Impact Quarterly Q1, 2025

IN THIS ISSUE

• Letter from the CEO
• Big Wins
• Policy Highlights

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LETTER FROM THE CEO

Dear Bay Area Council Members,

We made major progress in Q1 as we worked to advance solutions in transportation, housing, climate resilience, and so much more.

We shaped key policy wins, including restoring vital transit services like the Muni 30X express bus, co-sponsoring legislation to streamline new ferry terminals, and supporting the expansion of housing near transit hubs. Our efforts led to the introduction of four major housing bills to remove long-standing barriers to development.

Beyond policy, we brought together leaders across industries, government, and borders. We convened a regional coalition to implement Proposition 1, hosted critical discussions on global AI regulation, and led a delegation to the Carpenters International Training Center and the Calpine carbon capture project in Los Medanos.

These are just a few of the highlights—you’ll read more in the following report. We have an exciting road of advocacy ahead of us in Q2, along with our Bay Area-Silicon Valley Summit (formerly Pacific Summit), and continued merger exploration with the Silicon Valley Leadership Group.

From all of us at the Bay Area Council, thank you to you, our members! Your leadership, expertise, and commitment drive every success we achieve together. Thank you for your dedication to shaping a stronger, more sustainable, and more competitive Bay Area.

Sincerely,
Jim Wunderman
CEO, Bay Area Council

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BIG WINS

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POLICY HIGHLIGHTS

Business Climate

• Data Centers: Our Data Center Taskforce is engaged at the local, regional, and state level.  Locally, we are pushing for regional measures to streamline the construction of data centers and their connection to the grid.  Regionally, we have been engaged with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District on their efforts to shut down back-up power generation for data centers. In Sacramento, we are fighting punitive legislation that seeks to scapegoat the data center industry for California’s unwillingness to invest in new power generation and distribution.  
• California Privacy Protection Agency: The CPPA is the latest State agency to regulate the growth of AI.  This agency is grossly understaffed and under resourced, and their approach is to be as restrictive as possible.  The Bay Area Council has been actively opposing their rule making, and we have testified at all the hearings to date.
• European Union: Bay Area Council is leading efforts to push back against the European Union’s urging California to adopt a regulation landscape like theirs which is overreaching and stifles innovation.

Public Safety

• Continue to make strides on BART safety, including successfully advocating for the expeditious deployment of the next generation fare gates, with nearly half of all stations upgraded already and on track to complete all stations before the end of the year.
• Kicked-off the first of several safety insider tours at the San Francisco International Airport to see firsthand the critical role the airport plays in regional safety and security through its cutting-edge technology and infrastructure in operation 24/7 to ensure safety for visitors and residents alike.
• Advocated at the state level for commonsense legislation that will improve public safety issues surrounding retail theft, transit safety, and worker and commuter safety, including SB 276 (Wiener), and AB 394 (Wilson), AB 431 (Arreguin), as well as pushed for adequate funding to support the implementation of Prop 36 passed by California voters last November.

Housing

• Led a tour to the NorCal Carpenters training facility with the Housing Committee and state legislators.
• Helped introduce four major housing bills with the advice and input of our members, including ones aimed at making major improvements to historic barriers to home building, such as the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
• The project endorsement subcommittee endorsed and fought for the development of hundreds of new homes around the region at the planning commission, including 88 new affordable homes for teachers coming to Menlo Park. This was largely because of legislation we worked on several years ago.

Homelessness

• Co-sponsored three pieces of state legislation that would (1) allow existing state homeless programs to support permanent drug-free Recovery Housing for homeless individuals struggling with addiction (AB 255, Haney); (2) to establish achieving “Functional Zero Unsheltered Homelessness” as a state priority (SB 606, Becker); and (3) to require counties to prioritize providing safety net services at homeless shelters built by cities (SB 16 Blakespear).
• Developed, with partners DignityMoves and AllHome, a roadmap for San Francisco for Mayor Daniel Lurie to expand interim housing.
• Helped pass “Responsibility to Shelter” reform in San José.
• Joined a lively San José City Council meeting on to support Mayor Matt Mahan’s proposal requiring unsheltered homeless residents to accept shelter offers. The Mayor’s Budget message also ties directly to Assemblymember Buffy Wicks’ Permitting Reform Report.

Transportation

• Co-sponsored state legislation that would expedite the delivery of sustainable transit projects, including ferry terminals.
• Successfully advocated for the restoration of the Muni 30X Marina Express bus service to connect commuters to Downtown SF.
• Convened public agencies with autonomous vehicle and ride sharing companies to promote collaboration.

Global Business and Investment

• Hosted a panel on tariffs and the USMCA with Canada’s Consul General, Rana Sarkar and Mexico’s Consul General, Ana Luisa Vallejo Barba.
• Honored California Treasurer, Fiona Ma at our annual Spring Festival.
• Continued conversations on innovation and the strategic implications of AI regulation with Janet Napolitano, former US Secretary of Homeland Security, Dr. Alice Hunt Friend, Head of AI & Emerging Tech Policy at Google, Rachael Kells, Chief of Staff for the UK Tech Envoy, and Paula Goldman, Chief Ethical and Humane Use Officer and EVP of Product at Salesforce.

Waterfront

• Supported SB 71 and SB 79 which would streamline permitting for new ferry terminals and legalize new housing in areas near ferry terminals, advancing our vision of an interconnected network of beautiful, dense, vibrant waterfront communities around the Bay.

Energy and Climate Mitigation

• Organized a tour of Calpine’s Project Enterprise at the Los Medanos Energy Center, a cutting-edge carbon capture demonstration pilot, with Bay Area Council members and Assemblymember Ávila Farías.
• Helped develop, with Airlines for America, legislation (AB 839, Blanca Rubio) to grant the Governor discretion to provide expedited judicial review to largescale Sustainable Aviation Fuel production facilities.

Water and Climate Resilience

• Held a member briefing for the state of California’s insurance industry following the Los Angeles wildfires.
• Testified at the State Water Board in support of the Change in Point of Diversion Permits for the Delta Conveyance Project.

Workforce

• The Bay Area Council was selected by the National Talent Collaborative to host their Fall Conference. This convening will bring together the CEOs of the top 50 economic development groups in the United States for two days in September onboard the Klamath.
• A delegation of members visited the Carpenters International Training Center in Las Vegas to see first-hand how apprenticeship training programs are run.
• We are working with the Crankstart Foundation to send a group of San Francisco Workforce professionals to Zurich, Switzerland for the Center on the Economics and Management of Education and Training Systems Summer Institute 2025. CEMETS is dedicated to improving education systems worldwide by studying the design, implementation, and outcomes of education reforms.

Healthcare

• Established a regional coalition of principals from the public and private sectors focused on the implementation of Proposition 1.
• Participated in urgent discussion surrounding the future of Medi-Cal in the state.
• Advocated for additional time and discussion before the responsible determination of sectors and spending targets under California’s new Office of Healthcare Affordability.