Letter from the CEO
Dear Bay Area Council Members,
As we wrap up the third quarter of 2025, I have been reflecting on how much progress we have made together this year and how much more there is to do. The pace of change in our region is accelerating, and our ability to shape that change has never been more important.
Over the past few months, the Bay Area Council has helped move the needle on some of the most pressing issues facing our region. We advanced new tools to build housing faster, brought business leaders together around strategies to revitalize our downtowns, and strengthened the partnerships that will carry our innovation economy into the future. These efforts are making an impact because of you, our members, who bring the ideas, energy, and influence needed to turn bold plans into real outcomes.
Thank you for your commitment to this work and for the trust you place in the Bay Area Council to lead it. Your engagement is what powers our progress.
Sincerely,
Jim Wunderman
President and CEO
Bay Area Council
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The True Life Companies
Alcatraz AI
Amtrak
Atlantic Aviation
Banc of California
Bank of San Francisco
BMO
Cal Poly Maritime Academy
CoreSite
CrossCountry Consulting
Fehr & Peers
HealthRIGHT 360
Instacart
OpenAI
San Jose Clean Energy
Southwest Airlines
Steinberg Hart
TEXEL Energy
The True Life Companies
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Big Wins
Advanced the largest package of legislation in the Bay Area Council’s history, including landmark housing reforms that Gov. Newsom championed as part of the budget. Other bills included (SB 79, CLRRA extension), transportation (SB 63, SB 71), homelessness (AB 255), and public safety (AB 476, AB 394, AB 992, SB 276).
OpenAI announced BAC as their California partner for the launch of their new AI Jobs Platform and new certification program.
Partnering with California State Transportation Agency and UC Davis, the Council led the California Africa Climate and Economic Delegation to Kenya and Nigeria to strengthen relationships between California and Africa on clean energy, technology and transportation. Delegates met with Kenyan President William Ruto and his Cabinet.
Policy Highlights
Business Climate
- Partnering with the US Chamber of Commerce and SEMI, the Bay Area Council is hosting a seminar on proposed fee increases on patents. Register here to attend on Oct. 9th.
- The Bay Area Council continues to lead the fight in Sacramento to bring manufacturing back to California. SB 587 (Grayson) will create a manufacturing tax credit. We also worked closely with leadership in Sacramento to create a CEQA exemption for advanced manufacturing.
- The Government Relations Committee will be relaunched in Q4 2025. Committee co-chairs are: Sally Kay, Amazon; Ramona Prieto, Uber; Nick Johnson, Lyft; Ariane Hogan, Genentech; Allison Rose, Autodesk; and Papia Gambelin, United Airlines. Contact Matt Regan at mregan@bayareacouncil.org to join the Committee.
Tech & Innovation
Welcomed new SVP of Tech & Innovation Policy and General Counsel, Peter Leroe-Munoz to the Bay Area Council team!
Convened a distinguished roster of thought–leaders to examine the intersection of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and workforce transformation.
Hosted the release of Governor Newsom’s AI Frontiers Report on the Historic Klamath in partnership with the California Council on Science & Technology and the report’s working group co-leads.
Launched a Data Center Task Force to build the physical infrastructure necessary for the Bay Area to maintain its meteoric rise as the world’s leading AI hub.
Public Safety
Helped accelerate the installation of BART’s next generation fare gates at all 50 stations – completed well ahead of schedule
Kicked off the next iteration of the Council’s safety technology work with a flagship event hosted by member company Verizon, showcasing safety tech innovations ahead of next year’s global sporting events.
Released landmark report, Making Oakland Safe and Its Economy Strong: A Vision for Lasting Change, as part of the ongoing work of the Public Safety Committee’s Oakland safety coalition, and began coordinated advocacy efforts to advance the report’s key recommendations.
Successfully advanced four key public safety bills to the Governor for signature: AB 476 (Gonzalez) re: metal theft, AB 394 (Wilson) re: transit employee safety, AB 992 (Irwin) re: police hiring, SB 276 (Wiener) re: retail theft in SF.
Secured $100 million in the state budget for the implementation of Prop 36 (Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act), a transformative safety measure passed by voters in November 2024 with support from the Council, and continues to advocate for the additional resources needed for its successful implementation.
Housing
Successfully co–sponsored SB 79 (Wiener), which will create a new density bonus for transit-oriented housing, allowing apartments near transportation-rich hubs such as BART. This has the twin benefits of increasing the production of much-needed housing and of increasing ridership on mass transit.
Endorsed multiple housing projects across the region that will cumulatively build nearly 1,000 homes, fighting for their approval at local government meetings.
Homelessness
Passed AB 255 (Haney)—legislation the Council co-sponsored that amends California’s Housing First law to enable state programs to support drug–free sober housing. Awaiting Governor Newsom’s signature.
Transportation
Shaped and helped pass SB 63 authorizing a regional transit measure on the November 2026 ballot. The legislation includes the Bay Area Council proposal that requires the four major transit operators to undergo a third-party financial efficiency review to identify areas to reduce costs without compromising service. The review will be overseen by an Oversight Committee to ensure meaningful implementation of the efficiency recommendations.
Council-sponsored bill SB 71 (Wiener) that will expedite the delivery of sustainable transportation projects passed the Legislature and includes a new CEQA exemption of public ferry terminals.
Helped secure $750 million in state budget funding to avoid severe service cuts on BART and Muni over the next two years until the region can vote on a sustainable funding source in the regional measure authorized by SB 63.
Successfully advocated for Muni to increase service frequency on the 30x and 1x bus routes serving downtown San Francisco to help commuters get to offices.
Global Business & Investment
Hosted a panel discussion on Securing the Future: The Global Cybersecurity Implications of Artificial Intelligence.
Partnering with California State Transportation Agency and UC Davis, the Council led the California Africa Climate and Economic Delegation to Kenya and Nigeria to strengthen relationships between California and Africa on clean energy, technology and transportation. Delegates met with Kenyan President William Ruto and his Cabinet.
Waterfront
Organized a tour and strategy session at the Port of Oakland about policy changes needed to activate the region’s shoreline.
Supported state legislation to streamline ferry terminal approvals (SB 71) and enable more housing near transit (SB 79); both now await the Governor’s signature.
Led a coalition effort that secured timely appropriation of Proposition 4 funds, a climate bond, preventing a major delay.
Coordinating with regional leaders to build an upcoming campaign for shoreline resilience and flood protection with Congress and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Launched groundwork for a successor to Measure AA, the 2016 regional ballot measure championed by BAC that funded Bay restoration and resilience.
Energy & Climate Mitigation
Led a delegation to Diablo Canyon, nuclear power plant and Chicago to explore the nexus between AI, Data Centers, and Clean Power technologies.
Held a panel discussion on the evolving role of nuclear in meeting the energy demands of AI, and the potential for nuclear power to make a comeback in California. The discussion was led by nuclear energy experts from Kairos Power, Good Energy Collective, and PG&E.
Built a statewide coalition that succeeded in defending a late-session push by activists to remove SB 131’s CEQA exemption for advanced manufacturing.
Water & Climate Resilience
Built a statewide coalition that succeeded in pressing the legislature and Governor’s office to appropriate Proposition 4 bonds for climate resilience project in the upcoming fiscal year.
Workforce
OpenAI announced BAC as their California partner for the launch of their new AI Jobs Platform and new certification program.
Following BAC’s trip as the employer engagement lead for the Northern California delegation to Switzerland’s CEMETS institute this summer, BAC has been tapped to represent the NorCal team at the Advanced US Summit following the Swiss trip. Outcomes will be shared at the next Northern California Apprenticeship Network (NCAN) meeting on November 4th
Event season has commenced! We are proud to host and present at the following events this fall
- AI and Workforce APEC Event (9/11)
- Bay Area Community College Consortium + Northern California Apprenticeship Network Apprenticeship Meetings (9/16)
- US Advanced CEMETS Summit (9/21)
- BAC hosts the National Talent Collaborative – 60 US leaders (9/25)
- Advancing California Apprenticeships Summit (ACA) 10/7
- Workforce of the Future Committee Launch (10/21)
- NCAN bi-monthly virtual meeting: (11/4)
- Swiss Consulate business briefing – Apprenticeships and resources for US companies (12/2)
Workforce of the Future Committee Chairs confirmed as the team prepares to launch the committee on October 21
Erika Webb-Hughes: Pearson | Matti Zazueta: OpenAI | Angelo Farooq: CWDB Board Member and GP AlphaX RE Capital | Philip Minardi: BuildWithin CEO | Javier Gonzalez: Google
Healthcare
Joined a diverse group of healthcare leaders from across the country in St. Louis, MO for the 7th annual Health Innovation Summit, focused on responsibly implementing artificial intelligence so our healthcare systems can deliver better outcomes with lower cost for all, particularly the under-served in both rural and urban communities.
Continued to strongly advocate for the future of Medicaid and Medi-Cal at both the federal and state levels for our healthcare delivery systems.
Continued to partner with regional leaders to best deploy and coordinate the resources under Proposition 1.
Coming up in Q4
- Women’s Leadership Summit – Oct. 28
- AI policy forum at APEC 2025 in South Korea – Oct. 16
- Full Calendar of Events!
- Contact Kirsten Vernon (kvernon@bayareacouncil.org) and Dana Jauco (djauco@bayareacouncil.org) for more information about engagement or to sign up for policy committees.
The Historic Klamath
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