Bay Area Council Adopts Bold Policy Agenda for 2026
Supporting, growing and advancing California’s AI, data center and technology leadership soared to the top of the Bay Area Council’s 2026 public policy agenda, which our Executive Committee and Board of Directors approved last week. The focus on these areas that are so important to our innovation economy reflects the booming excitement and big surge of investment that has poured into AI and the data centers that power them. It also reflects the need for powerful voices to advocate at the state and federal levels against over-reaching policies that threaten to stifle discovery and innovation, make us less competitive and push jobs and investment elsewhere. The Council’s already getting to work, with our new Tech and Innovation Committee convening last week and establishing a framework for our advocacy this coming year and we expect to have our hands full. We welcome your participation.
Improving the region’s business climate and getting more proactive about promoting regional economic development will also figure prominently in our work next year. That includes working to ease, oppose and eliminate the thicket of onerous government regulations that often stymie economic growth, discourage investment and new jobs and increase the cost of building just about anything. We’ll also target excessive permitting requirements and processes which can delay by years the construction of housing, energy and transportation infrastructure through senseless bureaucracy.
Addressing our continuing housing shortage and affordability crisis will continue to figure prominently in our policy work. The Council last year enjoyed one of its most successful and productive legislative sessions when it comes to removing local barriers to new housing and holding local jurisdictions accountable for approving the housing our region and state so badly need. And we’ll be looking to double down this coming year. Similarly, we’ll maintain our focus on fast, inexpensive interim housing solutions to address homelessness and expanding access to sober living facilities. We’re already seeing results from our work over the past few years with homelessness numbers showing improvement across the region.
Despite significant progress in bringing down crime, particularly violent crime, in our cities, transit systems there is still much work to do to improve public safety. The Council has been partnering with local, state and federal law enforcement leaders to address a continuing shortage of new police recruits and we’ve been actively engaged in bringing new advanced technologies to the fight (see below). Transportation will also figure prominently in our work over the coming year as we help lead a campaign to qualify a regional transportation ballot measure next November to generate funding to avoid a fiscal crisis and potential drastic service cuts to our key transit agencies. We’ll also be working to hold our transit agencies accountable for making their operations more efficient, provisions we fought for as part of the legislation authorizing the regional ballot measure.
In addition to these policy areas, the Council will continue the great work we’ve been doing to improve the pipeline of talent our region’s employers need to grow, particularly through supporting apprenticeships and alternative career pathways that emphasize skills over degrees. With the Council positioned as the go-to organization for foreign diplomats, companies and investors seeking new business opportunities we will work to grow the Bay Area’s global connections.
