Region four: San Francisco Bay Area.

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SAN FRANCISCO OVERVIEW

The San Francisco Bay Region has enjoyed a proud history of economic strength and diversity. With six million people, three major cities -- San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose -- and a gross regional product of almost $200 billion, the Bay Area ranks as the fourth largest metropolitan region in the country. If this area were a nation, it would rank among the 20 largest economies in the world.

The location of the region in the north-central area of California with, each of its counties bordering the San Francisco Bay, make it a strong foreign, as well as national trade center. The region is uniquely positioned to serve national and international markets from San Jose, with its vast network of trade relationships, to San Francisco with its special business and cultural ties to the Pacific Rim, and Oakland as a major international seaport. And being situated midway between Europe and Asia makes it possible for business to communicate with both continents in the same working day.

DEMOGRAPHICS:

The San Francisco Bay Area is the second most populous region in California, with approximately 6-million residents. The most rapid growth occurred in the less developed areas of Solano, Sonoma and Contra Costa Counties, with the greatest growth occurring in Santa Clara County.

REGIONAL ECONOMY:

The service sector is the largest employment sector, providing nearly a third of the region's jobs. About one-fourth of all statewide service jobs come from this region with business services and health services the fastest growing areas.

Agriculture is a strong part of the economic base with farm land making up nearly half of the region's area. Napa, Sonoma and Solano Counties produced over $650 million in agricultural income in 1989, with the fine wine production of Napa and Sonoma Counties recognized as the nation's premium wine capital.

Manufacturing ranks third in the region's employment. The majority of manufacturing employment is in the southern portion of the San Francisco Bay Region, specifically Santa Clara and Alameda Counties. These two counties account for 70 percent of the area manufacturing employment in both high technology of the Silicon Valley as well as non-high technology.

Tourism is a major supporter of the service and trade sectors. Major tourist destinations include the wine counties of Napa and Sonoma and the charming attractions of San Francisco.

The Silicon Valley continues to thrive as the world-wide center of high technology. It is the home of more than 2,600 high tech firms, employing over 250,000 people. It's ranked as the top research and development location in the country, the leading semi-conductor and computer producer, and home to one-fifth of the nation's "Fortune 100 Fastest-Growing" companies.

San Francisco makes the region a major financial center as the home of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, the Federal Home Loan Bank and the Pacific Coast Stock Exchange. Known as the "Venture Capital of the World," this region is the headquarters for one-fifth of the nation's top venture capital firms.

The Bay area has a concentration of world-class universities and outstanding colleges including Stanford University, the leading computer school in the country.

LABOR FORCE:

The San Francisco Bay Region labor market is very strong. About 19 percent of the new jobs created in California during the past five years have been located in the Bay area. This region is a magnet to businesses expanding from other locations. There is a highly skilled work force and this has been determined as one of the primary reasons businesses remain in the region or relocate there.

More than 25% of the region's population has four or more years of college, compared to the nationwide figure of 17%. And more than one-third of the region's labor force is employed in managerial, professional or technical occupations.

INCOME:

Incomes in the San Francisco Bay Region tend to be higher than the statewide per capita personal income level of approximately $18,753. In 1988 per capita personal income ranged from a low of $15,639 in Solano County to a high of $32,417 in Marin County.

REAL ESTATE AND HOUSING:

Housing costs in the Bay Area are higher than the statewide average in the more urbanized areas, but below in the less urbanized locations. In 1990 the median price of an existing single-family home statewide was $198,500, while in the San Francisco Bay area the same house would have been $262,900. In the northern wine area, the median price for the same period was $179,057.

TRANSPORTATION:

The Bay Area's six-million residents have at their disposal an extensive transit system for easy travel within the region. Most major highways have high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes; the public transit systems include Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system, trains, buses, light rail systems, high-speed passenger ferries and historic cable cars.

Each of the three major cities -- San Jose, San Francisco, and Oakland -- has an international airport. Together these three airports serve more than 41-million passengers annually and carry over 3.4-billion pounds of cargo.

International seaports are located in Oakland and San Francisco with Oakland's Marine Terminal ranking as the fourth largest container port in the country. Over 90% of Northern California's water-borne general cargo goes through the Port of Oakland. Oakland is also the terminus of two trans-continental railroads, the future terminus of a third, and is the convergent point of four interstate highways.

Nine counties make up the San Francisco Bay Area: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma. The economic vitality of the region is the result of nine individually strong counties combining their strengths to form one dynamic region.

Counties of the San Francisco Area

ALAMEDA COUNTY

Alameda is the most diversified county in the region and one of the strongest. The City of Oakland is one of the region's three major cities.

Oakland is experiencing a dramatic increase in its business base with major office projects, retail development and government office buildings. In addition, Oakland is headquarters for BART, the region's rapid transit rail system. The University of California system is headquartered here as is Kaiser Permanente, the largest HMO in the country.

Alameda has the most diversified industrial base in Northern California Historically strong in food processing, automobile assembly and pharmaceuticals, the county's recent economy has been fueled by growth the high-tech, research and biotechnology areas. It is this diversity industries that provides the markets, suppliers and labor pool that continue to support and attract successful business ventures.

The County's outstanding higher education system offers a broad selection of public or private educational resources, including the nation's top-ranked graduate university, U.C. Berkeley. The region offers important research and technology transfer resources, providing a wealth of highly educated employees for business.

Some of the area's major employers include: Alameda Naval Air Station, American President Companies, AT&T, Cetus, Clorox, Kaiser Permanente, Laura Scudders, Lawrence Livermore Labs., Leslie Salt, Lucky Stores, Mother's Cookies, New United Motors Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI, a joint venture between General Motors and Toyota), The Port of Oakland, Safeway Stores, and U.C. Berkeley.

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY

Contra Costa County is a mixture of many strengths. With attractive commercial rents, appealing suburban communities, busy industrial and commercial centers, a skilled labor force, location on major transportation systems and a willingness to invest in infrastructure improvements, this county is a dynamic force within the region. Projections over the next few years are for Contra Costa to have the highest percentage increase in employment of any county in the Bay Area.

MARIN COUNTY

Marin County is the scenic wonder of the region with its giant redwoods and highest percentage of open land in the Bay Area. Along with its beauty, Marin County has impressive economic statistics as well. The county experiences the highest per capita income along with the lowest unemployment rate for the state.

Small business and entrepreneurial firms, particularly in the technical and scientific fields, are especially attracted to the county. That is due primarily to its highly educated and professional labor force and because of restrictions on land available for business operations.

Some very successful, unique, and "cutting edge" companies such as Lucasfilm Ltd., one of the world's most impressive independent film production companies, and Autodesk Inc, whose product, AUTOCAD is an exceptionally popular PC-based computer-aided design program, have settled in Marin County. In addition, more than 50 other well-known software companies are located here.

NAPA COUNTY

Napa Valley with its 211 wineries, is the nation's capital for premium wines. It has also become a prime location for business.

The quality of life which Napa offers is attractive to business locating to the area. Modern corporate centers and industrial parks have attracted companies such as Apple Computer, Dey Laboratories, The Doctor's Company and Japan Airlines.

Napa is the destination of millions of tourists each year, touring the region's wineries. World-famed underground mineral water springs and geothermal activity support a thriving bottled water industry, and provide steam to power electric turbines.

SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY

A combined city and county, San Francisco is the leading financial, administrative and cultural center in the Bay Area. San Francisco was chosen as the site of the first U.S. gathering of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council, signaling the importance of the city as the hub of international trade for the Pacific Rim. It is strategically located 10 hours from Tokyo and London, and midway between Mexico and Canada.

The per capita income of residents is one of the highest in the state and is 36% above the national average. The city's economic base is anchored by numerous international corporate headquarters, centers for finance, design and professional services. Per capita retail sales top $24 billion each year. Over 13-million visitors brought in $4-billion a year in tourism and convention business.

The city is an international transportation hub with a major airport, and excellent port facilities. The top-quality work force of highly educated, highly motivated professional employees is especially important to businesses. The cultural and ethnic diversity of the city's work force provides a welcome match with the requirements of international business.

As a banking and financial center, San Francisco is the seat of the Pacific Stock Exchange and the West Coast home of the Federal Reserve Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank Systems. And with the recent merger of Bank of America and Security Pacific Bank, San Francisco has become the western headquarters for world-class banking.

SAN MATEO COUNTY

With its combination of one of the highest per capita incomes and the lowest unemployment rates in California, San Mateo supports a healthy and stable economy. It is home to over 40 venture capital firms.

At its northern border is a vast array of transportation and communication-related enterprises, a growing biotech industry and San Francisco International Airport -- the sixth largest airport in the United States.

In the south, electronics, agriculture, food processing, financial institutions, and major retail centers provide the core of the county's commercial activity. The Port of Redwood offers the Southern Peninsula a deep-water port.

SANTA CLARA COUNTY

Santa Clara County, synonymous with Silicon Valley, is the economic powerhouse of the region. Silicon Valley, the recognized center of research and development for the electronics industry, is a 350-square-mile area with its own capital city of San Jose. It is also the most populous city in the Bay Area.

As the worldwide center of the high technology industry, more than 2,600 high-tech firms employing over 250,000 people are centered here. This growth has also generated numerous suppliers and services which are a natural outgrowth of this dynamic economy. Projections indicate that by 2005, Santa Clara County will add another 333,000 jobs.

One of the key factors bringing companies to Silicon Valley is the exceptionally skilled talent pool available. Much of the talent comes from top-ranked science and business schools: Stanford University, San Jose State and Santa Clara University.

For two decades Santa Clara has fueled the growth of Bay Area employment. With institutions like Stanford University, the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center and NASA/Ames Aerospace Center, growth has been steady. Fifty percent of Northern California's most profitable companies are located in Santa Clara County and projections are for over 300,000 new jobs being created in the next ten to fifteen years.

SOLANO COUNTY

Solano is one of the fastest growing counties in the region. With its central location halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento, extensive transportation network, and comparatively large supply of affordable land for housing and commercial development, Solano is an ideal business location.

According to the Association of Bay Area Governments, Solano County will lead the region as the fastest growing area through 2010, giving it a long-term economic development advantage. Significant future jobs growth is expected in all the major economic sectors, with manufacturing and wholesale trade nearly tripling.

The county has a diverse, high quality labor pool, and because housing growth exceeds job growth, Solano is expected to be a major labor source for the rest of the region.

With a current population of over 350,000, Solano County is looking at an increase of approximately 63,000 jobs by 2005. Service-related industries, trade and manufacturing are seen as the major growth sector.

With excellent business development opportunities, it enjoys a strong economic base in manufacturing, corporate headquarters, biotechnology, the food industry, and distribution facilities. In addition, Solano has the largest port-oriented industrial park in Northern California with Benecia's 1,500-acre park, housing 300 companies.

SONOMA COUNTY

Sonoma, in addition to its world-class premium wine industry, is a wealth of diverse agricultural resources, with an annual production valued at more than $324-million.

Tourism is another of the area's major industries. It is also attracting business with its wealth of innovative high-and low-tech companies and a plentiful, trained work force.

Sonoma's vast open lands and more than 3,500 acres of business parks, has become an important growth area for major corporations. Businesses looking for expansion sites are attracted to the area because of its favorable economic factors, moderate cost of living, skilled labor pool and relatively low construction and operating costs.

The Sunnyvale Advantage

Get Business by Keeping Business

"If you could put together a multi-disciplinary, committed, economic development team with hundreds of members working eight hours a day, days a week for no more than you are spending now...would you do it? course you would," says Geri Cross, Economic Development Manager for City of Sunnyvale.

And that is exactly what has been accomplished in the special program known as the "Sunnyvale Advantage." It's a method which commits all key people involved in the city's permitting process to be "service-oriented." It is also a program highlighted by the Governor's Council on California Competitiveness as a model for customer service.

"Our goal is to help businesses shave time from the red tape of getting permits, without cutting corners," said Cross. "Usually this works best when we sit down with industrial planners at the very beginning to listen to their needs for siting, utilities, and above all, their time-to-market requirements."

It is a method that involves all key people on the City's critical path for permitting. Through coordinated efforts inside City Hall, Sunnyvale has achieved significant success.

Cross says there are other advantages and benefits for companies who remain in Sunnyvale, including competitive costs for utilities, no assessments, virtually no business license tax, or other local business expenses.

As an example of the "Advantage" program, Sunnyvale made a commitment to expedite Advanced Micro Device's (AMD) $100-million project through every step of the process. Without bending any rules, the city made sure it met AMD's challenging schedule and enabled the company to avoid any run-up of corporate construction costs. AMD representatives said that Sunnyvale's services could not be surpassed by anything they had encountered in other states in which they operate.

One of the results of the program has been that companies themselves now call on the city when they have a problem. Many have indicated they feel they have an ally in the city and that the city staff has expertise they can rely on.

"We know that time is money to business," says Cross, "and that comes down to making sure that our staff returns phone calls and that we understand our customers needs and give them information up-front to reduce the risk of delay."

Contact: Geri Cross, City of Sunnyvale, Economic Development Division, 408 730-7607 or FAX [phone].

FIGHTING BACK

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA RECIPES FOR SUCCESS

* San Francisco's Chamber of Commerce has launched a high-level task force to curtail the relocation of jobs out of the city. The task force is making it clear to companies that San Francisco will do whatever is needed to help companies stay in the city -- and they're having some significant success. In the first six months, the new program convinced nine major companies, with a combined 2,000+ employees, to stay and grow in San Francisco.

* Sonoma County conducted a money-saving experiment by closing its offices over the holidays at the end of last year. In the eleven-day shutdown, which included 5 actual working days, the county estimates it saved $2.5 million. The county worked with employees, unions and the public on advance planning to prevent problems. All departments were closed with the exception of the County Hospital and the Sheriff's Department which operated with skeleton crews. The county has been contacted as a model for other areas, and legislation by the state may allow other counties to follow suit.

* Through EDAB's efforts, the General Motors/Toyota plant in Alameda County was given approval to begin construction of a new $350-million truck line, at a time when GM was announcing major cuts and layoffs in the rest of the country. Also within the past year, a major biotech manufacturer negotiated a 30-year development agreement with the City of Berkeley that will enable it to proceed with $300-million of renovation and expansion and to add 350 employees. EDAB was active in getting the truck line expansion through expedited permit processing and it assisted with negotiations regarding the biotech development agreement among the company, neighboring businesses, community groups, environmentalist, labor unions and the City of Berkeley.

* Alameda County has launched an ambitious program whereby a coalition of local government, business, labor, education, special districts and environmental groups banded together to form the Economic Development Advisory Board (EDAB). It advises the Alameda County Board of Supervisors regarding policy but has taken a "hands-on" attitude to solving problems on behalf of local business. EDAB members involve themselves in retention issues and lobby on behalf of business. Though EDAB's efforts, the General Motors/Toyota plant in Alameda County was given approval to begin construction of a new $350-million truck line.

* San Francisco's local tax rate is below the average for the nation's 15 largest cities and downtown office rents are coming down to the low-$20 range. A negotiated lower rent is cited by the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce as the reason for the recent renewal of McKesson's 200,000 square-foot lease.

* San Jose has established the Center for Software Development through a partnership between the City's Office of Economic Development and the Software Entrepreneur's Forum. The Center boosts software development in the area to enable the Silicon Valley to maintain its competitive position in the software industry. The Center provides a software testing lab, business assistance for fledgling entrepreneurs and firms, and a software library and networking opportunities. Novell, Inc., pledged more than $350,000 to the project and the City of San Jose matched that pledge.

* Santa Clara Valley is working with Korean industrial giant Hyundai Business Group as it moves its PC business operations center from Seoul, South Korea to a modern 110,000 square-foot facility in Santa Clara. About 200 jobs are expected to be added by 1994.

* Solano County is aggressively pursuing the biotechnology market and the Economic Development Corporation has created a Life Sciences Committee to be as helpful as possible to the biotech industry. Biorad recently became the ninth biotech company to move into Solano.

* Sonoma County, with emphasis on its high quality of life, has developed programs to respond to the needs of businesses interested in coming to the community. A Business-Regulatory Roundtable composed of elected officials, regulatory managers and senior business executives, has been set up to help streamline and resolve regulatory issues adversely affecting businesses. A focused effort has been made to streamline the permitting process. Sonoma was recently awarded a Small Business Development Center grant to help small businesses with their financing.

* The City of Hayward in Alameda County offers a complete business recruitment package consisting of a program of consultants who work with a potential business, starting with the planning and development stages. Reports are provided on the local economy, small business funding, as well extensive listings of the diversity and location of the local work force.

Contact the City of Hayward, Department of Community and Economic Development, 25251 Clawiter Road, Hayward, CA 94545-2731, 415 293-5345.

Unity of the Nine...Uniqueness of Each

The San Francisco Bay Region generates a life all its own...the excitement of one of the world's most popular cities coupled with a youthful population.

The birthplace of the high-tech industry with a diversity of natural beauty ranging from rugged cliffs and expansive shorelines to breathtaking mountainous landscapes and inland to rolling pastures and lush vineyards planted in rich volcanic soil.

The region is comprised of nine separate and unique counties, joined in a unit with a simple description: "The Strength of the Nine."

Geographically, the San Francisco Bay Region encompasses over 7,100 square miles of an intriguing mix of major cities, rocky coastlines, bay shores, forests, mountains, and open space, including a 73,000-acre national recreation area. It's a dramatic setting for a dynamic economy.

With strong economic and cultural ties to Asia, Europe, Canada and Latin America, and one of the most ethnically diverse populations in the country, this region offers people from all over the world a comfortable atmosphere for doing business, for living, and for visiting.

Its climate is as diverse as its topography with generally cool weather along the beaches and the coast, gradually warming inland. Rainfall averages between 30 and 35 inches in Napa and Sonoma counties to 10 to 15 inches in the eastern portions of Solano and Contra Costa counties.

ALAMEDA COUNTY

Alameda County is an attractive mix of Bay coastline, inland hills and a network of parks. Covering over 700 square miles and stretching inland from San Francisco Bay for 35 miles over the Coast Range, it has a population just over 1.3 million people.

Its diversity is truly its strength. It is home to the University of California-Berkeley, the country's leading graduate university. And with wineries and cattle ranches, industrial manufacturing, international transportation facilities, and home to BART, the region's rapid transit rail system, the county's economy is active and varied.

Recreational opportunities abound in Alameda. Beyond the prime spectator sports of major league baseball, basketball and other sporting events, the county has a network of fine outdoor recreation areas which can be enjoyed year round in the mild climate.

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY

Contra Costa is one of the region's fastest growing counties with a contrasting combination of appealing suburban communities and busy industrial and commercial centers. It is settled on 730 square miles with a population of 846,000. Martinez is the county seat.

Contra Costa County has one of the highest household and per capita incomes in the state. It offers cultural and educational assets including the open-air Concord Pavilion with national and international artists; JFK University, St. Mary's, Contra Costa, Diablo Valley and Los Medanos Colleges and the Contra Costa Center of Cal State University of Hayward.

MARIN COUNTY

Its impressive mountains and giant redwoods make Marin County a study in scenic beauty. With over 52 miles of spectacular seacoast and bay shore, Marin encompasses nearly 160,000 acres of protected park land as well as 93,000 acres of ranches and farmland. It has a strong reputation for environmental advances and is home to several wildlife and bird sanctuaries.

Visitors the world over are attracted to acres of giant coastal redwoods in the Muir Woods National Monument. At the monument's entrance are the Cathedral and Bohemian groves, displaying the area's oldest and largest redwoods -- some more than 1,000 years old, 250 feet high, and 12 feet wide.

San Rafael, the county seat, is home to the Marin Civic Center, the last project designed by noted architect Frank Lloyd Wright. It is a 160-acre complex incorporating county offices, courts, a library, auditorium, fairgrounds and a lagoon garden.

One of Marin's key cities is also one the newest. Novato was incorporated in 1960 and has grown to 27 square miles with a population of around 50,000. In 1991, the "San Francisco Chronicle" ranked Novato seventh highest among the Bay Area's 98 cities as one of the "safe, affordable housing towns with good schools."

NAPA COUNTY

The world's finest wines are produced amid the fertile soil, warm summer days and cool nights of the Napa Valley. Wine was first produced in Napa County as early as 1780 by Franciscan monks who planted vine cuttings from European grapes.

With its 24,000 acres of vineyards, the Napa Valley attracts millions of tourists each year. It is an area of scenic beauty with rolling pastures and lush vineyards.

At the north end of Napa Valley is Calistoga, home of the famous hot springs. Each year thousands of people are drawn to its soothing mud and steam baths. Just two miles north of Calistoga is California's "Old Faithful," one of only three in the country.

SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY/CITY

This legendary city, a peninsula of steep hills, sandy beaches and rocky cliffs, has been dubbed "The City That Knows How." It's a mix of history coupled with modern sophistication, setting trends recognized the world over.

San Francisco is the financial, administrative and cultural center of the Bay Area, and a world-class international city famous for its history and its charming setting. Its population of nearly 750,000 people is among the most ethnically diverse populations in the world, and all live within San Francisco's 47 square miles.

It's history is colorful. Established by Spaniards in 1776 as a European settlement, its population remained sparse until the Gold Rush of 1848. By the turn of the century, San Francisco had a population of 342,000.

On April 18, 1906, the city was left in ruins by the great earthquake and fire that leveled the city. By 1915, through the determination and hard work of its residents, San Francisco was rebuilt and celebrated with the opening of the Panama-Pacific International Exhibition.

Today, San Francisco's rich heritage is a daily part of the modern lifestyle. Little cable cars, clanging their way up incredibly steep hills are perhaps the city's most noted trademark. They have been in the city since 1873 and clatter proudly above the contemporary Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system which slides quietly through subway tubes below.

San Francisco offers a world-renowned symphony, opera, ballet companies, performing arts theaters as well as the major league San Francisco Giants and the Super bowl champions, the San Francisco 49ers.

SAN MATEO COUNTY

San Mateo prides itself on having the right blend of good things. Its population and economy remain stable with residents having the second highest per capita income in California. San Mateo enjoys the state's lowest unemployment rate. This is due to its location between San Francisco and the Silicon Valley: it is an alternative to San Francisco's crowded office space and enjoys the high-technology spillover from the Silicon Valley.

SANTA CLARA COUNTY

Santa Clara County, once known for its acres of fruit trees, is now the recognized center of research and development for the electronics industry. The City of San Jose has become the capital of the Silicon Valley. A highly educated and entrepreneurial population, major educational and research institutions, and a strong venture capital community have made Santa Clara the economic powerhouse of the Bay Area.

Santa Clara County, with a population of just over 1.5 million, has become the fourth most populous county in the state with San Jose, the county seat, the largest city in the Bay Area Region.

For two decades Santa Clara has fueled the growth of Bay Area employment. With institutions like Stanford University, the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center and NASA/Ames Aerospace Center, growth has been steady. Fifty percent of Northern California's most profitable companies are located in Santa Clara County and projections are for over 300,000 new jobs being created in the next ten to fifteen years.

SOLANO COUNTY

Many people have come to Solano County and many more are coming. Its sheer beauty is attractive with its miles of emerald grassland, marshlands and waterways bursting with game birds and fish, and windy, rolling hills topped with whirling windmills.

Solano County begins with San Francisco Bay, the Carquinez Strait, Suisun Bay and the Sacramento River at its southern and western borders. From north to south, its landscape stretches over 834 square miles of flat agricultural land to rolling hills and valleys.

SONOMA COUNTY

Some of the oldest and best known wineries in the state can be found in the miles of scenic beauty in Sonoma County. Grapes are California's most valuable crop with the majority crushed into wine and other beverages.

Sonoma County is made up of rushing rivers, redwood forests, lush rolling hills, and a rugged and unspoiled coastline. Geothermal activity is prevalent in the world's largest geothermal generating plant near Geyserville.

Tourists enjoy the abundant outdoor activities offered in Sonoma County. Fishing, camping, river rafting, canoeing and hot-air ballooning are part of life in this area.

Sonoma State University and Santa Rosa Community College add to the cultural appeal of the county as do its numerous art and music festivals and extensive outdoor recreational activities. Together they form the basis for an appealing and high-quality lifestyle.

THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA -- AN INTEGRATED, INTERDEPENDENT ECONOMY

For the past 40 years, the Bay Area has enjoyed the benefits of a healthy economy. But with the changes happening in today's global economy, the Bay Area has determined that in order to successfully compete, it must overcome its regional problems, reinforce its strengths, and guarantee good economic health.

Recognizing a need for a strong union among its nine counties, the Bay Area Economic Forum was created: A public/private partnership of regional leaders committed to fulfilling the region's economic potential while maintaining its unique quality of life. Founded in 1988 and governed by a 33-member Board of Directors, the Forum is made up of the highest level of business, government, academic and civic leaders in the Bay Area. In 1990 the Forum became an independent, non-profit corporation.

The idea driving the Forum is to give the Bay Area a competitive edge by pooling its assets. Goals for the Forum include:

* Promote public Awareness of the importance of achieving economic vitality

* Reconcile economic objectives with other quality of life goals

* Promote more cooperation among local governments on economic problems

* Forge a lasting regional partnership between the public and private sectors

The Forum has addressed several regional economic vitality issues dealing with assistance of the bioscience industry, traffic congestion, water supply, and the dredging and disposal of materials from the Port of Oakland.