Our Vision

Our vision is that every city and county in California is served by effective regional governance.

It starts from the ground up.  Every Californian is part of a neighborhood; every neighborhood is part of a city or county; and each city or county is part of a region.  A community creates its own sense of place.  Yet the quality of life and prosperity of that community benefits when local governments collaborate across their region.

But there is a challenge.  California’s regions are larger, more populated, and generate greater economic output than most states.  San Diego County—on its own—is twice the size of Delaware–and has nearly twice the population of West Virginia.  The nine-county Bay Area (represented by MTC and ABAG) has more people than the entire state of Washington . . . and 36 other states that also get two votes in the United States Senate.

These large geographies are part of the reason why regional agencies form such an important bridge between state and local government in California.  Many issues transcend local boundaries, but elude a statewide, one-size-fits-all solution.  Regions build consensus and tailor policies to account for regional factors such as population, environment, infrastructure, and the economy.  Think of it as bottoms-up governance (we do); a place where local governments work together to craft policies that touch on a wide range of issues, including transportation, housing, fairness, social equity, public health, environmental protection, and economic development.

See Member Directory to see how our members serve their member cities and counties.

Effective regional governance is about helping every community become more prosperous, equitable, and environmentally sustainable.  CALCOG works to assure effective regional governance so that California’s regional agencies have the tools, information, and capacity to best serve their member cities and counties.