Real Estate Firms Back Becerra for Governor

Hudson Pacific Properties and other property firms gave the maximum allowed to Xavier Becerra's California governor campaign.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Commercial

Real Estate Firms Back Becerra for Governor

Live Poll

Do you trust big real estate companies' political donations to not influence California's government?

Hudson Pacific Properties donated the one-time maximum of $39,200 to Xavier Becerra's campaign for California governor, days after Douglas Emmett CEO Jordan Kaplan made the same donation. The company had earlier given $78,400 to Matt Mahan, who lost the June primary.

Why it matters

The donations show commercial real estate firms shifting support toward Becerra after backing Mahan in the primary. Campaign contributions from property developers can shape the candidates who influence state policy on development and business regulation.

Hudson Pacific Properties gave Becerra's campaign the $39,200 one-time maximum, after giving $78,400 to Mahan in March. A UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll shows Becerra at 61 percent and Hilton at 34 percent among likely California voters, while the filings do not explain the donors' motives.

The players

Xavier Becerra

Becerra is a Democratic candidate for California governor who has drawn donations from several real estate and business figures.

Hudson Pacific Properties

Hudson Pacific Properties is a Los Angeles-based commercial real estate investment trust that owns office and media properties.

Douglas Emmett

Douglas Emmett is a Santa Monica-based real estate company that owns and manages office and residential properties across Los Angeles.

The details

Kilroy Realty also gave Becerra $39,200, and Angela Aman, who previously gave $10,000 to Mahan, is among the donors listed. Becerra's other donors include George Marcus, Jaime Lee, Jeff Worthe, the Sobrato family and Don Bren's Irvine Company.

Timeline

  1. March: Hudson Pacific gives $78,400 to Matt Mahan.

  2. June: Mahan loses the primary.

  3. November 2, 2026: Hudson Pacific gives $39,200 to Xavier Becerra.

Market Landscape

The donations show Los Angeles commercial landlords using the full per-donor maximum allowed by California law to shape the governor's race. The pattern matches earlier real estate giving that tracks which candidates are viewed as likely winners.

Commercial property donations to a governor candidate can influence policy on zoning, office conversions and business taxes that affect Californians. Residents can track disclosed contributions through state campaign finance records.

The takeaway

Campaign finance records show how commercial property firms use their maximum legal contributions to back candidates in state elections. Readers can review disclosed donations to see which industries support each candidate.

Further reading

Explore more commercial real estate news on how property firms engage with state politics.

Source note: This article includes information reported by The Real Deal New York.

Live Poll

Do you trust big real estate companies' political donations to not influence California's government?