History of Los Angeles County, California

[1] Townships in California have never developed as real units of local government.

Since the California constitution of 1879, they have instead lost all functions other than those of a minor judicial nature.

[2] Government functions that elsewhere in the United States might fall to the township in California are the responsibility of various special purpose districts.

[3][4] However townships were also used for organizing election precincts[5] and federal census enumeration.

[6] The names and boundaries of townships in Los Angeles county have ebbed and flowed quite a bit over the decades.