In 1996, eight years after the California Council on Science and Technology was created, CCST adopted its first strategic plan. At the center of that plan was the following goal:

For a young organization, that was an ambitious objective. CCST had done important work in its first years, but relatively few state legislators or business leaders knew of it. The gap between science and technology, on the one hand, and the actions of government and many companies, on the other, remained large.

Today, as CCST begins its third decade, the goal it established back then is within reach. The number of studies undertaken by CCST has grown dramatically. Legislators trust and respect CCST and look to it for independent, objective, and nonpartisan advice. The gap between science, technology, and society in California has been reduced.

Much of CCST's success can be attributed to the strong foundation on which it was built. Led by several young and far-sighted state legislators - including Sam Farr, who later became a U.S. Congressman, and John Garamendi, who later became the state's Lieutenant Governor - the 1988 resolution that created CCST addressed both current and future needs. CCST was to consist of "distinguished scholars and experts, including scientists and engineers from California's academic and industrial community," according to the founding legislative resolution. It was to analyze and report on "public policy issues involving science and technology" and "identify long-range research needs for sustaining the state's economic development and competitiveness and provide direction for new scientific and technological activities."

CCST has risen to this challenge. During its first 20 years, it has issued important reports on transportation, energy research, science and mathematics education, nanotechnology, economic development, and many other topics. Council members and staff meet with legislators, state agency officials, members of the Governor's and Lieutenant Governor's offices, and leaders of federal laboratories and the private sector to consult on issues that have scientific or technological components. CCST organizes briefings, convenes meetings, and reviews the more than 100 bills introduced in the California legislature each year that involve science and technology. It has become a valued resource within California and a model of involvement for scientists, engineers, and policymakers in other states.