A move from "participative" to "shared" governance of the California community colleges is one of the fundamental goals of Assembly Bill 1725. The Foothill-De Anza Community College District has given special priority to meeting this goal through its system of shared governance. Foothill-De Anza's success can be attributed to the climate for excellence created by the college's collaborative governance body, the District Budget and Policy Development Group (BPDG). The group includes representatives from the student body, faculty union, minority staff association, directors of human resources and plant services, as well as college presidents, deans, and senate representatives. The District Chancellor acts as referee. Decisions are arrived at collaboratively, and each member's presence and input is required at all meetings. Idea integration is used as the primary means of dealing with intragroup conflict. While the Chancellor and management retain the administrative power, the emphasis is on consensus building and mutual respect for all interests represented. The quality of the BPDG's decisions and the resulting sense of trust convinced union leaders that BPDG actually improved rather than restricted bargaining activities. (GFW)