California Business
Properties Association (CBPA)

Founded in 1972, CBPA serves as the California legislative and regulatory advocate for individual companies as well as the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), the California Chapters of the Commercial Real Estate Development Association (NAIOP), the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) California, the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM), the California Downtown Association (CDA), the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), CCIM of Northern California, and ACRE of Southern California, making CBPA the recognized voice of the commercial, industrial, and retail real estate industries in California representing over 12,000 companies.

LATEST NEWS/INFORMATION

CALGREEN Review in Senate Trans Committee

California is the first state in the nation to adopt a mandatory statewide green building code, dubbed CALGREEN. The Senate Transportation and Housing Committee held a hearing to provide oversight and assess next steps. The hearing was marked by a high level of agreement – by business, labor, and environmental groups – that the code writing process was managed well by the state, and the final mandatory product was an environmentally sound minimum code while being technologically feasible and economically viable.

Several groups remarked the code was not perfect, especially with regard to the voluntary sections, but noted issues could be addressed through the established regulatory process. There was much agreement that education and training are important next steps. Read the Committee White Paper, and testimony by CBPA, CBIA, NRDC, USGBC, and CALBO.

2010 Legislation

In 2009, CBPA followed more than 500 bills that had a potential impact on our industry. Many of those bills do not make it through the process or are amended in a way that resolved our concerns. Now, the cycle starts over again. We are reading every bill and trying to identify issues that will impact our industry – however, we may not catch everything and need your help.

As you go about your business, talking with colleagues at Chamber lunches, your tax lawyers, reading newsletters from other organizations you are involved with, or while local policymakers, if you hear of any bill that you are concerned with, please let us know. Simply send a note to Matthew Hargrove with the bill number, or just the subject matter, and we research it. We would rather get 100 notes asking us to follow something important, than allow an item to slip through the cracks.

Climate Change Policies – AB 32

Climate Change policies, led by implementation of the nation’s first statewide Greenhouse Gas Reduction law, AB 32, has a significant impact on our industry. CBPA is engaged full time on these issues. Click here for some key climate change updates and documents.

Green Building Policies

Click here for some key documents and updates on Green Building and Energy issues.

Split-Roll Property Tax Study

A study that examines the potential economic impact of a split-roll property tax, taking into account how a split roll would affect the behavior of individuals and businesses who own commercial property, has been completed and distributed to policymakers in California. Click here to read the study entitled The Economic Effects of California Adopting a Split Roll Property Tax

CBPA serves on the executive committee for Californians Against Higher Property Taxes, a recently formed coalition of business and taxpayer groups with a mission to educate the public and policymakers about the devastating impacts of higher property taxes. Although higher property taxes are very unpopular and voters have rejected them time and again, some policymakers and advocacy groups often push the issue as a way to raise additional tax revenue.

The study shows that such proposals for property tax increases will only hurt California consumers, seniors and taxpayers, and further damage our state’s struggling economy.