Since its founding (on July 18, 1977)  36 years ago by HP co-founder David Packard, the Leadership Group has played an important role in shaping Silicon Valley and in crafting regional, state and federal solutions to help the area’s economy and its residents. Below is a partial list of more recent accomplishments.

•   San Jose Airport – In partnership with San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed led the successful three year effort to obtain direct flights between Silicon Valley and Tokyo with All Nippon Airways. Service launched Jan. 11, 2013 with 5 flights a week direct to Tokyo and  easy connections to China, India and Korea.
• Bringing BART to Silicon Valley – Led the successful sales-tax ballot measure campaigns in 2000 and 2008 in support of a 16.1-mile extension of BART to Silicon Valley. Also championed federal and state transportation financial commitments. Groundbreaking in 2012 with completion in 2016 for the first 10-mile portion. Phase 1 of the Extension – 10 miles from Fremont’s Warm Springs District to the Berryessa neighborhood of San Jose -  received a $900 million “Full-Funding Grant Agreement” from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and construction began in 2012.
• Regional U.S. Patent Office in Silicon Valley - Led the successful effort to secure a regional patent office for Silicon Valley, together with the City of San Jose and Silicon Valley’s Congressional delegation. The local office will open in 2013.
• Affordable housing – Established the Housing Trust of Santa Clara County, which has been replicated in communities across the country. Since 2000 it has leveraged more than $1.8 billion so that more than 9,000 families have homes in Silicon Valley.
• Safe reliable water supply:  Successfully supported passage of a 2012 Santa Clara County water measure to continue a parcel tax to help guarantee continued access to clean, safe water. Successfully helped defeat Proposition F in San Francisco, which would have cost billions in taxpayer dollars and threatened a major source of reliable Bay Area drinking water.
• Community: The Applied Materials “Silicon Valley Turkey Trot:: Increased participation in this seventh annual event to more than 24,000 people, raising more than $700,000 for the Second Harvest Food Bank, the Children’s Health Initiative and the Housing Trust of Santa Clara County. (An anonymous $500,000 donation raised the total to $1.2 million.)  Founded and directed by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group Foundation, the Silicon Valley Turkey Trot is now the largest event of its kind in the nation.
• Building critical infrastructure – Led the successful ballot measure campaigns for the construction of Highway 85 and expansions of Highways 101 and 237.
• Protecting the clean energy economy – Played a major leadership role in the effort to defeat Proposition 23 in 2010, which would have done major damage to the clean energy economy by eviscerating the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32).
• Stopping anti-business measures  – Helped prevent passage of Proposition 24 in 2010, which would have rolled back tax reforms important for the competitiveness of Silicon Valley’s companies.
• Reforming Sacramento – Played a leading role in passage of reforms to the redistricting process (2008) and the primary system (2010).
• Fighting for a competitive economy – Played a lead role in the February 2009 budget compromise that included single sales apportionment factor, changes to the rules governing net operating loss, and the authority of state and local government entities to employ public-private partnerships.  This followed the September 2008 revamping of wage and hour regulation – a major victory.
• High-Speed Rail – Played a critical role in the narrow passage of the high-speed rail bond in 2008.
• Water – Served as one of ten State Finance Chairs with Governor Gray Davis in 2002 to pass a statewide water bond which generated $1.9 billion for critical water needs, including $400 million in Silicon Valley. Also helped  pass a historic water policy and bond measure package in 2009.  The comprehensive deal represented a major step toward ensuring a reliable water supply for future generations, as well as restoring the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and other ecologically sensitive areas.
• Competitive Tax Policy – The Leadership Group played a key role in protecting the option to defer repatriation of foreign earnings, and continues to work closely with Senators Boxer and Feinstein and others on the issue.
• Partnerships – Created national and state coalitions of business groups to provide a more powerful voice on key issues in Sacramento and Washington, D.C.
• Green Chemistry Policy - The Leadership Group played a key role in the state’s 2008 landmark green chemistry initiative, which aims to reduce or eliminate the use of chemicals that persist in the environment and pose a threat to public health in favor of safer alternatives.
• Kindergarten Readiness Act – Was the business lead on legislation that will provide a two-year, developmentally appropriate, Kindergarten to 125,000 of California’s youngest learners.
• Silicon Valley Women and Girls Summits – The Leadership Group has held six summits at local Silicon Valley middle schools offering girls from low achieving schools the opportunity to interact with successful private and public women including Congresswoman Jackie Speier, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, former HP CEO Carly Fiorina and California Attorney General Kamala Harris.
• Industry Initiatives for Science and Math Education (IISME) – The Leadership Group places, on average, 130 teachers annually in summer positions at companies that give teachers the experiences and tools they need to help all students be lifelong learners, responsible citizens and productive employees.
  
• Community: Helping to save Christmas in the Park -   In 2012, helped save San Jose’s Christmas in the Park by inaugurating the Silicon Valley Santa Run.  More than 2,700 runners and walkers helped raise $91,000 to preserve Christmas in the Park, which attracts more than 500,000 visitors annually to downtown San Jose.