Special Districts in California

Gladwin Hill’s criticism of local special districts (“Organizing California’s Governmental Crazy Quilt,” Opinion, April 3) ignores many studies that have shown special districts to be effective sources of governmental services. Independent districts--those special districts with their own elected boards--are generally more responsive than cities or counties in providing desired and needed services such as parks, utilities, and transportation.

Special districts ensure that services will receive the attention and revenues that the local voters demand. With a distinct management and staff devoted to a single category of services, a special district avoids the competition for attention by other services that too frequently distracts city councils and county boards of supervisors. With distinct revenues, a special district avoids the diversion of funds away from its services to competing programs, as Hill describes happening in recent city and county budgets. Yet, despite the added level of government created by special districts, they generally remain cost-effective.

Special districts have become tempting targets for budget-starved cities and counties. Independent districts are being converted into dependent districts governed not by independently elected boards, but by city councils and boards of supervisors.

Then, after such a conversation, no one notices when city or county expenses are foisted onto the special district to solve budget problems, reducing funds available for the special district’s own services. Proposals are even made to dissolve some special districts so that cities and counties can then capture the districts’ revenues without continuing the districts’ services.

Hill’s characterization of both the city and county of Los Angeles as inefficient and unresponsive might be correct. His extrapolation of these faults to special districts--as well as to all of the other counties and cities--is false. What is the alternative? To replace special districts with more cities like Los Angeles?

Or to replace them with even more inefficient, ineffective, and unresponsive state and federal agencies?

DAVID E. ROSS

Agoura