In 2020, the Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in San Francisco Bay (RMP) undertook a review of the Status and Trends (S&T) Program, a vital component of the RMP. The goals of the S&T Program are to measure contaminant concentrations in San Francisco Bay (hereafter referred to as “Bay”) to determine if any contaminants are at levels of concern in some or all regions of the Bay, and if concentrations are changing over time. The S&T Program has predominantly focused on legacy contaminants included on the Priority Pollutant List since its inception in 1993. However, the number of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) that are present in the Bay at concentrations that have a high probability of impact on Bay aquatic life are increasing and are becoming a major management focus in the region. Regulatory agencies are interested in having robust CEC data for the Bay so emerging issues can be detected before they cause substantial and potentially persistent effects on Bay water quality, ecosystems, and beneficial uses.