California State Association of Counties
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The California State Association of Counties (CSAC) is a lobbying, advocacy and service organization representing the state's 58 counties at the state and federal level. Areas of focus include the state budget, health-care reform, corrections reform, transportation funding, water and climate change.[1][2]
CSAC is governed by a 62-member board of directors and 15-member executive committee, led by Graham Knaus, Chief Executive Officer.[3] Knaus previously served as the Assistant Director of Health and Human Services for Placer County. As of 2010, the organization has an annual operating budget of $8.7 million. The organization's offices are a block from the state's capitol building in Sacramento.[4]
In 2009 during California's budget crisis, the organization pushed for additional funding for counties[5] and helped draft a lawsuit opposing a proposed plan to divert about $4 billion in tax revenues to the state from local governments.[6]
The organization's origins date back to informal meetings among county supervisors. The County Boards of Supervisors Association of California began meeting in 1895, later becoming the County Supervisors Association of California and then, in 1991, the California State Association of Counties.[4]
CSAC's primary purpose is to represent county government before the California Legislature, administrative agencies, and the federal government. The association also focuses on educating state and federal decision-makers, as well as the public, about the value and necessity of county programs and services.
In 1986, CSAC expanded its services by forming the CSAC Finance Corporation.[7] This subsidiary was created to provide a broad array of finance, investment, insurance, and public services to benefit California counties and related public agencies. Since its inception, the CSAC Finance Corporation has grown to become a premier provider of various cost-saving programs and services to counties and other local governments throughout California.
The following year, in 1987, the CSAC Finance Corporation, in collaboration with the League of California Cities, established the California Statewide Communities Development Authority (CSCDA). This joint powers authority offers a wide range of financial products and services.
The organization now offers programs related to cyber security, cannabis data management, and property tax payment platforms, among others.[citation needed]