The Commission is composed of 27 members, appointed as follows:
- Five, including the chairman and vice-chairman, appointed by the Governor,
- One appointed by the Speaker of the State Assembly,
- One appointed by the State Senate Rules Committee,
- One each appointed by the boards of supervisors of each of the nine Bay Area counties,
- One each from a north, east, south, and west Bay city appointed by the Association of Bay Area Governments,
- One from the California Business and Transportation Agency,
- One from the California Department of Finance,
- One from the California Resources Agency,
- One from the California State Lands Commission,
- One from the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Francisco Bay Region,
- One from the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers,
- One from the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The Commission meetings, which are open to the public, are normally held the afternoon of the first and third Thursday of each month.