Local Government Law

3 units

Local governments (including cities, counties, and special districts) exert profound power over the lives of residents, impacting the way individuals and communities experience housing, economic opportunity, the environment, public health, utilities, education, and their social world. These impacts are apparent in public debates over local policy, but they are also felt privately when an individual pays personal property taxes on an automobile or receives water at their kitchen sink. This course examines the source of this local government power. It also explores the extent of this power, questioning how local governments are limited by both law and political/economic realities. The course interrogates local government power along three axes. First, what is the role of local governments within the federal system? (From where do local governments derive their power? How does local government power relate to the power of state and the federal governments?) Second, how do various local governments relate to one another? (How do cities relate to their suburbs? How do suburbs within a metropolitan area compete with one another? How do neighborhood associations impact their cities?) Third, how do local governments relate to their residents? (How and why do local governments tax? What obligations does a local government have to provide basic services to residents? How do local governments control the use of private property? How can residents impact local policy through voting, community meetings, and other forms of political action?) Within this framework, the course will explore topics such as affordable housing, housing segregation, local economic development, environmental policy, public transit, wealth distribution, and educational funding. Students will be graded on class participation and an in-school exam. [This course has 2 hours of BCCCR instruction.]