Place Holder: Chair Message
Greetings, CSSA members, I hope that the first quarter of 2026 has been a productive one. It certainly has been here on the Board, and for your CSSA leadership team, and now is a great time to reflect on the momentum we’ve built and update you on where we’re headed.
Recall that CSSA partnered with Platinum Advisors at the start of the year to provide bespoke lobbying on behalf of the organization. Together, we hit the ground running and have significantly expanded visibility and personal presence in Sacramento and beyond. A key focus as of late has been partnering with the national Self Storage Association, as well as facility owners and their lobbyists, to address the ongoing State of Emergency order affecting rental pricing in Los Angeles. We are finding traction with legislators and working hard to get self storage excluded from this restriction. Rest assured that similar efforts are ongoing for legislative matters affecting your businesses elsewhere in California.
On the membership front, which is a key focus in 2026 and beyond, we are pleased to announce that – thanks to a refreshed outreach program – our base is expanding. Of particular interest is the very strong response we’ve seen for the new Young Leaders Group. We encourage you to reach out to fellow industry participants aged 40 and under and invite them to participate in this thriving program.
Looking ahead, we are excited about the upcoming Napa Self Storage Owners Conference taking place on May 4th-5th. We are on track for yet another year of record attendance and want to thank our event sponsors for continuing to make this a truly marquis event. Our keynote is Andy Cohen, Global Co-Chair of Gensler, who is a dynamic speaker you will want to hear. Providing the Economic Update is Spencer Levy, the renowned economist and Senior Economic Advisor at CBRE. Anchoring the event is a powerhouse panel of industry leaders and a special presentation on succession planning by Jay Halverson, Managing Partner at Blue Ocean. Whether this is your first time attending, or you’re a veteran patron, we look forward to seeing you soon in wine country.
There’s much more to come as the year plays out, and none of the progress is possible without the dedication of our members, volunteers, and staff. Your continued involvement and support are what drive this organization forward and we earnestly thank you for it.
Onward!
Nathan McElmurry
2026 CSSA Chair of the Board