![Eight board members sitting at a raised dais at an Executive Board meeting.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/images/how_we_govern_dsc_2509.jpg?itok=bnUZnjd9)
Ò°»¨ÉçÇø Board members at an Executive Board meeting at the Bay Area Metro Center
How We Govern
Ò°»¨ÉçÇø 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.
Ò°»¨ÉçÇø 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, Ò°»¨ÉçÇø 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.
Annual Meeting - General Assembly and Business Meeting
´¡µþ´¡³Ò’s General Assembly, which meets at least once a year, determines policy and adopts the annual budget and work program during the Business Meeting.
Ò°»¨ÉçÇø History
Ò°»¨ÉçÇø 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.
Read more about the History of Ò°»¨ÉçÇø.