OUR STORY

How we got here.

It Began in 2006

In 2006, members of the Board of Supervisors, department heads, and other leaders in Alameda County came together to assess the challenges our residents would face for the next ten years. Vision 2016 was convened with a futurist providing guidance for what the County might look like in 2016 and the challenges the County would face. From Vision 2016, the County created the 2008 Strategic Vision. The Board of Supervisors adopted it on November 18, 2008, and it became a roadmap for the County and a starting point for our innovation journey.

Cover of the Alameda County Strategic Vision 2008
Photo of County Administrator Susan S. Muranishi speaking.

New Ways of Thinking

“Our Strategic Vision opened the door to new ways of thinking about how County government can best serve its residents. Vision 2026 marks an important new step where we harness the breakthroughs of the past decade to address community challenges more effectively than ever before.”

Susan S. Muranishi, Alameda County Administrator

New County Mission, Vision, and Values

The County’s 2008 Strategic Vision reflected a new way of thinking for the County. So, it made sense to rethink and redefine the County’s mission, vision, and values. Over the next 8 years, these were our guiding principles as we continued on our innovation journey.

OUR MISSION: We strive to enrich the lives of Alameda County residents through visionary policies and accessible, responsive, and effective services.

OUR VISION: We want Alameda County to be recognized as one of the best counties in which to live, work and do business.

OUR VALUES: Our values include integrity, honesty, respect, fiscal stewardship, commitment, accessibility, responsiveness, leadership, teamwork, diversity, environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and compassion.

Innovation Journey

The 2008 Strategic Vision was just the first stop on our journey. It was followed by efficiency and green initiatives. Team development and recruitment focused on executives and millennials. We sponsored employee hackathons where we encourage our teams to “rethink” the way they work. We learned about 10X goals and moonshot thinking from Google. We launched a new innovation website where employees could give us their ideas and track our progress. All of these lead us to 2016 and an opportunity to “face forward” once again.

Graphic representation of our Innovation Journey. Vision 2016, Strategic Vision, Efficiency Initiatives, Executive Development Program, Cilmate Initiative, RethinkAC, Millennial Taskforce, Google Innovation Lab, Innovate AC Website, ACGOV Vision 2026 and Future Innovation.

Facing Forward…Again

When 2016 arrived, the Board of Supervisors decided to once again meet with department heads, other leaders, and the futurist to “face forward” and look into the County’s future. On March 21, 2016, we came together to discuss the trends shaping the next ten years. But even as we looked to the future, we always stayed true to the mission, vision, and values that had guided us to this point. The Board adopted ACGOV Vision 2026 on February 6, 2018.