody wanted to see his
or her city grow
• Beginning about 20 years ago, an antigrowth
movement developed in many cities
Eminent Domain
• The power of government to take private land for
public purposes
• Has existed since the country’s founding
• Tempered by a right to compensation
• Recent controversies
The Role of the Mayor
• Need for a strong mayor
developed in the late
nineteenth century, with
America’s
industrialization
• The typical mayor is
• Main responsibilities
– Administration
– Promoting
economic
opportunities
– A college graduate
– A business or legal
professional
– An experienced grassroots
politician
Antonio Villaraigosa
is the first Hispanic
Mayor of a major
city in the U.S.
New York City mayor
Bloomberg considered running
for president as a third-party
candidate in the 2008
The Role of the Mayor
Who Influences Local Policy Making?
• Citizens
– Normally, the citizenry does
not pay much attention
– Citizens often become active
when a new policy is
proposed that directly affects
them
• Organized workers
• Business leaders
• Neighborhood associations
• Professional associations
• Good government
associations
• Home builders and
developers
• Racial and ethnic groups
Southern California consists of
•
•
•
•
1 in 8 Hispanics in the US resides in LA County
1 in 10 Asians in the US reside in LA County
1 in 9 foreign born in the US reside in LA County
The LA Region has the highest concentration of
Asian population (2.6 million) in the nation
• Largest number of Hispanics – in terms of
numbers (8.9 million) and percentage of total
population (39%)
–45 American Indian Reservations
–61 Hawaiian Home Lands