Friday, June 16 marked the first in-person General Assembly meeting since 2019 (view photos of the event). A quorum of representatives from the Bay Area’s nine counties and 101 member cities convened to unanimously pass the 2023-2024 budget.  Delegates attending exceed quorum with 68 city and town representatives and six county representatives.

The business meeting was followed by a two-part conference: Prosperity and the Power of Place in the Bay Area.

Tracy Hadden Loh, a Fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Center for Transformative Placemaking, set the stage by highlighting the power of place and the importance of regional alignment in an uncertain world still recovering from the COVID pandemic. Her keynote was followed by a discussion with ABAG President Jesse Arreguin and Bay Area Council President and CEO Jim Wunderman.

Part two of the conference – Bay Area Case Studies: Local Efforts that Drive Regional Prosperity – highlighted how communities around the Bay Area are working to bring about inclusive economic prosperity. Panelists included Chris Rico, President and CEO, Solano County Economic Development Council; Diane Burgis, Contra Costa Supervisor; Lily Mei, Fremont Mayor; and Todd Pray, Ph.D., Chief Strategic Partnerships Officer at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

The day concluded with a convivial celebration of ABAG’s diamond anniversary, with cake cut by President Arreguin. Festivities to commemorate ABAG’s 1961 founding were postponed due to Covid protocols in June 2021 and again in June 2022.

View the recording of the meeting and other materials.