Geoffrey Palmer (real estate developer)

Palmer is the son of architect and developer Daniel Saxon Palmer, who was born as Dan Weissinger in Budapest, Hungary, in 1920.{{cite news|last1=Artsy|first1=Avishay|title=How architect William Krisel built a desert oasis|url=http://blogs.kcrw.com/dna/how-architect-william-krisel-built-a-desert-oasis|access-date=9 August 2016|publisher=KRCW|date=17 February 2016}}{{cite news|last1=Noland|first1=Claire|title=Dan Saxon Palmer, 86; architect of 1950s' Modernist tract homes|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-jan-29-me-palmer29-story.html|access-date=9 August 2016|newspaper=LA Times|date=29 January 2007}} He is of Jewish descent.{{Cite news|first=Peter |last=Dreier |title= Trump Mega-Donor Geoff Palmer Is Also LA's Most Controversial Developer |newspaper=The American Prospect|date=September 19, 2016 |url=https://prospect.org/power/trump-mega-donor-geoff-palmer-also-la-s-controversial-developer/ |quote=The elder Palmer was born Dan Weissinger in Hungary in 1920, but gave himself a more WASPish-sounding name, apparently to avoid the stigma of being identified as Jewish.}} He was raised in Malibu, California. Palmer attended Santa Monica College before transferring to the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he earned a degree in finance.{{cite news|last1=Gibson|first1=Rick|title=Los Angeles Renaissance|url=http://www.ghpalmer.com/gridmedia/img/articles/files/pepperdinepeople.pdf|access-date=9 August 2016|publisher=Pepperdine People|date=Spring 2006}} Palmer then earned a juris doctor from Pepperdine School of Law.

After clerking for a California superior court judge, Palmer decided to pursue real estate development of multifamily housing instead of law as a profession, founding GH Palmer Associates in 1978. Palmer opened his first major development in Santa Clarita, California in 1985.{{cite news|last1=Tinoco|first1=Matt|title=Trump's Los Angeles Money Man|url=http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/08/geoffrey-palmer-trump-donor-los-angeles-214130|access-date=9 August 2016|publisher=Politico|date=4 August 2016}} During the 1990s, Palmer focused on building more than 2000 market-rate housing in downtown Los Angeles and its suburbs.{{Cite web|url=http://www.cp-dr.com/articles/node-2401|title=Court Rules L.A. Inclusionary Housing Mandate Violates State Law|website=www.cp-dr.com}}

In 2001, Palmer completed the 632-unit Medici, the first of a series of downtown Italian-inspired apartment blocks situated beside freeways,{{cite news|last1=Newman|first1=Morris|title=Apartments, Finally, for Downtown Los Angeles|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/04/realestate/apartments-finally-for-downtown-los-angeles.html|access-date=13 August 2016|work=New York Times|date=4 June 2000}}{{cite news|last1=Zahniser|first1=David|last2=Vincent|first2=Roger|title=Geoffrey Palmer seen as both downtown L.A. trailblazer, steamroller|url=http://www.latimes.com/local/cityhall/la-me-palmer-empire-20141209-story.html|access-date=9 August 2016|work=Los Angeles Times|date=8 December 2014}} which coincided with a revival of downtown Los Angeles.{{cite news|last1=Anderton|first1=Frances|title=Swank Plans In Skid Row Los Angeles|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/25/garden/swank-plans-in-skid-row-los-angeles.html?pagewanted=all|access-date=9 August 2016|work=New York Times|date=25 January 2001}} Other buildings in the "Renaissance Collection" built by Palmer include the Orsini, Visconti, Piero, Da Vinci, and Lorenzo.

In 2006, Palmer applied for the Piero II, a mixed-use project, and requested that the City waive the affordable housing requirements.{{Cite web|last=CP&DR|title=Court Rules L.A. Inclusionary Housing Mandate Violates State Law|url=http://www.cp-dr.com/articles/node-2401|access-date=2021-05-30|website=www.cp-dr.com|language=en-US}} The City denied the waiver and Palmer sued it (Palmer/Sixth Street Properties LP v. City of Los Angeles), claiming the City's affordable housing zoning requirements in the Central City West specific plan violated the Costa-Hawkins Act.{{Cite web|title=FindLaw's California Court of Appeal case and opinions.|url=https://caselaw.findlaw.com/ca-court-of-appeal/1077003.html|access-date=2021-05-30|website=Findlaw|language=en-US}} In 2009, the California Court of Appeal ruled that "as applied to Palmer's proposed project, the affordable housing ordinance conflicts with and is preempted by the vacancy decontrol provisions of the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act."

The City later sued Palmer for negligence after another development, the Da Vinci, intentionally set fire by an arsonist currently in jail, damaged the adjacent freeway and a nearby city government building, eventually settling the case for $400,000.{{cite web| url=https://la.curbed.com/2017/6/6/15749406/da-vinci-downtown-fire-lawsuit-geoff-palmer |title=City settles suit with developer Geoff Palmer over burned DaVinci complex for $400K: Hundreds of fire department windows shattered and the heat-melted city computers| author=Bianca Barragan |date=June 6, 2017 |access-date=November 25, 2017}}

Palmer's most recent building, Broadway Palace Apartments, was completed in early 2017. Broadway Palace Apartments is designed in the Beaux-Arts style with a plaster and cast concrete ground level and top story, separated from the terracotta brick middle stories by string courses{{clarify|date=November 2017}}, moldings and changes in materials. Notable features include arched openings along the top story, dentils, brackets, pilasters and capitals. The facade fenestration and articulation resembles the historic 1920s-era buildings located on Broadway but different enough to appear new.

Palmer has clashed with local government officials and activists, in part due to criticism of the style of his apartment buildings.{{cite web| url=https://la.curbed.com/platform/amp/2014/11/25/10017950/7-awful-stories-about-the-man-destroying-downtown-la |title=7 Awful Stories About the Man Destroying Downtown LA |author=Adrian Glick Kudler |date=November 25, 2014 |access-date=November 25, 2017}} Councilman Ed Reyes also criticized Palmer for the accidental destruction of an 1887 Victorian-style building. In 2015, Eddie Kim of the Los Angeles Downtown News described Palmer as both the "most prolific" and "most controversial" developer in downtown Los Angeles.{{cite news|last1=Kim|first1=Eddie|title=Geoff Palmer Speaks Out|url=http://www.ladowntownnews.com/news/geoff-palmer-speaks-out/article_83dd6790-79a0-11e5-9f2c-a3035a2d9db8.html|access-date=9 August 2016|publisher=Los Angeles Downtown News|date=23 October 2015}}

Palmer, a strong opponent of mandatory affordable housing requirements for real estate development, appears in the Paradise Papers in connection with a Bermuda offshore company to hold the registration for his private jet, which is done for security and maintenance reasons, yet he still pays the required California assesses property taxes on aircraft, which Bermuda does not.{{citation| url=https://www.icij.org/investigations/paradise-papers/us-president-donald-trumps-influencers/ | title=Geoffrey Palmer's Offshore Story | date=5 November 2017 | publisher=International Consortium of Investigative Journalists}}

Palmer is worth an estimated US$3 billion.{{cite news|last1=Carroll|first1=Rory|title=Meet Donald Trump's biggest donor (he also loves to build walls)|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jul/22/donald-trump-donor-geoffrey-palmer-los-angeles-property|access-date=August 22, 2016|work=The Guardian|date=July 22, 2016|quote=Palmer, estimated to be worth $3bn, is not well known in donor circles and has not previously made donations of that size, according to Bloomberg, which first reported the donation.}}

In 1991, Palmer paid an administrative $30,000 fine after being accused of money-laundering campaign contributions in order to prevent the incorporation of Santa Clarita. Palmer donated $500,000 to Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign, and $2 million to Rebuilding America Now political action committee (PAC) during Donald Trump's presidential campaign. Palmer has also donated to American Crossroads, the Republican National Committee, and the National Republican Congressional Committee. GH Palmer & Associates contributed $5,005,400 to the 2016 Trump campaign.{{Cite web|url=https://www.opensecrets.org/pres16/contributors?id=N00023864|title=Top Contributors, federal election data for Donald Trump, 2016 cycle|first1=OpenSecrets|last1=A 501tax-exempt|first2=charitable organization 1300 L. St|last2=NW|first3=Suite 200|last3=Washington|first4=DC 20005 telelphone857-0044|last4=info|website=OpenSecrets}} On September 17, 2019, Palmer hosted a fundraiser with President Trump at Palmer's home.{{Cite web|url=https://therealdeal.com/la/2019/09/17/developer-geoff-palmer-longtime-trump-backer-hosts-presidential-fundraiser-in-beverly-hills-home/|title=Geoff Palmer Hosting Trump Reelection Fundraiser Beverly Hills Home|date=17 September 2019}}

In 2020, Palmer was selected by President Trump to participate in the Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups. Palmer was a major financier of the 2021 California gubernatorial recall election, contributing $1.2 million to the campaign to recall Gavin Newsom and supporting radio host Larry Elder to replace him.{{cite news |last1=Christopher |first1=Ben |title=Who's bankrolling the Newsom recall campaigns? |url=https://calmatters.org/politics/2021/05/newsom-recall-campaigns-funding/ |publisher=CalMatters |date=May 26, 2021}}{{cite news |last1=Choma |first1=Russ |title=Who's Funding the California Recall Fight? It's Not the People. |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/08/whos-funding-the-california-recall-fight-its-not-the-people/ |publisher=Mother Jones |date=August 27, 2021}}

Palmer is married to Anne Emerich, who was born in Paris, and they have a son.{{cite news|last1=Haldeman|first1=Peter|title=Affinity for Opulence: Paying Tribute to a Founder of Beverly Hills With a Remake of His Former Estate|url=http://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/wright-article-042005|access-date=August 22, 2016|work=Architectural Digest|date=March 31, 2005}}{{cite web |title=LACMA Appoints Nicole Avant, Anne Emerich Palmer, Ryan Seacrest, and Ann Ziff to Its Board of Trustees |url=http://www.lacma.org/sites/default/files/LACMA-trustee-announcement-6.16.14.pdf |website=Los Angeles County Museum of Art |access-date=7 June 2023}} In 2016, Palmer and his family were living in Burton E. Green's former residence in Beverly Hills, California, with another property in Saint-Tropez, France. Palmer plays competitive polo.{{cite news|last1=Stovall|first1=Susan|title=Polo on the French Riviera @ St. Tropez Polo Club|url=http://polozone.com/blog/polo-on-the-french-riviera-st-tropez-polo-club/|access-date=August 22, 2016|work=Polozone.com|date=August 2010|quote=From California Geoff Palmer had his Antelope shirts on his team with another winter California player, Caroline Anier(2), and Martin Garrahan(7) and Fati Reynot (6) rounding out his team. Both in the International Cup and the Open de Gassin, Geoff Palmer was the leading amateur scorer – one game making 7 goals. Fergus Gould, another Southern California import, is the head umpire for the season.}}

He is a trustee of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). He is a contributor to the Pepperdine School of Law and has endowed The Geoffrey H. Palmer Center for Entrepreneurship and the Law.{{citation needed|date=September 2016}}

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Category:1950 births

Category:Living people

Category:People from Malibu, California

Category:Businesspeople from Beverly Hills, California

Category:University of Colorado Boulder alumni

Category:Pepperdine University School of Law alumni

Category:Businesspeople from Los Angeles

Category:American real estate and property developers

Category:American polo players

Category:American billionaires

Category:California Republicans

Category:People named in the Paradise Papers