The Golden Gate Area Council is a destination council for Scouting professionals. The Council provides mentoring and training opportunities while working with an energetic, dedicated, and supportive professional staff, executive committee & board, and volunteer pool – all working together with the shared goal of delivering Scouting’s promise to all available youth.
Covers all or parts of the following seven Bay Area counties in Northern California: San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano, Napa, and Lake. Some of the many communities served are: San Francisco, Oakland, Alameda, Pleasanton, Hayward, Dublin, Livermore, San Leandro, Walnut Creek, Danville, San Ramon, Moraga, Berkeley, Lafayette, Orinda, Pleasant Hill, Concord, Martinez, Vallejo, Fairfield, Napa, Lakeport, and Clearlake.
On November 15, 2021, The Council Service Center, along with a Trading Post, moved into a new office building at 6601 Owens Drive, Suite 100 in Pleasanton. The properties in Pleasant Hill and San Leandro have been sold. Council leases a program office in Alameda which also has a Trading Post. We will be opening a trading post in the Fairfield area in Spring 2022.
The council operates five camping properties: Camp Herms (El Cerrito), Camp Wolfeboro (Arnold), Rancho Los Mochos (Livermore), Camp Royaneh (Cazadero), and Wente Scout Reservation (Willits). Camp Wolfeboro operates under a U.S. Forest Service lease.
There is a leased Sea Base with a dock, pier, and workshop at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco that’s been in use for over 60 years.
The City of San Francisco boasts an outstanding financial district, with a significant number of Fortune 500 companies located and headquartered throughout the council borders. Companies include: Kaiser Permanente, Wells Fargo Bank, Safeway, Genentech, Pacific Gas & Electric, Chevron, Oracle, John Muir Health, The Gap, Workday, Levi Strauss, and Alta Bates Medical Center. Prominent public education and government research facilities include: University of California Berkeley, University of California San Francisco, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories and Sandia National Laboratories.
The area has rich ethnic and cultural diversity within urban to rural communities. Over 100 languages are spoken in our service area. The Total Available Youth for the council territory is 322,885 youth. Of these youth, 42% are Caucasian, 24% are Hispanic, 23% are Asian, and 10% are African American.
The San Francisco Bay Area provides an exceptional quality of life with world class recreation, sports and entertainment, cultural opportunities, fine dining, and outstanding educational institutions.
Within a few hours of driving, one can enjoy areas including:
The area has fantastic outdoor places for hiking, camping, golf, and sailing. Sports teams include the Golden State Warriors, San Francisco 49’s, Oakland A’s, and San Francisco Giants.
The average temperature is 70° in the geographic center, with about 25 inches of rain annually. Summer temperatures remain comfortable near the coast due to dry weather and cooler temperatures as a result of the natural ocean fog.
Our Office and Retail hours change occasionally. Follow this link to view our Current Business Hours.
1714 Everett Street
Alameda, CA 94501 | (925) 674-6130
1955 West Texas St. Suite 1
Fairfield, CA 94533 | (925) 674-6166
500 Contra Costa Blvd, Suite K2
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 | (925) 674-8500
6601 Owens Drive, Suite 100
Pleasanton, CA 94588 | (925) 674-6100
First, try to connect the Scout and counselor in Scoutbook. If that is successful, the counselor is registered and qualified. If unsuccessful, go to the counselor’s home council and search for their Advancement Administrators. Most will have an email address for either the Council Advancement Committee or Professional Advisor. Send an email asking if the counselor has been registered and qualified for the merit badge(s) in question and the status of their Youth Protection Training. Ask California councils if the counselor has completed AB506 training and LiveScan. The unit leader’s “blue card” signature verifies their counselor credentials verification.
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