A Brief Comparison of Two Unincorporated Communities: Castro Valley and Salida

Guest Post by Katherine Borges, Salida Municipal Advisory Council Chair

When I tell people that Castro Valley is unincorporated, they are shocked. Its locality, its amenities, and especially its size, all lend to the appearance of an incorporated city. On the surface, Castro Valley would seem to have very little in common with Salida, the largest unincorporated community in Stanislaus County. But because both are the largest unincorporated communities within their counties is exactly why Castro Valley and Salida have a lot in common.

Both communities have experienced an explosion in population growth as bedroom communities over the last thirty years. Developing county areas entails less restrictions for developers than building within existing cities. While many counties establish community plans for an unincorporated community, it still means less encumbrances for development. Development issues are what often drives the founding of a Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) in such communities to give the residents a voice in their community. Salida MAC was founded for just this reason back in 1984 and I currently serve as the chair.

Population-wise, Salida is a quarter of the size of Castro Valley. While small by comparison, Salida and Castro Valley experience many of the same issues that stem from being unincorporated. Both Salida and Castro Valley are missing sidewalks. While Castro Valley’s missing sidewalks appear to be primarily along main thoroughfares, Salida’s missing sidewalks are in the historic residential neighborhoods that date to 1910. Residents of these neighborhoods have been told by Stanislaus County that if they want sidewalks, they have to pay to have them installed themselves.

Another commonality is the lack of say in local affairs. While the purpose of MAC councils are to fill this gap, the MAC’s function is nevertheless advisory in capacity. When it comes to the bottom line, the decisions that affect the lives of citizens of an unincorporated community are in the hands of one person, the county supervisor. The supervisor can easily override any vote of a MAC council or in Castro Valleys case, land use decisions.

Stanislaus County is supposed to bring land use planning issues affecting Salida to Salida MAC, but on occasion, that ball has been dropped. Probably in part because Stanislaus County’s MAC councils do not have a separate land use advisory capability like Castro Valleys does.

While Castro Valley is fortunate to have this land use component to their MAC, its citizens have no recourse in the event that the majority do not agree with their MAC council’s decisions. Castro Valley’s MAC council is appointed by their county supervisor while Salidas is elected. If a Salida resident does not agree with a MAC councilmember’s decision, then they can run for their seat when their term is up.

Ideally, communities the size of Salida and Castro Valley should incorporate as cities. Only cities can guarantee their citizens a voice in their community and not be relegated to advisory. Unfortunately, the state of California has enacted legislation in the last forty years to make incorporation difficult. In the meantime for Salida and Castro Valley, their MAC councils need to fill the role of a city council to the best of their abilities and their citizens need to stay engaged in their communities.

Katherine Borges serves as Chair of the five member elected Salida Municipal Advisory Council in Salida, CA.  She is active in many local Stanislaus governance issues, as well as other issues affecting Unincorporated Areas statewide.