A quorum of representatives from the Bay Area convened at the Metro Center on June 20 to pass the 2025-2026 Budget & Work Program. After substantial consideration, the General Assembly also took action to update and streamline the ABAG bylaws. Election of the president and vice president will now be a public process, with meaningful input from the entire General Assembly. The group also made other updates to align the budget schedule with existing meetings and clarify definitions of executive responsibilities.

The business meeting was followed by a conference: Regional Tools to Power Local Solutions. Dr. Christopher Thornberg of Beacon Economics kicked off the afternoon with a discussion of regional economic narratives. Later, a panel of elected officials shared how ABAG's programs have benefited their communities.

Keynote Speaker: dr. christopher thornberg, Beacon Economics' Founding Partner

Dr. Christopher Thornberg left a teaching position at UCLA’s Business School in 2006 to found Beacon Economics, and under his leadership, the firm has become one of the nation’s most respected economic research organizations. He consults globally for private industry, cities, counties, and public agencies. A dynamic public speaker, he challenges audiences to question popular narratives – and to ask the right economic questions.

Panel MODERATOR:

Bill Higgins, Executive Director, California Association of Councils of Governments

Bill moderated a panel of local leaders who will discuss how regional tools and technical assistance have benefited their communities.

Bill is an enthusiastic regionalist and enjoys working on the day-to-day policy issues that improve the ability of regional governments to serve their member cities and counties. He joined CALCOG as its executive director in 2011. Previously, he spent 11 years as a senior staff attorney, program manager and legislative representative for the League of California Cities and its nonprofit affiliate, the Institute of Local Government. There, he focused his efforts on local and regional planning, housing, economic development and land use policy. Bill has been an adjunct professor at Sonoma State University and teaches periodic classes through the UC Davis and UCLA Extension Programs.

panelists

• Susan Adams, Councilmember, Rohnert Park

  • Councilmember and ABAG Executive Board member Susan Adams was elected to the Rohnert Park City Council in November 2018. She began her career in the insurance industry in the late 80s, first as a sales agent and then as an assistant manager for the Farmers Insurance Group of Companies. Ms. Adams and her father opened their wholesale insurance agency in Rohnert Park in 1997.

    She also co-chaired the Committee to Protect Cotati Rohnert Park Schools and, working with several talented women and men over 35 years, Susan helped raise over $285 million in parcel tax and bond funds for the school district. Ms. Adams served on the Rohnert Park Planning Commission for 14 years before being elected to the city council.

    The Sonoma County Mayors and Councilmembers Association appointed Ms. Adams to represent their interests on the Association of Bay Area Governments as a member of the Executive Board. She is a Rohnert Park Chamber of Commerce member and owner of Hollingsworth Insurance Services, LLC.

    Ms. Adams will speak to the value of Regional Early Action Planning (REAP) funding in Rohnert Park as well as for the Napa Sonoma Collaborative.

• Angela Andrews, Councilmember, Hayward

  • Elected to the Hayward City Council in 2020, Councilwoman Angela Andrews immediately got to work and became one of Hayward’s most respected city leaders, bringing diverse voices together to find common ground and move Hayward forward.

    Today, Ms. Andrews serves on the Economic Development Committee, the Infrastructure and Airport Committee, the Sustainability Committee and the Keep Hayward Clean and Green Task Force. She represents Hayward on the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency, the San Francisco Bay Area Regional Water System Financing Authority and the East Bay Dischargers Joint Powers Authority. The Dischargers Authority is a partner in the San Francisco Estuary Partnership’s First Mile Horizontal Levee project in Hayward — part of a larger multi-jurisdictional planning effort.

    Ms. Andrews also serves as the Capital Portfolio Manager at Contra Costa’s West County Wastewater, where she oversees projects with annual budgets of over $20 million within a capital portfolio of $250 million. Her priorities are economic development, quality of life, resiliency, and showing the importance of public art and its impact on community engagement and public safety.

• Drew Combs, Mayor, Menlo Park

  • Drew Combs was elected to the Menlo Park City Council in 2018 by the residents of District 2, which includes the Willows, Suburban Park, Lorelei Manor and Flood Triangle neighborhoods. In his time on the city council, Mr. Combs has spearheaded the approval of major infrastructure and park projects, played a key role in hiring senior city staff positions and advocated for balanced development.

    Prior to being elected to the city council, Mr. Combs served on the city’s Planning Commission for four years. He was also previously a member of the city’s Bicycle Commission. In addition to his city government role, Mr. Combs’ community service includes serving as chair of the San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority and serving on the boards of directors for CivicPulse and the Leadership Council San Mateo County. His community involvement has also taken the form of tutoring high school students and fundraising for a local nonprofit.

    The Belle Haven Child Care Development Center in Menlo Park was recently selected for BayREN's Decarbonization Showcase, an ABAG initiative to decarbonize public buildings. The Showcase project will involve electrifying the center’s cooking equipment and HVAC system.

• Shali Sirkay, Executive Director, Santa Clara Cities Association

  • Ms. Sirkay began her tenure at the Cities Association in June 2022 and has a long history of being active in both her local community and in Santa Clara County. She is responsible for implementing the priorities of the Board of Directors and the day-to-day management of the association, including the Planning Collaborative. Ms. Sirkay serves as Ex-Officio to the Executive Board and the Board of Directors. She is currently an elected board member to the Los Altos School District Board of Trustees (President of the Board in 2021). She is a commissioner on the Santa Clara County Juvenile Justice Commission, where she sits on several committees and co-chairs the Equity and Justice Committee.

    The Cities Association of Santa Clara County receives REAP funding to provide technical support to cities and towns for Housing Element implementation and adoption.

See recording and materials from the 2025 General Assembly.