California Business Properties Association

What California Business Properties Association does

California Business Properties Association (CBPA), founded in the early 1970s, is a Sacramento-headquartered, nonprofit trade association that advocates for the commercial real estate industry in California. CBPA represents a horizontal coalition of commercial real estate professionals, property owners, developers, REITs, and affiliated trade organizations (including NAIOP SoCal, the California Apartment Association, CBIA, and the California Hotel and Lodging Association). Its core service is legislative and regulatory advocacy at the California state level, focusing on issues such as CEQA/VMT regulations, warehouse development restrictions (AB 98), commercial leasing mandates (SB 1103), zoning changes (AB 2904), balcony/elevated structure inspections (AB 2579), campaign contribution rules (SB 1243), and resort-specific regulation (AB 3192). CBPA has been described as "protecting commercial real estate for over 50 years."

CBPA generates revenue through recurring membership dues paid by commercial real estate professionals and affiliated organizations, supplemented by event sponsorships and PAC fundraising. Its product surface is non-technological and service-oriented: legislative summaries, ballot proposition analyses, coalition coordination, and a calendar of member events including the Strategic Issues Conference, CA Commercial Real Estate Summit (August 11-12, 2026), Commercial Real Estate Awards, and PAC events at Giants and Dodgers ballparks. Membership pricing is not publicly disclosed; the association notes that pricing inquiries should be directed to staff.

CBPA is governed by a Board of Directors and a small professional staff of 1-10 employees led by President and CEO Matthew Hargrove, with additional management team members including Skyler Wonnacott, William Hixson (CAE), Crystal Whitfield (Manager of Operations), and Founding CEO & President Emeritus Rex S. Hime. CBPA operates solely within California, uses Wild Apricot as its membership-software platform, and markets itself through its website (cbpa.com), a weekly email newsletter, and its event portfolio.

Name

California Business Properties Association

Legal name

California Business Properties Association

Website

https://cbpa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

California Business Properties Association is a Sacramento-based nonprofit trade association that advocates for the commercial real estate industry in California through legislative advocacy, coalition building, and member events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: CBPA generates revenue through annual membership dues paid by commercial real estate professionals, property owners, developers, and affiliated organizations in California.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

California Business Properties Association (CBPA) is a California-based membership trade association that advocates for the commercial, industrial, and retail real estate industries at the state legislature. It sells annual memberships to property owners, developers, REITs, and affiliated trade organizations, bundling legislative advocacy on bills such as AB 98, SB 1103, and CEQA/VMT reforms with networking events, professional development, and political engagement via its PAC.

Product overview

California Business Properties Association (CBPA) is a trade association representing the commercial real estate industry in California. The organization does not offer a technology product or SaaS platform, but rather provides advocacy services, legislative resources, networking events, and membership benefits to commercial real estate professionals. CBPA's services include legislative advocacy on issues affecting commercial properties, annual events such as the Strategic Issues Conference, CA Commercial Real Estate Summit, and Commercial Real Estate Awards, PAC fundraising events, and informational resources including legislative summaries and updates on proposed legislation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NAIOP SoCalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with NAIOP SoCal on Industry-sponsored AB 2904, which extended notice periods for property owners impacted by proposed zoning ordinance changes from 10 to 20 days. CBPA advocated for this bill in partnership with NAIOP SoCal as a big win for the industry.
• California Apartment Association (CAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed coalition with California Apartment Association on AB 2579, which extended timelines for required balcony and elevated structure inspections. CBPA supported this measure as part of a coalition led by CAA.
• CBIA (California Business Industrial Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed coalition with CBIA on SB 1243, which raised contribution limits for local elected officials from $250 to $500 and eliminated aggregation of contributions from applicants and their agents.
• California Hotel and Lodging AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with California Hotel and Lodging Association to successfully defeat AB 3192, a union-sponsored bill that unfairly targeted coastal resorts with excessive regulations. The bill was halted in the Assembly Environmental and Toxic Materials Committee.
• Broad Coalition of Business GroupscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed a coalition of over 25 business groups opposing SB 1103 (commercial lease mandates). Successfully fought to limit the bill's scope and reduce its impact on the commercial real estate industry, securing key wins including removal of rent control provisions and flexibility on operating costs.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ICSC (Innovating Commerce Serving Communities): National trade association for the retail real estate industry, comparable in mission to CBPA's retail property segment and typical advocacy/event/representation structure, though it operates nationally.
• NAIOP California / NAIOP SoCal: State-level trade association representing commercial real estate developers, owners, and investors in California, directly comparable to CBPA on membership model, Sacramento advocacy focus, and event programming. Listed as a CBPA partner on AB 2904.
• California Apartment Association: California-based trade association that led a coalition with CBPA on AB 2579. Operates with the same Sacramento advocacy, member-funded dues, and event-driven engagement model as CBPA, but focused on the residential/multifamily segment.
• BOMA California (Building Owners and Managers Association): Trade association for commercial building owners and property managers with California chapters, overlapping with CBPA's commercial real estate owner/property manager constituency and Sacramento advocacy remit.
• California Hotel and Lodging Association: Sector-specific California trade association that partnered with CBPA to defeat AB 3192. Comparable in membership model, Sacramento lobbying footprint, and political/PAC engagement.
• California Building Industry Association (CBIA): California statewide trade group for the building industry with the same Sacramento presence and legislative advocacy model as CBPA. Led coalition with CBPA on SB 1243 and serves as peer on coalition-building strategy.
• AIR CRE (American Industrial Real Estate Association): California-based trade organization focused on industrial and warehouse real estate, directly adjacent to one of CBPA's covered sub-sectors (warehouse restrictions like AB 98) and sharing the same advocacy playbook.

Broad incumbents

• CCIM Institute: National commercial investment real estate association serving brokers, investors, and related professionals, comparable to CBPA's commercial-RE membership base though focused more on professional credentialing and education.
• National Association of REALTORS (NAR): Large established real estate trade association with California affiliates, providing comparable membership, lobbying, and event services to commercial real estate professionals even though its primary focus is residential brokerage.
• ULI (Urban Land Institute): Established broader-mission real estate land-use institute with national and California District Council presence, overlapping with CBPA on policy and thought-leadership activities but covering all real estate asset classes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cbpatweets
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/california-business-properties-association-cbpa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about California Business Properties Association