The Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments, or AMBAG, is a regional governmental organization which consists of representation of a large number of public agencies within Monterey County, Santa Cruz County

Santa Cruz County, California

Santa Cruz County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, on the California Central Coast. The county forms the northern coast of the Monterey Bay. . As of the 2010 U.S. Census, its population was 262,382. The county seat is Santa Cruz...

 and San Benito County, California

San Benito County, California

San Benito County is a county located in the Coast Range Mountains of the U.S. state of California, south of San Jose. As of 2010 the population was 55,269. The county seat is Hollister, which includes nearly two-thirds of the county's population. El Camino Real passes through the county and...

. AMBAG has a broad charter of research and governmental oversight for a variety of functions including elements of land planning, natural resource

Natural resource

Natural resources occur naturally within environments that exist relatively undisturbed by mankind, in a natural form. A natural resource is often characterized by amounts of biodiversity and geodiversity existent in various ecosystems....

 conservation, energy

Energy

In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...

, transportation and economic development

Economic development

Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...

. The following governmental entities are members of AMBAG:

Counties

• Monterey County
• San Benito County
• Santa Cruz County
  Santa Cruz County, California
  Santa Cruz County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, on the California Central Coast. The county forms the northern coast of the Monterey Bay. . As of the 2010 U.S. Census, its population was 262,382. The county seat is Santa Cruz...
  
  

Cities within Monterey County

• Carmel-by the-Sea
  Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
  Carmel-by-the-Sea, often called simply Carmel, is a small city in Monterey County, California, United States, founded in 1902 and incorporated in 1916. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, the town is known for its natural scenery and rich artistic history...
  
  
• Del Rey Oaks
  Del Rey Oaks, California
  Del Rey Oaks is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. Del Rey Oaks is located just southeast of Seaside, at an elevation of 82 feet . The population was 1,650 at the 2000 census...
  
  
• Gonzales
  Gonzales, California
  Gonzales is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. Gonzales is located southeast of Salinas, at an elevation of 135 feet . The population was 8,187 at the 2010 census, up from 7,525 at the 2000 census. Gonzales is a member of the Association of Monterey Bay Area...
  
  
• Greenfield
  Greenfield, California
  Greenfield is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. Greenfield is located southeast of Salinas, at an elevation of 289 feet . The city was the fastest growing in the county during the 2000s, the population was 12,583 in 2000, increasing to 16,330 in the 2010 census. Its most...
  
  
• King City
  King City, California
  King City is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. King City is located on the Salinas River southeast of Salinas, at an elevation of 335 feet . It lies along U.S. Route 101 in the Salinas Valley of the Central Coast of California. King City is a member of the Association of...
  
  
• Marina
  Marina, California
  Marina is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. The population was 19,718 at the 2010 census. Marina is located along the central coast of California, west of Salinas, and 8 miles north of Monterey, at an elevation of 43 feet . Marina was incorporated in 1975 and is the newest city...
  
  
• Monterey
  Monterey, California
  The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...
  
  
• Pacific Grove
  Pacific Grove, California
  Pacific Grove is a coastal city in Monterey County, California, USA, with a population of 15,041 as of the 2010 census, down from 15,522 as of the 2000 census...
  
  
• Salinas
  Salinas, California
  Salinas is the county seat and the largest municipality of Monterey County, California. Salinas is located east-southeast of the mouth of the Salinas River, at an elevation of about 52 feet above sea level. The population was 150,441 at the 2010 census...
  
  
• Sand City
  Sand City, California
  Sand City is a city in Monterey County, California, United States, located on the shores of Monterey Bay, and surrounded on most sides by the larger city of Seaside. Sand City is located northeast of Monterey, at an elevation of 72 feet . The population was 334 at the 2010 census, up from 261 at...
  
  
• Seaside
  Seaside, California
  Seaside is a city in Monterey County, California, United States, with a population of 33,025 as of the 2010 census. Seaside is located east-northeast of Monterey, at an elevation of 33 feet...
  
  
• Soledad
  Soledad, California
  Soledad, meaning "solitude" and "loneliness" in Spanish, is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. Soledad is located southeast of Salinas, at an elevation of 190 feet...
  
  

Cities in San Benito County

• Hollister
  Hollister, California
  Hollister is a city in and the county seat of San Benito County, California, United States. The population was 34,928 at the 2010 census. Hollister is primarily an agricultural town.-History:...
  
  
• San Juan Bautista
  San Juan Bautista, California
  San Juan Bautista is a city in San Benito County, California, United States. The population was 1,862 at the 2010 census, up from 1,549 at the 2000 census. The city of San Juan Bautista was named after Mission San Juan Bautista...
  
  

Cities in Santa Cruz County

• Capitola
  Capitola, California
  Capitola is a city in Santa Cruz County, California, United States, on the coast of Monterey Bay. The population was 9,918 at the 2010 census.-History:...
  
  
• Santa Cruz
  Santa Cruz, California
  Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...
  
  
• Scotts Valley
  Scotts Valley, California
  Scotts Valley is a small city in Santa Cruz County, California, United States, about thirty miles south of downtown San Jose and six miles north of Monterey Bay, in the upland slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 11,580...
  
  
• Watsonville
  Watsonville, California
  Watsonville is a city in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. The population was 51,199 according to the 2010 census.Located on the central coast of California, the economy centers predominantly around the farming industry. It is known for growing strawberries, apples, lettuce and a host...