American government has exactly four levels — federal, state, county and city — and city councillors typically do the job part-time, about 20 hours a week.
The author posted a photo of a property tax bill from his county. A reader commented, thinking it was from some county government back in Henan. So he laid out how American government is structured.
Four levels, and the city is the last one
At the top sits the federal government: the White House handles the executive, Congress the legislative, and the federal courts the judicial. Below that are the states, each with its own three branches.
A governor is elected separately by that state's voters, answers only to them, and does not have to worry about the president's mood. Next down is the county.
Counties have no equivalent of a mayor or a county head, and how they are run varies wildly. Santa Clara County, where the author lives, is governed by an elected five-member board of supervisors.
Some big cities simply merge the county and the city into one government, San Francisco being the obvious case.
A job you do after work
At the city level things get even messier. In the author's city, voters elect a seven-member council, which is both the legislature and the top executive body; the mayor is chosen by those seven from among themselves.
Worth noting: all seven have day jobs. Serving on the council is an evening side gig, roughly 20 hours a week.
Below the city, there is no further layer of government at all.
Why it matters
Picture government as one tall building and you will never understand why an American mayor spends an evening arguing about a parking spot on his own street. Few levels, dispersed power, and officeholders who have another job decide that most things get settled at the layer closest to your front door.
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