The General Assembly is the overall governing body of the organization. Each member city and county designates a representative. ABAG's operations are directed by an Executive Board composed of 38 elected officials from member cities and counties. Much of ABAG's work is carried on by committees appointed by the Executive Board, including joint committees with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Advisory committees and task forces are appointed from time to time to oversee special programs in areas such as air quality, water quality, energy, and economic development.
All meetings are open to the public.
In ABAG's region there are 100 cities and the nine counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma. More than 6 million people live in this 7,000 square mile area. These are the kinds of questions that cannot be addressed easily without cooperative action among many agencies, organizations, and the general public. One of ABAG's vital functions is to provide a forum to resolve local differences through workable compromises. Its active public information program encourages citizen involvement in planning and policy decisions.