Orange County Local Agency Formation Commission Website User Policy

Thank you for visiting the official website for the Orange County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO). We hope you access information helpful to you. Please note that by visiting our website, you agree to the policy terms and conditions listed here.

GENERAL DISCLAIMER

This website serves an informational purpose only. Orange County LAFCO does not guarantee or warrant accurate and up-to-date information on this website. In no case shall Orange County LAFCO be liable for any loss resulting from use of this website.

PURPOSE

The sole purpose of this website is to provide website users information about Orange County LAFCO’s processes, services and officials. This website is a supplement to, and not a replacement for, information available from Orange County LAFCO officials. In establishing and maintaining this official website, Orange County LAFCO does not intend to and is not establishing a forum or other means for public discourse, exchange of opinions or discussion on any issue. Orange County LAFCO reserves the right to determine what information shall and shall not be placed on this website, including links to and from external websites. Orange County LAFCO does not endorse or provide preferential treatment to any third party websites or associated organizations or persons.

UNAUTHORIZED USE

Attempts to upload, alter or delete information or links on this website are strictly prohibited unless specifically authorized in writing by Orange County LAFCO’s website administrator.  Submission of information via an on-line form created for Orange County LAFCO shall not constitute unauthorized use.

All editorial and creative assets on this website including, but not limited to, text and graphic images are protected by copyright laws. Orange County LAFCO reserves all rights to this content.  Any use of materials stored on the website is strictly prohibited unless specifically authorized in writing from Orange County LAFCO.

PRIVACY

Orange County LAFCO recognizes the importance of protecting the privacy of website users. We do not give, share, sell, rent or transfer personal information to any third party, unless we have your consent or are required to do so by law. Please be aware, however, that when you visit our website, we may collect two kinds of information to better serve you:

(1) Non-personally identifying information collected in the aggregate. When you visit any website, your browser may automatically provide us the following information: the Internet Address of your computer or network; the date, time and page you visited our website; your browser and operating system; and the last page you visited. We use this information in the aggregate from all of our visitors to measure server performance, analyze user traffic patterns, prevent security breaches and improve the content of our website.

(2) Personal information that you knowingly provide us. If you register for certain services on this website, Orange County LAFCO will collect personal information from you to create an account and verify your identity for future visits. This personally identifying information may include, for example, account user name, password, address, telephone number, e-mail address, and account number. Information you provide by filling out optional on-line feedback forms or sending e-mail may be shared with Orange County LAFCO employees and contractors to enhance this website and should be assumed not to be confidential.

We may also use “cookies,” which are temporary codes placed in your computer by our server that facilitate communication and save you time when you visit our website again. The use of cookies will serve to enhance our website and will not track personal information. Most browsers may be customized to reject or delete cookies, but some features of the website may not function properly without cookies.

PUBLIC NOTICES

When Orange County LAFCO places notices of items on its website, such as schedules for upcoming public meetings or hearings, it does so only to facilitate public access to such information, as a supplement to the legally required methods of posting notices.

EMAIL TO ORANGE COUNTY LAFCO OFFICIALS AND EMPLOYEES

Persons submitting email comments or questions to Orange County LAFCO officials or employees should be aware that Orange County LAFCO cannot guarantee, nor does it represent that such communications will remain private or confidential. Similar to mail or delivered comments, comments received via email may become subject to public disclosure and/or part of the discovery process in a civil lawsuit.

DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITIES AND WARRANTIES

Information and materials contained on this website are distributed and transmitted “as is” without any warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including, without limitation, warranties of title or implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Website content is subject to change at any time without notice; Orange County LAFCO does not warrant that access to this website will be uninterrupted or error free.

NEITHER ORANGE COUNTY LAFCO NOR ANY OF ITS OFFICIALS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS, OR AGENTS SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY OF THE FOLLOWING: viruses or contamination of hardware, software, peripherals or property of a user of this website; delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions resulting from use of this website or from information or materials contained on this website; any special, indirect, incidental or consequential damages arising from the use of or inability to use the website or materials contained on the website regardless of whether such materials are provided by Orange County LAFCO or a third party. Additionally, neither Orange County LAFCO nor its officials, officers, employees, contractors, or agents shall be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, exemplary, or consequential damages (including, but not limited to, procurement or substitute goods or services; loss of use, data, or profits; or business interruption) however caused and on any theory of liability, whether in contract, strict liability, or tort (including negligence or otherwise) arising in any way out of the use of this system, even if advised of the possibility of such damage. This disclaimer of liability applies to any damages or injury, including but not limited to those caused by any failure of performance, error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, computer virus, communication line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, alteration of, or use of record, whether for breach of contract, tortious behavior, negligence or under any other cause of action.

Communication made with Orange County LAFCO through this website shall not constitute public comment or legal notice to Orange County LAFCO or any of its officials, officers, employees, agents or representatives with respect to any past, existing, or potential claim or cause of action regarding Orange County LAFCO or any of its officials, officers, employees, agents or representatives, where notice to Orange County LAFCO is required by laws, rules or regulations.

Use of this website constitutes acceptance of this waiver of liability and warranties.

DISCLAIMER OF ENDORSEMENTS

Reference in this website to any specific product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer or otherwise, does not constitute or imply an endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by Orange County LAFCO. The views and opinions of the authors of documents published on this website do not necessarily state or reflect the opinion of Orange County LAFCO and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.

EXTERNAL LINKS

This website may contain links to other websites operated by other parties. Orange County LAFCO provides these links solely for the information and convenience of Orange County LAFCO’s website users. Orange County LAFCO does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these external locations, and disclaims any and all liability for and knowledge of their contents. licking on links and visiting another website, the privacy and security policies of that other website shall apply. By using Orange County LAFCO’s website, you acknowledge and accept that Orange County LAFCO is not responsible for the content, quality, completeness, timeliness or accuracy of any off-site materials referenced or linked through Orange County LAFCO’s website, and Orange County LAFCO is not liable for any inaccurate, defamatory, offensive, or illegal materials found on other websites. The risk of injury from viewing, hearing, downloading, or storing such materials rests entirely with the user. Orange County LAFCO does not endorse or recommend any third party website, product or services, unless otherwise noted. Orange County LAFCO does not authorize the use of copyrighted materials contained in linked websites. Orange County LAFCO is not responsible for transmissions users receive from linked websites. Please evaluate the content and usefulness of information obtained from other websites carefully.

MISCELLANEOUS

This website user policy shall be governed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the state of California, without giving effect to any principles of conflict of laws.  Any action at law or equity arising out of or relating to these terms shall be filed only in a state or federal court located in Orange County, California. By using this website, users consent and submit to the personal jurisdiction of such court for the purposes of litigation.

This website user policy constitutes the entire terms and conditions relating to the subject matter. If any of these terms or conditions shall be deemed unlawful, void or for any reason unenforceable, then such terms or conditions shall be deemed severable from the remaining terms and conditions and shall not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining portion of this policy.

To the extent permitted by applicable law, the user agrees to defend, indemnify and hold harmless Orange County LAFCO, its officials, officers, employees, representatives and agents from and against all claims and expenses, including attorneys' fees, arising out of the user's use of this website or materials and information contained on this website.

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Login to Shared Services

As part of the State mandated responsibility to carry out municipal service reviews, Orange County LAFCO has developed the Shared Services Program. The website is exclusively for local agencies to exchange services and share facilities. All public agencies will have the ability to search through member profiles individually or use the search engine to find possible collaborations.

As local governments within Orange County try to balance rising costs and dwindling revenues, the sharing of services can help reduce costs. The program allows cities, special districts, home owners' associations (HOAs), and the County to list what services they can share and what service they need. If a match is found, the program will send an email to the agencies involved. Eventually LAFCO hopes to add private businesses and school districts to the matching service. The Shared Services Website has been commonly referred to as the "eHarmony for public agencies."