https://libguides.usc.edu/c.php?g=234937&p=3246082

Government Agency Resources

Listed below are selected local government resources for the city and county of Los Angeles.

CITY RESOURCES

• City Council -- the governing body of the City, except as otherwise provided in the Charter, and enacts ordinances subject to the approval or veto of the Mayor. The Council orders elections, levies taxes, authorizes public improvements, approves contracts, and adopts traffic regulations; adopts or modifies the budget proposed by the Mayor and provides the necessary funds, equipment, and supplies for the budgetary departments; and it confirms or rejects appointments proposed by the Mayor and prescribes duties of boards and officers not defined by Charter.
• Department of City Planning -- the department is charged with the responsibility of preparing, maintaining, and implementing a General Plan for the development of the City of Los Angeles that consists of the Framework Element, which provides overall guidance for the future of the City and other citywide elements including state mandated elements such as the transportation, housing, open space, and land use.
• City Department and Bureaus -- directory of agencies headed by General Managers or by an advisory or controlling Board or Commission appointed by the mayor.
• Ethics Commission -- acts through its voter mandate to shape, administer, and enforce laws regarding governmental ethics, conflicts of interests, and campaign financing, and provides information on who is lobbying and making contributions to city politicians.
• Neighborhood Councils -- city-certified local groups made up of people who live, work, own property or have some other connection to a neighborhood. Neighborhood Council Board Members are elected or selected to their positions by the neighborhoods themselves and vary in size from seven to over thirty individuals. The Councils receive public funds of $37,000 each year to support creating events and programs that respond to the unique needs of their community or advocating on behalf of the issues they care about such as crime, roads and streets, the creation of safe spaces for children, gangs, and economic development.
• Port of Los Angeles -- official site for the nation’s number one container port and leader in container volume and cargo value. Site provides up-to-date data, press release announcements, and Harbor Commission meeting schedules.

COUNTY AND REGIONAL RESOURCES

• Los Angeles Conservancy -- a nonprofit membership organization that works through education and advocacy to recognize, preserve, and revitalize the historic architectural and cultural resources of Los Angeles County.
• Los Angeles County Commissions and Committees -- directory of the various commissions and committees of the county.
• Los Angeles County Economic Development Commission -- founded in 1981 as a nonprofit, public-benefit organization to harness the power of private sector in collaboration with all stakeholders in the LA County, including education, business, and government, to guide economic development and create more widely shared prosperity in collaboration.
• Los Angeles County Election Information -- combined site of the city's Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk that contains voter information, election information and procedures, birth, death, marriage and real estate records, and marriage license information for the County.
• Los Angeles County Land Use and Zoning -- provides information about land use throughout the region; includes links to area/community plans for areas such as the Antelope Valley and East Los Angeles.
• Los Angeles Unified School District -- official site for schools in the district that include the city of Los Angeles as well as all or parts of 31 smaller municipalities and several unincorporated sections of Southern California.
• Related Agencies -- list of agencies that perform services for residents in the County that are not under the jurisdiction of the Board of Supervisors.
• South Coast Air Quality Management District -- website to the air pollution control agency for all of Orange County and the urban portions of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Site includes administrative rules and regulations and descriptions of programs for the business community, local communities, and local government.