Author: David Janssen

Article 11 Sec. 1 (a) of the California Constitution says: "The State
is divided into counties which are legal subdivisions of the State".  Always a dynamic relationship it began to deteriorate in 1978 with the passage of Proposition 13.  Although serving the very important purpose
of capping run away property tax increases, Prop. 13 also severed the
relationship between local revenues, and state mandated programs, and
permanently muddled any relationship between responsibility, accountability
and resources.