The Los Angeles County seal is the official emblem of the most populous county in the United States, and the version in use today was re-adopted in June 2016. It centers on a Native American woman standing on the Pacific shore, surrounded by symbols that trace the county’s industries, landmarks, and cultural institutions. The design appears on county buildings, law enforcement vehicles, department letterheads, and formal documents from the Board of Supervisors.
What’s on the Seal Today
At the center stands a Native American woman holding a basket, honoring the original inhabitants of the Los Angeles Basin. She is positioned on the Pacific shoreline, with a stylized San Gabriel Mountains silhouette behind her.1Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Branding Strategy and Guidelines
Four quadrants surround her, each carrying its own meaning:
- Upper left: a triangle and caliper for the engineering and construction industries, including the county’s contributions to the nation’s space program.
- Upper right: the Hollywood Bowl, flanked by two stars representing the motion picture and television industries.
- Lower left: a tuna for the fishing industry.
- Lower right: a championship dairy cow named Pearlette, for the dairy farming that once dominated the local agricultural economy.1Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Branding Strategy and Guidelines
Two larger images sit on either side of the central figure. On the left is the San Salvador, the Spanish galleon that Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo sailed into San Pedro Harbor on October 8, 1542. On the right is Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, representing the role of the California missions in the region’s settlement. The mission appears without any religious insignia on its roof.1Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Branding Strategy and Guidelines
One thing the current seal does not show is oil derricks. They appeared on the 1957 design but were dropped in 2004.
How the Design Evolved
The 1887 Original
Los Angeles County was incorporated in 1850, but the first official seal wasn’t adopted until 1887. That early design showed a cluster of grapes ringed by the words “Board of Supervisors – Los Angeles Co. Cal.” It stayed in use for seventy years.
The 1957 Millard Sheets Design
In 1957, former Supervisor Kenneth Hahn championed a new seal designed by artist Millard Sheets, and the Board of Supervisors adopted it on January 2 of that year.1Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Branding Strategy and Guidelines This version placed Pomona, the Roman goddess of gardens and fruit trees, at the center. It also carried a small gold cross floating above a stylized Hollywood Bowl, along with oil derricks and many of the industrial and cultural symbols still present today.
The 2004 Redesign
In 2004, the American Civil Liberties Union sent the county a letter arguing that the cross on the seal was a government endorsement of Christianity. Rather than defend a lawsuit, county leaders held public meetings and negotiated a new design. Pomona was replaced with the Native American woman, the cross was removed, oil derricks were dropped, and the San Gabriel Mission was added for the first time. The dairy cow, tuna, engineering instruments, Hollywood Bowl, and Spanish galleon all survived.2County of Los Angeles. About
The Cross Controversy and the 2016 Ruling
The 2004 redesign did not end the dispute. On January 7, 2014, the Board of Supervisors voted 3–2 to put a cross back on the seal, this time atop the depiction of Mission San Gabriel. Supporters framed the addition as architectural accuracy, since the real building has a cross. Opponents, including Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, called that framing disingenuous.
The vote drew an immediate legal challenge. In 2016, a federal judge ruled that inserting the cross into an already-secular design violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and provisions of the California Constitution. The reasoning turned on the fact that the county had deliberately acted to add a religious symbol where none had existed, which could reasonably be read as government preference for a particular faith.
After the ruling, the county reverted to the 2004 design without the cross. That is the seal in use today.1Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Branding Strategy and Guidelines
Who Can Use the Seal
The County of Los Angeles owns the seal, and Chapter 2.01 of the Los Angeles County Code sets the rules for displaying or reproducing it. Only authorized county officials and departments may use it for legitimate government business. Private citizens and businesses are generally prohibited from reproducing the seal in ways that could lead the public to believe a document, product, or service carries official county backing.
Unauthorized use for commercial gain or deceptive purposes is a misdemeanor under the county code. The restrictions exist to prevent fraud and to keep the seal a reliable marker of government authority. For most residents, the seal shows up on county flags, vehicles, and written communications from county departments.1Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Branding Strategy and Guidelines