California State Association of Counties

What California State Association of Counties does

The California State Association of Counties (CSAC) is a private nonprofit corporation founded in 1895 and headquartered in Sacramento, California, that serves as the formal advocacy and service organization for all 58 California county governments. CSAC represents county interests before the California Legislature, state administrative agencies, and the federal government, organizes elected supervisors into Rural (28), Suburban (16), and Urban (14) caucuses, and delivers programs spanning legislative tracking (Capitol Track), continuing education (the William "Bill" Chiat Institute for Excellence in County Government, est. 2008), a statewide Litigation Coordination Program administered with the County Counsels' Association, the annual Challenge Awards, and a Job Board covering 71 county HR portals.

The organization's revenue model combines mandatory-adjacent membership dues from the 58 counties with tiered Corporate Associates Program fees (Platinum, Gold, Silver) paid by enterprise partners such as IBM, Deloitte, Pacific Gas & Electric, Blue Shield, Kaiser Permanente, and AT&T. A wholly owned subsidiary, CSAC Finance Corporation (formed 1986), generates a secondary revenue stream by brokering finance, investment, insurance, and procurement services to counties — with surplus revenue explicitly used to fund CSAC's advocacy work. The California Counties Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, hosts the educational institute and a grants initiative.

CSAC's technology footprint is intentionally limited: no proprietary software products, no AI/ML capabilities, no partner-facing API, and no mobile application. The platform consists of a content website (counties.org), Capitol Track legislative search, a job board, and standard event management tooling. The organization has 11-50 employees and is governed by a 62-member Board of Directors comprising one supervisor from each county plus elected officers.

Name

California State Association of Counties

Legal name

California State Association of Counties

Website

https://counties.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1895

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CSAC is a 1895-founded Sacramento-based nonprofit association that advocates for all 58 California counties before state and federal governments, delivering legislative tracking, professional education, legal coordination, and member services funded by county dues and corporate sponsors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

County Government Advocacy and Member Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

State Legislature/Regional Assembly Administration (BPAIABAB)

Keywords

• County government advocacy
• Legislative advocacy services
• Public finance programs
• Government training programs
• Public sector insurance

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Revenue from annual membership dues from 58 California counties. County supervisors and staff participate as members.
2. Corporate Associates Program: Revenue from corporate partners at Platinum, Gold, and Silver membership levels. Companies join annually to foster collaboration with local governments on policy issues and business development.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The California State Association of Counties (CSAC) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit membership association representing all 58 California counties. Its core offering is unified county-government advocacy: it develops legislative and policy positions, lobbies state and federal officials, delivers education and training to county officials, engages members, and — through its subsidiaries CSAC Finance Corporation and the California Counties Foundation — provides public financing programs and applied research and education for California's counties.

Product overview

CSAC offers a membership-based advocacy and services platform for California's 58 counties. The organization provides programs including policy advocacy, educational events (Annual Meeting, Legislative Conference, Regional Meetings), the William "Bill" Chiat Institute for Excellence in County Government for professional development, Challenge Awards recognizing county innovations, the Litigation Coordination Program for legal defense coordination, a Job Board for county employment, bill tracking through Capitol Track, and the California Counties Foundation for educational initiatives. CSAC Finance Corporation provides finance and investment programs for member counties. The organization is governed by elected county supervisors with staff supporting legislative advocacy and member services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CSAC Finance Corporation: Provides finance, investment, insurance and public services to benefit California counties
• California Counties Foundation
• CSAC William 'Bill' Chiat Institute for Excellence in County Government
• Challenge Awards
• Litigation Coordination Program

Products and services

• Legislative Advocacy State and federal legislative and regulatory advocacy representing all 58 California counties; develops policy positions, lobbies legislators and agencies, and provides policy analysis for county officials and county staff.
• Education and Training Education, training, and professional development programs for county-elected officials and county staff across California, delivered in person and online.
• CSAC Finance Corporation Public Financing Pooled public financing programs delivered through CSAC Finance Corporation for California counties, providing access to capital that individual counties could not efficiently access on their own.
• California Counties Foundation Research and Applied Education Policy research, applied studies, and education programs on county-government issues, delivered through the California Counties Foundation for California counties.
• Member Engagement Services Outreach, engagement, and relationship-management services connecting California's 58 member counties with CSAC's advocacy, training, finance, and insurance programs.
• Government Law and Policy Support Legal and policy support services for California's 58 counties, including analysis of legislation, regulations, and county-government case law.
• Public Finance and Insurance Programs Pooled public-finance and insurance programs serving California's 58 counties, including risk-management and insurance-pooling offerings for county-government risk exposures.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CSAC Finance CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1986Formed in 1986 to provide a broad array of finance, investment, insurance, and public services to benefit California counties and related public agencies. Premier provider of cost-saving programs for counties and local governments. Revenue generated supports CSAC advocacy efforts.
• California Counties FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing excellence in county government through innovative educational programs and support services. Home to the CSAC William 'Bill' Chiat Institute for Excellence in County Government and CSAC Grants Initiative.
• County Counsels' Association of CaliforniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdministers the CSAC Litigation Coordination Program which monitors litigation affecting counties statewide, coordinates defense of multi-county litigation, and disseminates legal updates to county counsels.
• Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum partner in Corporate Associates Program. Association representing petroleum companies working on government affairs and external affairs with California counties.
• DeloitteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum partner in Corporate Associates Program. Professional services firm providing consulting, advisory, and professional services to government clients.
• IBMminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum partner in Corporate Associates Program. Technology company offering business development and solutions for California government clients.
• CalTRUSTminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum partner in Corporate Associates Program. Public agency investment program serving California public agencies.
• Pacific Gas and Electric CompanyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum partner in Corporate Associates Program. Utility company serving California communities.
• Kaiser PermanenteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGold partner in Corporate Associates Program. Healthcare provider offering services to government and institutional clients.
• Blue ShieldminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum partner in Corporate Associates Program. Health insurance provider serving California government clients.
• AT&TminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum partner in Corporate Associates Program. Telecommunications company with government affairs focus.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• International City/County Management Association (ICMA): Professional association for local government managers and executives. Comparable through its professional development, training, and credentialing programs for county and city administrators — analogous to CSAC's Chiat Institute.
• League of California Cities: California's analogous municipal advocacy association, representing 482 California cities. Operates a near-identical model: legislative advocacy before the California Legislature, member dues, education programs, and a Corporate Partners sponsorship program — making it CSAC's closest peer in mission and structure.
• New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC): State-level county association for New York's 62 counties. Mirrors CSAC's model of statewide county advocacy, education, and member services, serving as a direct structural analog in another large state.
• California Special Districts Association (CSDA): California-based association representing special districts, another form of local government. Operates a similar advocacy, education, and member services model within California, and even shares CSAC's Sacramento policy ecosystem.
• Association of Minnesota Counties: Minnesota's statewide county association with advocacy, education, and member service functions. Directly comparable in scope, member-driven governance, and policy advocacy role.
• County Commissioners Association of Ohio (CCAO): Ohio's statewide association for county commissioners, providing legislative advocacy, training, and member services. Comparable in mission and structure to CSAC at the state level.

Broad incumbents

• U.S. Conference of Mayors: National association representing U.S. cities through their mayors. Adjacent to CSAC at the city/county intersection, sharing federal advocacy and policy development functions for local government.
• National Governors Association (NGA): Bipartisan association of U.S. state governors. A broader public-sector peer whose advocacy, policy development, and member education functions parallel CSAC's work at a higher (state) level of government.
• Council of State Governments (CSG): Nonpartisan, interstate organization serving all three branches of state government. A broader-incumbent peer that engages in policy research and advocacy across state and local government lines, overlapping with CSAC's policy development role.
• National Association of Counties (NACo): The national federation representing all U.S. counties (3,000+). NACo is a broader-incumbent analog of CSAC at the federal level, providing advocacy, education, and member services to county officials across all 50 states.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CSACCounties
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/california-state-association-of-counties
• Instagraminstagram.com/csac_counties
• Xx.com/CSAC_Counties

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about California State Association of Counties