What does the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) do?

The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) is the regional planning agency and council of governments (COG) serving the people who live and work in the 101 cities and towns of the Bay Area, including coastal communities, older industrial centers, rural towns and big cities. ABAG was formed by local government leaders in 1961 who recognized the need to address common issues from a regional perspective.

ABAG’s mission is promoting good planning to build a better Bay Area in order to enhance the quality of life here by supporting regional collaboration, planning, research and member services. ABAG also houses the San Francisco Bay Trail project, the San Francisco Estuary Project, and a Risk Management and Insurance Services program that provides cost effective self-insurance to over two dozen local jurisdictions. ABAG also conducts regional population and employment projections and the state-mandated Regional Housing Need Allocation (RHNA) process (Government Code Section 65584 et seq.).