The San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority is a regional agency created to fund shoreline projects that will protect, restore, and enhance San Francisco Bay through the allocation of funds raised by the Measure AA parcel tax.
Each year, the Authority has about $25 million in grant funding available for projects that protect and restore San Francisco Bay by: reducing trash, pollution and harmful toxins; improving water quality; restoring habitat for fish, birds, and wildlife; protecting communities from floods; and increasing shoreline public access and recreational areas. To-date, we have authorized over $159 million for over 40 restoration projects across the Bay Area's 9 counties (updated July 2024).
A short video about the Restoration Authority can be found here.
A one page fact sheet about the Restoration Authority can be found here.
The Restoration Authority
The Restoration Authority is comprised of:
- A Governing Board of local elected officials;
- An Advisory Committee to represent the community and public agencies;
- An Oversight Committee; and,
- Staff from state and regional agencies.
In 2008, then-Assemblymember Sally Lieber authored AB 2954 creating the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority to find solutions to the need for new, local funding, due to reduced funding from other sources. Ms. Lieber went on to serve as an informal advisor to the Authority from 2009 to 2017, on its Advisory Committee from 2017 to 2021, and represented the South Bay on the Authority’s Governing Board from 2021 to 2022.
The Restoration Authority's enabling legislation gives the Restoration Authority the unique capacity to raise funds from local sources throughout the Bay Area and the oversight capacity to ensure transparency and prevent waste. It does not duplicate the missions of other public agencies and private organizations working on Bay restoration; it is designed to deliver essential local funding to restoration projects developed by others. Its purpose is restoration, not regulation.
A diagram of how the Authority works can be found here.
What is Measure AA?
Measure AA, or the San Francisco Bay Clean Water, Pollution Prevention and Habitat Restoration Measure, was a revenue generating measure placed on the June 2016 ballots of the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area by the Restoration Authority. The measure proposed a 20-year, $12 parcel tax to raise approximately $25 million annually, or $500 million over twenty years, to fund restoration projects in the Bay. It passed with 70% approval across the region and went into effect in 2017.
Which types of projects are being be funded?
An interactive map of Restoration Authority projects can be found here.
The Restoration Authority Board makes funding decisions at public meetings based on its enabling legislation and the requirements of Measure AA. The Board may fund projects to protect, restore and enhance the San Francisco Bay, including:
- habitat restoration projects;
- flood protection projects that are part of a habitat restoration project; and
- shoreline access and recreational amenity projects that are part of a habitat restoration project.
Priority is given to projects that:
- Have the greatest positive impact on the Bay as a whole, in terms of clean water, wildlife habitat and beneficial use to Bay Area residents.
- Have the greatest long-term impact on the Bay, to benefit future generations.
- Provide for geographic distribution across the region and ensure that there are projects funded in each of the nine counties in the San Francisco Bay Area over the life of Measure AA.
- Increase impact value by leveraging state and federal resources and public/private partnerships.
- Benefit economically disadvantaged communities.
- Benefit the region's economy, including local workforce development, employment opportunities for Bay Area residents, and nature-based flood protection for critical infrastructure and existing shoreline communities.
- Work with local organizations and businesses to engage youth and young adults and assist them in gaining skills related to natural resource protection.
- Incorporate monitoring, maintenance and stewardship to develop the most efficient and effective strategies for restoration and achievement of intended benefits.
- Meet the selection criteria of the Coastal Conservancy's San Francisco Bay Area Conservancy Program and are consistent with the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission's coastal management program and with the San Francisco Bay Joint Venture's implementation strategy.
Additional information on funding decisions, including project eligibility, eligible grantees, and the process for the review and approval of grants, can be found on the Grants page of this website.
Annual Reports
Annual Reports for the Restoration Authority can be found on the Resources Page.