KPOA: Working With Our Community

Governance and Civic Involvement in the Unincorporated Community of Kensington, CA:

Contra Costa County’s Board of Supervisors is the governing body for Kensington. Kensington is part of District 1, along with El Cerrito, Richmond, San Pablo, North Richmond, and parts of El Sobrante and Pinole. Two independent special districts were created by the vote of Kensington residents: the Kensington Fire Protection District (KPFD) and the Kensington Police Protection and Community Services District (KPPCSD).

Each district is an independent, self-governed agency responsible directly to its constituents and is administered by a local board of five directors elected by Kensington voters. Services provided by the two independent districts are primarily funded by property taxes allocated by the County and supplemented by special taxes approved by voters. The Stege Sanitary District is also a special district, although its services cover larger geography than the Kensington area.

(For more information, see “Kensington Past and Present” published in 2000 by the Kensington Improvement Club.)

Download The Kensington Directory

KENSINGTON SPECIAL DISTRICTS

Kensington Police Protection and Community Services District (KPPCSD)

www.kensingtoncalifornia.org

217 Arlington Avenue, Kensington, CA 94707
(510) 526-4141

The Kensington Police Protection and Community Services District is governed by five district directors elected to staggered, four-year terms. The chief of police reports to the general manager of the district, and the KPPCSD Board of Directors, handles day-to-day operations.

The Kensington Police Protection and Community Services District provide police protection services including patrol, response to crimes in progress, traffic enforcement, first aid, and CPR, investigations, warrant and subpoena service, and other law enforcement duties. KPPCSD also manages Kensington Park grounds and facilities (including booking rentals at the community center).

The KPPCSD has a longstanding agreement with the Kensington Community Council, a nonprofit organization, for use of the recreational building and community center in the park and for providing recreational services in Kensington. The district general manager also oversees Kensington’s garbage collection and solid waste disposal and recycling programs.

Board meetings are held monthly on the second Thursday of the month at the Kensington Community Center, 59 Arlington Avenue. 

Kensington Fire Protection District (KFPD)

www.kensingtonfire.org

217 Arlington Avenue, Kensington, CA 94707
(510) 527-8395

The Kensington Fire Protection District contracts with the City of El Cerrito for all fire prevention, fire suppression, and emergency services provided to the Kensington community and maintains automatic response agreements with other West Contra Costa County fire agencies.

The District Public Safety Building (also the home of the Kensington Police Department) houses two Kensington-owned fire engines, one specifically engineered for the steep, narrow streets of Kensington and the other, a wildland engine for use during high fire season.

The district implements water system improvements (with the East Bay Municipal Utility District) to enhance the provision of water along with the wildland interface and to optimize the placement of hydrants throughout the community. KFPD provides paramedic and advanced life support services and delivers a Community Emergency Response Team Training (CERT) program. A five-person, elected board of directors governs the district. Board meetings are held at 7:30 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month at the Kensington Community Center.

Volunteer Civic Organizations:

The “K” groups of Kensington

Kensington residents contribute to the community via a variety of volunteer civic organizations which monitor community governance and finances and provide services that Kensington does not receive from the county.

Examples of these services are a park and playgrounds, after-school programs, town hall meetings, the Kensington Outlook community newspaper, civic improvements, and emergency preparedness.

Kensington Property Owners Association

Kensington Community Council (KCC)

The Kensington Community Council is a 501c3 non-profit corporation that, under an agreement with the KPPCSD, provides educational and recreational programs for the community such as the Kensington After School Enrichment Program...

Kensington Municipal Advisory Council (KMAC)

The Kensington Municipal Advisory Council (KMAC) is an appointed advisory body to the Board of Supervisors with a broad charge to advise the county supervisors on county services, community concerns, and to serve as a liaison between the community...

Kensington Property Owners Association (KPOA)

The Kensington Property Owners Association is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization which collects and disseminates information on issues affecting Kensington property owners. KPOA publishes an annual Kensington directory...

Kensington Improvement Club (KIC)

The Kensington Improvement Club was the first volunteer organization in Kensington, founded in 1921. It is dedicated to promoting and fostering the general welfare of the community and to cooperating with county and local authorities on necessary...

The Friends of the Kensington Library

The Kensington Library is a branch of the Contra Costa County Library System and houses a collection of over 34,000 books and periodicals and a continually refreshed selection of recorded books, movies, and music CDs. The Kensington Library also...

Kensington Amateur Radio Operators

The Kensington Amateur Radio Operators is a group of amateur radio operators who live in Kensington and have agreed to participate in the support of Kensington’s emergency preparedness program. The operators have been incorporated into the CERT training and are part of...

Kensington Public Safety Council

The mission of KPSC is to educate our community on how to prepare for emergencies, strengthen our citizen emergency response infrastructure, and promote community public safety initiatives. The council will address topics related to...

The Kensington Farmers’ Market

A California-certified farmers’ market, the Kensington Farmers’ Market is a nonprofit, community-based organization which is open every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oak View Avenue between Colusa Circle and Santa Fe Avenue in Kensington. It also serves the...