CalPERS, LACERS Ramp Up Real Estate Commitments

CalPERS already made headlines today for deciding to pull $4 billion from hedge funds and hedge funds-of-funds.

But there was another bit of news that was less headline-worthy, but still important: CalPERS has decided to invest an additional $1.3 billion in real estate funds, according to a report from Pensions & Investments:

The $298 billion California Public Employees’ Retirement System, Sacramento, added $600 million to Institutional Logistics Partners, a real estate partnership with Bentall Kennedy. CalPERS first invested $250 million in Institutional Logistics Partners in March 2013. The strategy seeks to invest in core industrial properties.

Separately, CalPERS added a total of $700 million to two real estate partnerships with GI Partners.

The pension fund added $400 million to TechCore and $300 million to CalEast Solstice. TechCore invests in “technology advantaged” properties in the U.S., such as data centers, Internet gateways, corporate campuses for technology tenants and life-science properties in U.S. metropolitan areas, according to a news release from CalPERS. The pension fund first invested $500 million in TechCore in May 2012. The size of the CalEast Solstice portfolio could not be learned by press time.

LACERS, meanwhile, is committing $190 million to real estate funds over the next two years, according to a separate Pensions & Investments report:

Los Angeles City Employees’ Retirement System plans to commit $140 million to four new open-end core real estate funds this year and make $50 million in additional commitments in 2015, minutes from the pension fund’s Aug. 26 board meeting show.

Townsend Group, real estate consultant for the $14.4 billion pension fund, is recommending the pension fund this year commit about $35 million each to Clarion Partners’ Lion Industrial Trust, Jamestown Premier Property Fund,Morgan Stanley(MS) Real Estate’s Prime Property Fund, and Principal Real Estate Investors’ U.S. Property Account.

The recommendations will be presented to the board for approval at a later meeting. The recommendation is part of the pension fund’s decision in May to double its exposure to core real estate to a 60% target and decrease non-core investments to 40% from 70%. LACERS has an overall 5% allocation to real estate, with $739 million funded as of March 31.

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