Our Organization
CALCOG is the California Association of Councils of Governments. We are a nonprofit, social welfare organization formed to serve regional governments.
We have 47 member agencies. Each appoints a representative from their legislative body to serve on the CALCOG Board. And, in recognition of the inter-relationship between regional and local governments, both the California State Association of Counties and the League of California Cities may also appoint a representative to the CALCOG Board of Directors.
The interests and character of our individual members vary . . . sometimes widely. Our membership ranges in size from the Lake County/City Area Planning Council (population 64,000) to the Southern California Association of Governments (population 18 million). Most of our members are involved in planning and funding transportation infrastructure; many actually deliver specific projects, and a few also operate transit systems.
Some members benefit from self-help or county based sales tax revenue (when a county has passed a sales tax measure to support transportation), and 18 of our members are federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) responsible for developing regional transportation plans under federal law and sustainable communities strategies under state law.
This “small number, diverse interest” character of our membership creates a unique forum that CALCOG members value. We may not always agree, but CALCOG provides a safe place to have important policy discussions. We share information between members. We educate others about the role that regional governments play today, and encourage discussions about how our members can partner to find new solutions for the problems for tomorrow.