How We Govern
ABAG is part regional planning agency and part local government service provider. Within each of these two categories we perform a broad range of activities for our members.
ABAG outlines work program goals and objectives for the Bay Area’s nine counties and 101 cities and towns every year, and we are primarily governed by the following:
In some cases, ABAG has the authority to enact certain legislation on behalf of the Bay Area, for example the state-mandated Regional Housing Need Allocation, or RHNA. We also operate as the state-designated clearinghouse for federal grant applications.
ABAG History
ABAG was formed by local government leaders in 1961, who recognized the need to address common issues from a regional perspective. And we were the first council of governments, or CoG, formed in California.