Bay Area leaders consider merging region

He said the Bay Area should look to examples like Washington, D.C., for inspiration on putting jobs near transit. And he said Portland and Minneapolis have managed to coordinate neighboring governments and services.

The conference follows the release of a 2013 Index of Silicon Valley this week which found the region is leading the country out of the recession with 92,000 new jobs last year. And the report found those jobs are well paid, high-tech positions: a San Jose high school graduate earns 60 percent more than a college graduate in Flint, Mich., the report said.

The index and the conference were sponsored by Joint Venture Silicon Valley Network and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, both nonprofits associated with the region's businesses and governments.