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About County Government

• The Role of County Government
• County Public Services
• The History of the Counties
• The History of San Joaquin County
• The Naming of the County
• The Goddess of Justice

THE ROLE OF COUNTY GOVERNMENT

The role of county government, as a political subdivision of the state, is to deliver the services mandated by the state and federal governments. Health, welfare, criminal justice, elections, recording of documents, weights & measures, and agricultural enforcement are some examples. The county is governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors that sets policy, enacts ordinances and regulations, and oversees activities of county departments.

COUNTY PUBLIC SERVICES

San Joaquin County government provides a variety of services to all of the estimated 613,500 citizens in the county. The county covers an area that is 1,400 square miles and 921,600 acres. The county was first organized in 1850. County government consists of about 30 departments and/or major divisions, from the Sheriff's Office to Public Works, and approximately 7,000 employees. The county budget for 2006-07, including four enterprise funds (General Hospital, Metropolitan Airport, Solid Waste, and Solid Waste Closure), is $1.36 billion.

THE HISTORY OF COUNTIES

Counties were first created by the legislatures of the various colonies and by the states as they were formed. The 1849 Constitution of the State of California directed the legislature to provide for a system of county and town government and for the election of county boards of supervisors. There were 27 counties named in 1850.

The State of California today is divided into 58 counties. These are political subdivisions of the state. San Joaquin County is a General Law County. This means the county operates under the general law of the State of California. Some counties are Charter Counties. A Charter is a set of laws prepared by the local people to reflect the needs of specific needs of the county.

THE HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

On February 18, 1850 California became a State of the Union and 27 counties were created. One of these was San Joaquin County. Captain Charles M. Weber was instrumental in developing the City of Stockton as the County Seat and as a Port of Entry. Today, ships still deliver cargo to the Port of Stockton by the channel Captain Weber had dug in the 1800s.

THE NAMING OF THE COUNTY

The name San Joaquin comes from Joachim and has religious significance. A Spanish lieutenant named Marago in 1813 explored the " Valle de los Tulares. " Finding a little stream that headed in the Sierra Nevadas, emptying into the Buena Vista lake, he called it San Joaquin. The rivulet christened the great river, and it in turn gave its name to the valley and county through which it ran. (History of San Joaquin, California, Thompson and West, 1879)

THE GODDESS OF JUSTICE

The Goddess of Justice was created as part of the second county courthouse, completed in 1890. She is made of gilded zinc and originally stood 172 feet above the street. The third courthouse was built in 1960 and the Goddess was set upon a pedestal outside the west entryway, where she stands today.