The adage, “We are stronger together” has both figurative and literal importance to the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. In 2008 our President and CEO, Carl Guardino, alongside his long-time friend and fellow California Transportation Commissioner, Lucy Dunn, the President and CEO of the Orange County Business Council, co-founded the Regional Economic Association Leaders of California Coalition — R.E.A.L. The foundational idea for R.E.A.L. was to activate a CEO-driven, statewide collective of chambers and trade groups to engage in shared advocacy on business and quality of life issues.
In 2019, R.E.A.L. identified its top policy priorities as Housing/Economic Development, Education and Workforce Development, Transportation, and Water.
More than ten years later, R.E.A.L’s goals continue to actualize. Comprised of 20 CEOs, and their senior staff, the Coalition involves industry perspectives from across California and meets in-person several times throughout the year. Together, R.E.A.L. represents 15,000 employers and nearly 3 million jobs in our Golden State.
On February 20th, our R.E.A.L. CEOs and senior staff convened in Sacramento to begin advancing the Coalition’s 2019 policy priorities. We were fortunate to engage in conversations with Senators Jim Beall and Scott Wiener, and Governor Newsom’s Chief Economic and Business Advisor and Chair of the High-Speed Rail Authority, Lenny Mendonca.
We are stronger together, and these values are enlivened in R.E.A.L’s coordinated efforts and work. The opportunity for the Silicon Valley Leadership Group to engage in shaping policy based on a variety of perspectives, experiences, and views from across California only makes us better. R.E.A.L. will meet again in Sacramento this May.
2019 R.E.A.L. Coalition Members
Bay Area Council
East Bay Economic Development Alliance
East Bay Leadership Council
Greater Sacramento Economic Council
Inland Empire Economic Partnership
Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation
Monterey Bay Economic Partnership
North Bay Leadership Council
Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
Orange County Business Council
San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce
San Francisco Chamber of Commerce
San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership
Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce
Santa Rosa Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
Silicon Valley Leadership Group
Silicon Valley Organization
Southern California Leadership Council
The Hourglass Project
– Angelica Cortez, Director of Investor Relations and Strategic Coalitions, Silicon Valley Leadership Group | March 14, 2019
