Government of San Diego County, California

The government of San Diego County is defined and authorized under the Constitution of California, California law, and the Charter of the County of San Diego.^[1] Much of the government of California is in practice the responsibility of county governments such as the government of San Diego County. The County government provides countywide services such as elections and voter registration, law enforcement, jails, vital records, property records, tax collection, public health, and social services. In addition the County serves as the local government for all unincorporated areas.

The county government is composed of the elected five-member Board of Supervisors, several other elected offices and officers including the Sheriff, District Attorney, Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk, and Treasurer/Tax Collector, and numerous county departments and entities under the supervision of the Chief Administrative Officer such as the Probation Department.

Some chartered municipalities such as the city of San Diego and the city of Chula Vista provide their own law enforcement, public safety, libraries, parks and recreation, zoning, and similar services. Other incorporated cities have some or all of these services provided by the County under a contract arrangement. In addition, several entities of the government of California have jurisdiction conterminous with San Diego County, such as the San Diego Superior Court.

The county motto is "The noblest motive is the public good." County government offices are housed in the historic County Administration Center building, constructed from 1935 to 1938 with funding from the Works Progress Administration.^[2]