Saratoga, California

Saratoga is a city located in Santa Clara County, California, USA. It is located on the west side of the Santa Clara Valley, in the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 29,843.

Government

Saratoga is a general law city under California law, meaning that the organization and powers of the city are established by state law. It has a council-manager form of government.

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The city council is made up of five members elected by the public. The council appoints a mayor and vice-mayor from its membership, with the vice-mayor serving in the absence of the mayor. The mayor has no veto power, but acts as chairman for council meetings, and serves as a visible head of government. Council members serve four-year terms, with the election of two and three members staggered every two years.

Related Topics:
City council - Mayor - Veto

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The city manager is the aministrative head of the government, and also serves as city treasurer. The manager's duties include preparing financial reports, submitting an annual budget, managing city employees, seeing that city ordinances are enforced, supervising city property, and investigating complaints against the city. The manager also appoints the city clerk and finance director.

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In addition to the council and manager, the city has a number of commissions, which are permanent committees that serve to advise the council on various issues. Commission members are appointed by the council, and serve four year terms. Currently, the city has commissions for finance, heritage preservation, the library, parks and recreation, planning, public safety, and the arts. Also, the city has a Citizen Oversight Committee, created to oversee library renovation, and a Youth Commission, which consists of middle and high school students who represent Saratoga youth in government and serve one or two year terms.

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