To: Board of Supervisors
From: Candace Andersen, District II Supervisor
Report Title: Proposed Reorganization of Police Services Districts in Unincorporated Alamo
☐Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. ADOPT Resolution No. 2026/160, a resolution of application to the Contra Costa Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) requesting that LAFCO initiate proceedings for the reorganization of certain county service areas providing enhanced police protection services in the unincorporated Alamo area.
2. APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the County Administrator, or designee, to submit to LAFCO an application for the reorganization of the county service areas and a plan for providing services within the affected territory, and to provide any additional data and information as may be required by LAFCO pertaining to the reorganization of the county service areas.
3. AUTHORIZE the County Administrator, or designee, to execute an indemnification agreement between the County and LAFCO in substantial conformity with the agreement attached hereto as Attachment A.
4. FIND that the reorganization of county service areas is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines, based on the determination that there is no possibility that the reorganization may have a significant effect on the environment; DIRECT the Director of Conservation and Development, or designee to file a Notice of Exemption with the County Clerk.
5. DIRECT the County Administrator, or designee, to arrange for the payment of (i) any and all application fees to LAFCO, (ii) any and all handling fees to the County Clerk for the filing of the Notice of Exemption, and (iii) any and all handling fees to the Department of Conservation and Development for processing costs related to the Notice of Exemption.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The immediate fiscal impact related to today's action is approximately $11,340 related filing fee due to LAFCO for a change of organization application and sphere of influence amendment request. These costs and any related costs will be allocated to the impacted county service areas.
BACKGROUND:
The Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000 (California Government Code Section 56000 et seq.) establishes the statutory framework for the reorganization of local government service areas, including county service areas (CSAs) that provide specialized municipal services such as enhanced police protection. Within the unincorporated community of Alamo, enhanced police protection services have historically been delivered through a complex arrangement of multiple CSAs and CSA zones, notably CSA P-5 (Round Hill), CSA P-2 (Zone B - Alamo), and various CSA P-6 Zones. This structure has resulted in fragmented service boundaries, overlapping jurisdictions, and inconsistencies in both service delivery and funding mechanisms.
Certain enhanced police services, such as community event security, school resource officer assignments, business liaison activities, and resident deputy programs, are provided community-wide but are not uniformly funded by all parcels benefiting from these services. Additionally, some areas within Alamo are not included in any CSA providing enhanced police protection, while others are subject to overlapping assessments. These circumstances have led to operational limitations and funding disparities among properties receiving similar levels of service.
Previous Municipal Service Reviews (MSRs) conducted by the Contra Costa Local Agency Formation Commission have identified the need for improved alignment between service delivery and revenue collection for police protection in Alamo and surrounding areas. The proposed reorganization seeks to address these issues by consolidating service areas, thereby enhancing operational flexibility, promoting equity, and supporting unified sheriff staffing for the entire Alamo community.
Proposed Governmental Actions
LAFCO Action
The County’s request to LAFCO would include, principally, the annexation of all remaining parcels within Alamo into CSA P-5 (Round Hill). This includes:
• Territory within the existing CSA P-2 (Zone B - Alamo);
• Territory within existing P-6 Zones in Alamo; and
• Areas of Alamo not currently within an enhanced police protection county service area.
In addition to the annexation into CSA P-5, the County would also ask LAFCO to detach from CSA P-2 any Alamo territory that is currently within CSA P-2B (Alamo). Upon detachment, all territory within the former CSA P-2 (Zone B - Alamo) would no longer be subject to the special tax levied within CSA P-2 (Zone B - Alamo).
The County would also request that LAFCO detach from CSA P-2 that territory currently within CSA P-2 but not within any CSA P-2 zone, including a specified territory west of Danville and specified parcels in the unincorporated Diablo area. These areas do not receive enhanced police protections services through CSA P-2 and are served by other non-County agencies. These detachments are consistent with recommendations included in recent LAFCO Municipal Service Reviews.
Finally, because the requested annexation and detachments are not consistent with the current CSA P-5 and CSA P-2 spheres of influence, the County would request LAFCO to make appropriate amendments to the respective spheres of influence.
Board of Supervisors Actions
Separate from the LAFCO annexation, the Board of Supervisors would consider related administrative actions to dissolve the existing P-6 Zones within Alamo.
Upon dissolution of the zones, all territory within any former CSA P-6 Zone in Alamo would no longer be subject to the special tax levied within any CSA P-6 Zone in Alamo. Under state law, the Board of Supervisors establishes and dissolves CSA zones, and LAFCO approval is not authorized or required. These actions would be independent of, but related to, the proposed reorganization.
Result of Governmental Actions
With the annexation of all Alamo area to CSA P-5, the proposed detachments from CSA P-2 and dissolutions of CSA P-6 Zones in Alamo will ensure that there are not overlapping police protection county service areas or zones within Alamo. Upon completion of the reorganization by LAFCO and dissolutions by the Board of Supervisors, CSA P-5 would become the sole enhanced police protection county service area serving the Alamo community.
Service and Fiscal Impacts
If approved, the expanded CSA P-5 would operate under a unified assessment structure, with the current CSA P-5 special tax applied to all annexed areas. Community-wide revenue collections would support enhanced sheriff staffing serving the entire Alamo community.
The proposal is intended to eliminate existing funding disparities among service areas and better align revenue collection with service delivery. By consolidating all areas into a single county service area, enhanced patrol services could be deployed at-large, improving operational flexibility and community coverage.
Additional fiscal modeling will be conducted to confirm projected revenues, staffing levels, and any transitional impacts associated with implementation. Maps of the affected territory for the reorganization actions have been prepared and are attached to the resolution. Minor technical refinements, if any are necessary, will be completed prior to submittal of the formal application to LAFCO.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Failure to approve the recommended resolution would result in the continuation of fragmented service boundaries and funding structures for enhanced police protection in the unincorporated Alamo area. This would prevent the alignment of revenue collection with service delivery and maintain existing disparities in funding and operational flexibility among properties receiving similar services.
THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
and for Special Districts, Agencies and Authorities Governed by the Board
A RESOLUTION OF APPLICATION BY THE CONTRA COSTA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS REQUESTING THE CONTRA COSTA LOCAL AGENCY FORMATION COMMISSION TO INITIATE PROCEEDINGS FOR THE REORGANIZATION OF COUNTY SERVICE AREAS PROVIDING ENHANCED POLICE PROTECTION SERVICES IN THE UNINCORPORATED ALAMO AREA
Recitals
A. The Board of Supervisors of the County of Contra Costa (the “County”) desires to initiate proceedings pursuant to the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000, Division 3, commencing with Section 56000 of the California Government Code, for the reorganization of county service areas providing enhanced police protection services in the unincorporated Alamo area.
B. Enhanced police protection services within the unincorporated Alamo area are currently provided through multiple county service areas (“CSAs”) and CSA zones, including CSA P-5 (Round Hill), CSA P-2 (Zone B - Alamo), and various CSA P-6 Zones, resulting in fragmented service boundaries and funding structures.
C. CSA P-5 (Round Hill) is an existing county service area established to fund enhanced police protection services within a defined portion of the unincorporated community of Alamo (ZIP Code 94507). Certain enhanced services-such as community event security, school resource officer services, business liaison services, and resident deputy services-are currently provided community-wide through CSA P-2 (Zone B - Alamo), although revenue to support those services is not collected from all benefiting parcels within Alamo. Various CSA P-6 Zones exist throughout Alamo, often overlapping with other county service areas providing enhanced police protection services. Some portions of Alamo are not included in any of the county service areas providing enhanced police protection services.
D. The existence of multiple enhanced police protection county service areas within Alamo limits operational flexibility and creates funding disparities among properties receiving similar levels of service.
E. The proposed reorganization would annex all remaining parcels within Alamo into CSA P-5 (Round Hill), including territory currently within CSA P-2 (Zone B - Alamo) or existing CSA P-6 Zones in Alamo, and areas in Alamo not currently within an enhanced police protection county service area.
F. The proposed reorganization would include actions recommended in recent Contra Costa Local Agency Formation Commission Municipal Service Reviews related to police protection services provided in the Alamo and surrounding areas.
G. Upon completion of the proposed reorganization, CSA P-5 would become the sole enhanced police protection county service area serving the Alamo community, thereby unifying service delivery under a single service area and allowing for at-large patrol deployment throughout the community. The expanded CSA P-5 would operate under a unified assessment structure, with the existing CSA P-5 special tax applied to all annexed areas, and community-wide revenue collections would support enhanced sheriff staffing serving the entire Alamo community.
NOW, THEREFORE, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors resolves as follows:
1. The foregoing recitals are true and correct and are incorporated by reference.
2. This Resolution of Application is hereby approved and adopted by the Board of Supervisors of Contra Costa County. The Contra Costa Local Agency Formation Commission is hereby requested to reorganize the county service areas providing enhanced police protection services in the unincorporated Alamo area, and amend the county service area spheres of influence, as set forth in this Resolution of Application and according to the terms and conditions stated below and in the manner provided by the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000.
3. The proposed reorganization of county service areas providing enhanced police protection services in the unincorporated Alamo area includes the following:
a. Detachment from CSA P-2 of that territory currently within CSA P-2 (Zone B - Alamo), as set forth in Exhibit A, attached hereto and incorporated by reference.
b. Detachment from CSA P-2 of that territory currently within CSA P-2 but not within any CSA P-2 zone, including that specified territory west of Danville and those specified parcels in the unincorporated Diablo area, as set forth in Exhibit A, attached hereto and incorporated by reference.
c. Annexation to CSA P-5 of all parcels in the unincorporated Alamo area not already within CSA P-5, as set forth in Exhibit B, attached hereto and incorporated by reference.
4. Maps of the affected territory are set forth in Exhibits A and B, attached hereto and incorporated by reference.
5. The principal reasons for the proposed reorganization of county service areas providing enhanced police protection services in the unincorporated Alamo area, in addition to
those set forth in the recitals above, are to eliminate funding disparities, align revenue collection with service delivery, and improve the efficiency and equity of enhanced sheriff services in Alamo.
6. The Board of Supervisors, as the governing authority of each of the affected county service areas and as the legislative body of the County, requests the proposed reorganization pursuant to Government Code section 56654, which authorizes the legislative body of an affected local agency to propose a change of organization by adopting a resolution of application.
7. The proposed reorganization is not consistent with the current spheres of influence for county service areas providing enhanced police protection services in the unincorporated Alamo area. Accordingly, the Board of Supervisors requests that the Contra Costa Local Agency Formation Commission amend the spheres of influence pursuant to Government Code section 56428, which authorizes a local agency to request amendments to spheres of influence. The Board requests the proposed amendments for the purpose of facilitating the proposed reorganization of county service areas providing enhanced police protection services in the unincorporated Alamo. The Board further requests that the Contra Costa Local Agency Formation Commission review and act on the Board’s request to amend the spheres of influence concurrently with the Commission’s review and determination on the proposed reorganization, as authorized by Government Code section 56428(g).
8. The proposed amendments to the spheres of influence for county service areas providing enhanced police protection services in the unincorporated Alamo area include the following:
a. Amend the CSA P-2 sphere of influence by removing: (i) that territory currently within CSA P-2 (Zone B - Alamo) and (ii) that territory currently within CSA P-2 but not within any CSA P-2 zone, as set forth in Exhibit A, attached hereto and incorporated by reference. With the above-requested detachments, the resulting CSA P-2 sphere of influence will remain coterminous with the CSA P-2 boundary.
b. Amend the CSA P-5 sphere of influence by adding all parcels in the unincorporated Alamo area not already within CSA P-5, as set forth in Exhibit B, attached hereto and incorporated by reference. With the above-requested annexation, the resulting CSA P-5 sphere of influence will remain coterminous with the CSA P-5 boundary.
9. The Board of Supervisors further request that, under the Contra Costa Local Agency Formation Commission’s conditioning powers under Government Code section 56886, the reorganization be subject to the following terms and conditions:
a. All territory annexed to CSA P-5 shall be subject to the special tax currently in effect, levied, and collected within CSA P-5.
b. Upon detachment from CSA P-2, all territory within the former CSA P-2 (Zone B - Alamo) shall not be subject to the special tax levied within CSA P-2 (Zone B - Alamo).
c. The Board of Supervisors will take action to dissolve all existing CSA P-6 Zones in Alamo, as set forth in Exhibit C, attached hereto and incorporated by reference. Upon dissolution of the CSA P-6 Zones in Alamo, all territory within any former CSA P-6 Zone in Alamo shall not be subject to the special tax levied within any CSA P-6 Zone in Alamo.
10. County staff is hereby authorized and directed to do any and all things, to execute and deliver any and all documents, which, in consultation with County Counsel, they may deem necessary or advisable to effectuate the purposes of this Resolution, and any and all such actions previously taken by County staff are hereby ratified and confirmed.
PASSED AND ADOPTED on May 12, 2026, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
ATTEST: MONICA NINO, ____________________________
Clerk of the Board of Supervisors Board Chair
and County Administrator
By: ___________________________ [SEAL]
Deputy