Escalon Mayor David Bellinger was voted the San Joaquin Council of Governments (SJCOG) Board chair for the new fiscal year at the board’s Aug. 24 meeting.
Bellinger replaces San Joaquin County Supervisor Robert Rickman, who had served as board chair for the previous year. Lathrop City Councilmember Diane Lazard replaces Bellinger as vice chair.
The SJCOG chair and vice chair are voted in annually from among the elected representatives on the board for the joint-powers authority, which is comprised of San Joaquin County and the cities of Stockton, Lodi, Manteca, Tracy, Ripon, Escalon and Lathrop.
There are 12 voting members on the SJCOG Board responsible for all policy decisions for SJCOG and its nonprofit arm, SJCOG Inc., which manages the San Joaquin County Multi-Species Habitat Conservation and Open Space Plan. There are also nonvoting advisory representatives from Caltrans District 10, San Joaquin Regional Transit District, and Port of Stockton. Board members are appointed by their respective councils or board.
SJCOG board members lead advocacy efforts in the San Joaquin Valley, Sacramento and Washington, D.C., through active involvement in San Joaquin One Voice®, San Joaquin Valley Regional Policy Council’s Valley Voice, and the Northern California Megaregion Working Group. Board members have a hand in directing regional and national planning issues through membership on the San Joaquin Regional Policy Council, Megaregion Working Group, and state and national planning associations.
SJCOG is the planning, financing and coordinating agency for the San Joaquin region overseeing transportation, housing and habitat conservation. SJCOG also manages Measure K transportation sales tax program, collecting county demographic and economic data, airport land use planning, and regional air quality. It is also responsible for assigning each city and the county its fair share of affordable housing through the Regional Housing Needs Allocation process as part of a state mandate.
Learn more about the SJCOG Board of Directors by visiting the Our Board of Directors web page.