Government of Alameda County, California

County services are provided to residents by more than 9,000 employees working in 21 different agencies and departments with an annual budget expenditure of $2.4 billion.

[2] It is composed of the elected five-member Board of Supervisors, several other elected offices and officers including the Sheriff-Coroner, the District Attorney, Assessor, Auditor-Controller/Clerk-Recorder, and Treasurer-Tax Collector, and numerous county departments and entities under the supervision of the County Administrator.

As of 2013, with an annual take-home salary of more than $400,000, the CAO made more than similar positions in San Francisco, Chicago, and New York.

[6] The Social Services Agency (SSA) administers multiple California welfare programs within the county, such as Medi-Cal (Medicaid), CalFresh (food stamps), CalWORKs (TANF), and general assistance.

The Alameda County Administrative Code establishing the powers and duties of all officers and the procedures and rules of operation of all departments.

Historically, the courthouses were county-owned buildings that were maintained at county expense, which created significant friction since the trial court judges, as officials of the state government, had to lobby the county Board of Supervisors for facility renovations and upgrades.