What State laws govern LAFCOs?
The Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000 (California Government Code Section 56000 et seq.) is the primary law that governs LAFCOs. This Act establishes how LAFCOs are formed and sets forth the powers and duties of LAFCOs. Other State laws that are relevant to the work of LAFCOs include: • California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) (California Public Resources Code Section 21000 et seq.) and the related CEQA Guidelines (Title 14, California Code of Regulations Section 15000 et seq.) – Proposals considered by LAFCO are considered projects under CEQA and, as such, LAFCOs must comply with CEQA. • Ralph M. Brown Act (California Government Code Section 54950 et seq.) – This law, commonly known as the open meeting law, sets forth a variety of requirements and restrictions governing meetings of the Commission to assure that the public has an adequate opportunity to participate in LAFCO processes. • Political Reform Act of 1974 (California Government Code Section
