Some chartered cities within the county, such as Sacramento and Folsom, provide municipal services such as police, public safety, libraries, parks and recreation, and zoning.
Other cities, such as Rancho Cordova and Isleton, arrange to have the County provide some or all of these services on a contract basis.
The Sacramento County Board of Education is composed of seven elected members who serve four-year terms.
The Department of Water Resources provides drainage, flood control and water supply services to various service areas of unincorporated Sacramento County and the Cities of Citrus Heights, Elk Grove and Rancho Cordova.
[7] The current charter was proposed by the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors and ratified by the electorate on February 18, 1933 and became effective July 1, 1933.
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.
As of December 2024 the current mayor is Kevin McCarty and the current councillors are:[8] Sacramento County is mostly covered by the Los Rios Community College District, but also includes parts of the San Joaquin Delta Community College District around Isleton.
The district is governed by a seven-member Board of Directors, and each member is elected by residents in a "ward" or constituency for four-year terms.