By Jack Hargrove
Dozens of Democratic state legislators from across the United States convened in San Diego, California, July 28-30 for the annual meeting of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), the Democratic Party’s fundraising organization for state legislators. The meeting featured 25 states, 65 legislators and 38 members of chamber leadership. NAIOP Corporate’s state and local government affairs team attended this conference to educate Democratic state legislators on issues affecting commercial real estate.
Every year, DLCC leadership, prominent state legislators and corporate member organizations like NAIOP gather to discuss leading issues and give updates on legislative business from around the country. NAIOP’s attendance at events such as this is an important element in helping advance our priorities and brand with legislative leaders from many states. As an example, the current DLCC Board Chair, who attended the annual meeting, is New York Senate President Pro Tempore and Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. The following states with NAIOP chapters had members of their legislature’s leadership at the conference:
Arizona
California
Colorado
Georgia
Hawaii
Illinois
Michigan
Minnesota
Nevada
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Virginia
Washington
Wisconsin
Corporate’s state and local government affairs team had the opportunity to speak with many of these legislators at two nights of dinners and receptions, and begin to establish relationships with important members of state legislatures
There are many issues facing commercial real estate at the state and local level in 2025, including policies that are discussed and passed through blue state legislatures. For example, one legislative priority for NAIOP this year has been electrification mandates and building performance standards, policies that primarily exist in blue states. Another priority has been to stop rent control, which has been a topic in blue states like Washington. And environmental permitting reform, a consistent bipartisan legislative priority, has found itself at the center of discussion in large blue states like California, which just made major changes to the California Environmental Quality Act as part of its budget earlier this year. This existing list of legislative priorities by state allowed NAIOP Corporate’s state and local government affairs team to speak with blue state legislators about specific issues facing commercial real estate in their states.
This year, NAIOP chapters have attended or will attend Days at the State Capitol in five states where at least one chamber of the state legislature is controlled by Democrats: California, Minnesota, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Washington. Additionally, NAIOP’s Days at the State Capitol in Republican-controlled state legislatures like North Carolina, Ohio and Utah still yield valuable conversations with Democratic legislators who are in the minority. The DLCC Annual Conference provides an opportunity to further establish relationships and name-recognition with state legislators to ensure that Days at the State Capitol are as productive as possible.
The DLCC Annual Meeting 2025 concluded with a panel of legislators discussing their sessions from this year. Hearing directly from these legislators is vital to keep track of trends and predict the direction that state legislatures will take on issues impacting commercial real estate. NAIOP Corporate will continue to have a presence at events such as this one to keep NAIOP fresh in the minds of many state legislators at once leading into the next year. Many of NAIOP’s chapters, as well as some of the policies most pertinent to the interests of commercial real estate, are in blue states, so NAIOP’s presence at the DLCC Annual Meeting 2025 means that commercial real estate has a voice.
