CBRA is governed by its member organizations, with each member facility having one designated voting representative and one alternate representative to the CBRA Governing Board. The CBRA Annual Meeting of the Governing Board, held alternately in northern and southern California, offers an opportunity for the Governing Board to discuss issues of importance to the biomedical research community and to vote on larger CBRA issues, programs, objectives, and plans. The Annual Meeting includes a business meeting of the Governing Board and afternoon panel sessions on topical issues of biomedical research. A Board of Directors, drawn from CBRA member facilities and affirmed by the Governing Board, meets quarterly and acts on immediate issues and general governance and management of CBRA.

The office the California Biomedical Research Association/California Society for Biomedical Research is located in the state capital, Sacramento, and has a staff of four.