A key element of CBPA's service to the industry is the governmental affairs program.

CBPA represents the commercial retail industrial real estate industry at the State Capitol and in front of the dozens of state boards and commissions.

Due to CBPA’s leadership on issues ranging from split roll property tax, green building standards, endangered species act reform, environmental permit streamlining, infrastructure financing solutions, and school facilities funding to name a just a few, CBPA is regarded by members, elected leaders, government officials, and private advocacy groups as the “voice” of the industry.

CBPA members are constantly bombarded by dozens of regulations directly affecting their business. On top of that, legislative proposals introduced annually and damaging lawsuits filed on a regular basis would make it even more difficult, if not impossible, to operate in California if not for CBPA and its team of advocates and volunteers that engage these isues every day on behalf of the industry.

BIPARTISAN ADA REFORM AGREEMENT REACHED

Statewide business groups led by the CalChamber, California Business Properties Association, California Hotel and Lodging Association, California Restaurant Association, and California Lodging Industry Association, have been working for months with a broad group of legislators, consumer attorneys, and the disability rights community to craft a bipartisan comprehensive reform measure designed to address two important ADA reform goals: 1) Promote and increase compliance with state and federal civil rights laws providing for equal access for individuals with disabilities in public accommodations; and 2) Reduce unwarranted, unnecessary litigation that does not advance the goals of disability access.

SB 1608 is coauthored by Senator Ellen Corbett (D-San Leandro), Senate pro Tem-elect Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), Senator Tom Harman (R-Orange), Senator George Runner (R-Antelope Valley), Senator Ron Calderon (D-Montebello), Assemblymember Cameron Smyth (R-Santa Clarita), and Assemblymember Lois Wolk (D-Davis).

Click here to read the business coaltion letter in support of the measure.

COALITION LETTER TO THE BUILDING
STANDARDS COMMISSION; GREEN BUILDING
CODE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
On February 13 and 14, 2008, the Building Standards Commission's Green Building Code Advisory Committee will met to adopt proposed changes to the State's Building Code to incorporate new green building standards. As the leader of a large coalition, our industry successfully fended off an ill-conceived LEED mandate bill in the Legislature last year and part of our argument was that the Building Standards Code process should work to write these codes.  Well, that process is now happening and the BSC is fast-tracking these new codes and input on the proposed codes are now needed.

Here is a link to the proposed Draft Codes http://www.documents.dgs.ca.gov/bsc/prpsd_stds/Combined-GB-Stds-12-24-07.pdf

Here is a link to our letter and comments to the committee:
Green Building Code Advisory Committee Joint Letter (PDF)
Green Building Code Advisory Committee Code Layout (PDF)

2007 CBPA LEGISLATIVE WRAP-UP
In 2007, the California State Legislature introduced 2,760 separate pieces of legislation. All of these bills were read by staff at CBPA and more than 500 were identified that could potentially impact the commercial, industrial, and retail real estate industry. Click here for a summary of the highest priority of those bills and their outcomes.