Belvedere City Manager’s Blog

A panel of local elected officials discussing water-land use sustainability as connected to infrastructure, emerging development, water supply and quality, and delta flood risk management.

Association of Bay Area Governments

Today I am attending the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Fall General Assembly Conference at the Marriott City Center.  The Conference topic is Regional Water and Land Use Planning.  On the Agenda is a presentation by Darrell Steinberg, Senate President pro Tempore-Elect, and Dan Walters, Sacramento Bee Columnist and Political Analyst.  

The Conference covers Water and Land Use - The Delta Connection.  This session is a roundtable discussion about critical water and land use policies and environmental challenges impact the Bay Area and the Delta.  Another session is Bay Area Water-Land Use Challenge: What’s in the Works.  Here there is a panel of elected officials discussing water-land use sustainability as connected to infrastructure, emerging development, water supply and quality, and Delta flood risk management.

Hot topics in the Bay Area given global warming issues, expanding development, and watersheds.  ABAG has been around since 1961 when elected officials from the region’s cities and counties came together to form California’s first council of governments.  Since its inception, ABAG has examined regional issues like housing, transportation, economic development, education, and environment.  In 1970, ABAG broke ground with the Regional Plan, 1970-1990, the Bay Area’s first comprehensive regional plan, outlining the first regional open space plan, regional information systems and technology support, criminal justice and training, water policy and waste collection, and earthquake hazards and planning.

Building coalitions, task forces, and partnerships within the Bay region and beyond have typified ABAG’s problem-solving approach to issues affecting the Bay Area.  Today, ABAG’s approach includes research and analysis, educaiton and outreach, and cost-effective member service programs.

ABAG is the official comprehensive planning agency for the San Francisco Bay region.  ABAG’s mission is to strengthen cooperation and coordination among local governments.  In doing so, ABAG addresses social, environmental, and economic issues that transcend local borders.

The Bay Area is defined as the nine counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma.  The 101 cities and all nine counties within the Bay Area are voluntary members of ABAG representing nearly all of the region’s population.