The East Contra Costa Fire Protection District (“District”) is governed by a nine-member appointed Board of Directors. Four members of the Board of Directors were appointed by the Brentwood City Council, three members were appointed by the Oakley City Council, and two members were appointed by the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors.

California law allowed voters to change an appointed fire protection district board of directors to a board of directors whose members are elected by the voters. The District Board of Directors adopted a resolution asking voters to decide whether to change the District governing board “from an appointed Board of Directors of nine members to a Board of Directors of nine members, elected at-large.” A majority of voters in the November 2016 election supported changing the governing board to an elected board.

Additionally, on October 2, 2017, the District Board of Directors directed staff to prepare a resolution for future District Board consideration to conduct an all mail ballot election on March 6, 2018 to transition from a nine-person elected board to a five-person elected board and to designate the seats "at large" rather than representative of wards. Under either the current 9-member elected board or the 5-member elected board, the members of the District Board of Directors will be elected at the next general District election in November 2018, at which time the appointed offices will terminate.