Item 1A. Risk Factors     

Forward-looking Statements

Certain written and oral statements made or incorporated by reference from time to time by us or our representatives in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, other filings or reports filed with the SEC, press releases, conferences, or otherwise, are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (set forth in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Exchange Act). In particular, statements relating to our liquidity and capital resources, portfolio performance and results of operations contain forward-looking statements. Furthermore, all of the statements regarding future financial performance (including anticipated funds from operations (“FFO”), market conditions and demographics) are forward-looking statements. We are including this cautionary statement to make applicable and take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 for any such forward-looking statements. We caution investors that any forward-looking statements presented in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, or that management may make orally or in writing from time to time, are based on management’s beliefs and assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management. When used, the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “estimate,” “project,” “should,” “will,” “result” and similar expressions that do not relate solely to historical matters are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions and may be affected by known and unknown risks, trends, uncertainties and factors that are beyond our control. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those anticipated, estimated or projected. We expressly disclaim any responsibility to update forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Accordingly, investors should use caution in relying on past forward-looking statements, which were based on results and trends at the time they were made, to anticipate future results or trends.

Some of the risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results, performance, liquidity or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements include, among others, the following:

Set forth below are some (but not all) of the factors that could adversely affect our business and financial performance. Moreover, we operate in a highly competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risk factors emerge from time to time,

and it is not possible for management to predict all such risk factors, nor can it assess the impact of all such risk factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results.

Risks Related to Our Properties and Our Business

Our properties are located in California and the Pacific Northwest, and we are susceptible to adverse economic conditions, local regulations and natural disasters affecting those markets.

Our properties are located in California and the Pacific Northwest, which exposes us to greater economic risks than if we owned a more geographically dispersed portfolio. Further, our properties are concentrated in certain submarkets, including Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, the East Bay, and Seattle, exposing us to risks associated with those specific areas. We are susceptible to adverse developments in the economic and regulatory environments of California and the Pacific Northwest (such as business layoffs or downsizing, industry slowdowns, relocations of businesses, increases in real estate and other taxes, costs of complying with governmental regulations or increased regulation), as well as to natural disasters that occur in our markets (such as earthquakes, wind, landslides, droughts, fires and other events). In addition, the State of California continues to suffer from severe budgetary constraints and is regarded as more litigious and more highly regulated and taxed than many other states, all of which may reduce demand for office space in California. Any adverse developments in the economy or real estate market in California or the Pacific Northwest, or any decrease in demand for office space resulting from the California regulatory or business environment, could adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow and the per share trading price of our securities.

We derive a significant portion of our rental revenue from tenants in the media, entertainment, and technology industries, which makes us particularly susceptible to demand for rental space in those industries.

Our Sunset Gower, Sunset Bronson, Technicolor Building, 1455 Market, Rincon, 10950 Washington, 875 Howard, 625 Second Street, 275 Brannan, Pinnacle I, Pinnacle II and Element LA properties are leased to primarily media, entertainment, or technology tenants and a significant portion of our rental revenue is derived from tenants in the media, entertainment, and technology industries. Consequently, we are susceptible to adverse developments affecting the demand by media, entertainment, and technology tenants for office, production and support space in Southern and Northern California, the Pacific Northwest and, more particularly, in Hollywood and the South of Market submarket of San Francisco, such as writer, director and actor strikes, industry slowdowns and the relocation of media, entertainment, and technology businesses to other locations. Although our Technicolor Building property and the 10950 Washington property are principally occupied and suitable for general office purposes, portions of such properties may require modifications prior to or at the commencement of a lease term if these properties were to be re-leased to more traditional office users. Although our Sunset Gower and Sunset Bronson properties contain both sound stages and space suitable for office use, they have historically served the media and entertainment industry and will continue to depend on that sector for future tenancy. In addition, our media and entertainment properties tend to be subject to short-term leases of less than one year. As a result, were there to be adverse developments affecting the demand by media and entertainment tenants for office, production and support space, it could affect the occupancy of our media and entertainment properties more quickly than if we had longer term leases. Any adverse development in the media, entertainment, and technology industries could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow and the per share trading price of our securities.

We may be unable to identify and complete acquisitions of properties that meet our criteria, which may impede our growth.

Our business strategy includes the acquisition of underperforming office properties. These activities require us to identify suitable acquisition candidates or investment opportunities that meet our criteria and are compatible with our growth strategies. We continue to evaluate the market of available properties and may attempt to acquire properties when strategic opportunities exist. However, we may be unable to acquire any of the properties that we may identify as potential acquisition opportunities in the future. Our ability to acquire properties on favorable terms, or at all, may be exposed to the following significant risks:

If we are unable to finance property acquisitions or acquire properties on favorable terms, or at all, our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow and the per share trading price of our securities could be adversely affected. In addition, failure to identify or complete acquisitions of suitable properties could slow our growth.

Our future acquisitions may not yield the returns we expect.

Our future acquisitions and our ability to successfully operate the properties we acquire in such acquisitions may be exposed to the following significant risks:

If we cannot operate acquired properties to meet our financial expectations, our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow and the per share trading price of our securities could be adversely affected.

We may acquire properties or portfolios of properties through tax deferred contribution transactions, which could result in stockholder dilution and limit our ability to sell such assets.

In the future we may acquire properties or portfolios of properties through tax deferred contribution transactions in exchange for partnership interests in our operating partnership, which may result in stockholder dilution. This acquisition structure may have the effect of, among other things, reducing the amount of tax depreciation we could deduct over the tax life of the acquired properties, and may require that we agree to protect the contributors’ ability to defer recognition of taxable gain through restrictions on our ability to dispose of the acquired properties and/or the allocation of partnership debt to the contributors to maintain their tax bases. These restrictions could limit our ability to sell an asset at a time, or on terms, that would be favorable absent such restrictions.

Our growth depends on external sources of capital that are outside of our control and may not be available to us on commercially reasonable terms or at all.

In order to maintain our qualification as a REIT, we are required to meet various requirements under the

Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or Code, including that we distribute annually at least 90% of our net taxable income, excluding any net capital gain. In addition, we will be subject to income tax at regular corporate rates to the extent that we distribute less than 100% of our net taxable income, including any net capital gains. Because of these distribution requirements, we may not be able to fund future capital needs, including any necessary acquisition financing, from operating cash flow. Consequently, we intend to rely on third-party sources to fund our capital needs. We may not be able to obtain the financing on favorable terms or at all. Any additional debt we incur will increase our leverage and likelihood of default. Our access to third-party sources of capital depends, in part, on:

The credit markets can experience significant disruptions. If we cannot obtain capital from third-party sources, we may not be able to acquire or develop properties when strategic opportunities exist, meet the capital and operating needs of our existing properties, satisfy our debt service obligations or make the cash distributions to our stockholders necessary to maintain our qualification as a REIT.

Failure to hedge effectively against interest rate changes may adversely affect our financial condition, results of

operations, cash flow, cash available for distribution, including cash available for payment of dividends on and the per share trading price of our securities.

If interest rates increase, then so will the interest costs on our unhedged variable rate debt, which could adversely affect our cash flow and our ability to pay principal and interest on our debt and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders. Further, rising interest rates could limit our ability to refinance existing debt when it matures. We seek to manage our exposure to interest rate volatility by using interest rate hedging arrangements that involve risk, such as the risk that counterparties may fail to honor their obligations under these arrangements, and that these arrangements may not be effective in reducing our exposure to interest rate changes. Failure to hedge effectively against interest rate changes may materially adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow, cash available for distribution, including cash available for payment of dividends on and the per share trading price of our securities. In addition, while such agreements are intended to lessen the impact of rising interest rates on us, they also expose us to the risk that the other parties to the agreements will not perform, we could incur significant costs associated with the settlement of the agreements, the agreements will be unenforceable and the underlying transactions will fail to qualify as highly-effective cash flow hedges under Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, Accounting Standards Codification, or ASC, Topic 815, Derivative and Hedging.

Mortgage debt obligations expose us to the possibility of foreclosure, which could result in the loss of our investment in a property or group of properties subject to mortgage debt.

Incurring mortgage and other secured debt obligations increases our risk of property losses because defaults on indebtedness secured by properties may result in foreclosure actions initiated by lenders and ultimately our loss of the property securing any loans for which we are in default. Any foreclosure on a mortgaged property or group of properties could adversely affect the overall value of our portfolio of properties. For tax purposes, a foreclosure of any of our properties that is subject to a nonrecourse mortgage loan would be treated as a sale of the property for a purchase price equal to the outstanding balance of the debt secured by the mortgage. If the outstanding balance of the debt secured by the mortgage exceeds our tax basis in the property, we would recognize taxable income on foreclosure, but would not receive any cash proceeds.

Our unsecured revolving credit facility restricts our ability to engage in some business activities.

Our unsecured revolving credit facility contains customary negative covenants and other financial and operating covenants that, among other things:

These limitations restrict our ability to engage in some business activities, which could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow, cash available for distributions to our stockholders, and per share trading price of our securities. In addition, failure to meet any of these covenants, including the financial coverage ratios, could cause an event of default under and/or accelerate some or all of our indebtedness, which would have a material adverse effect on us. Furthermore, our unsecured revolving credit facility contains specific cross-default provisions with respect to specified other indebtedness, giving the lenders the right to declare a default if we are in default under other loans in some circumstances.

Adverse economic and geopolitical conditions and dislocations in the credit markets could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow and per share trading price of our securities.

Our business may be affected by market and economic challenges experienced by the U.S. economy or real estate industry as a whole, including dislocations in the credit markets. These conditions may adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow and the per share trading price of our securities as a result of the following potential consequences, among others:

We have a limited operating history and may not be able to operate our business successfully or implement our business strategies as described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We commenced operations only upon completion of our initial public offering on June 29, 2010. Our office portfolio consists of properties located in California and the Pacific Northwest, containing a total of approximately 5.3 million net rentable square feet. Our 3401 Exposition, Pinnacle II, Seattle Portfolio, and 1861 Bundy properties have only been under our management since they were acquired on May 22, 2013, June 14, 2013, July 31, 2013, and September 26, 2013, respectively. These properties may have characteristics or deficiencies unknown to us that could affect such properties’ valuation or revenue potential. In addition, there can be no assurance that the operating performance of the properties will not decline under our management. We cannot assure you that we will be able to operate our business successfully or implement our business strategies.

We face significant competition, which may decrease or prevent increases of the occupancy and rental rates of our properties.

We compete with numerous developers, owners and operators of office properties, many of which own properties similar to ours in the same submarkets in which our properties are located. If our competitors offer space at rental rates below current market rates, or below the rental rates we currently charge our tenants, we may lose existing or potential tenants and we may be pressured to reduce our rental rates below those we currently charge or to offer more substantial rent abatements, tenant improvements, early termination rights or below-market renewal options in order to retain tenants when our tenants’ leases expire. As a result, our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow and the per share trading price of our securities could be adversely affected.

We depend on significant tenants, and many of our properties are single-tenant properties or are currently occupied by single tenants.

As of December 31, 2013 , the 15 largest tenants in our office portfolio represented approximately 60.2%

of the total annualized base rent generated by our office properties. The inability of a significant tenant to pay rent or the bankruptcy or insolvency of a significant tenant may adversely affect the income produced by our properties. If a tenant becomes bankrupt or insolvent, federal law may prohibit us from evicting such tenant based solely upon such bankruptcy or insolvency. In addition, a bankrupt or insolvent tenant may be authorized to reject and terminate its lease with us. Any claim against such tenant for unpaid, future rent would be subject to a statutory cap that might be substantially less than the remaining rent owed under the lease. As of December 31, 2013 , our two largest tenants were Warner Bros. Entertainment and Warner Music Group, which together accounted for 12.4% of our annualized base rent and therefore represented a significant credit concentration. If Warner Bros. Entertainment and Warner Music Group were to experience a downturn or a weakening of financial condition resulting in a failure to make timely rental payments or causing a lease default, we may experience delays in enforcing our rights as landlord and may incur substantial costs in protecting our investment. Any such event described above could have an adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow and the per share trading price of our securities.

               

Furthermore, Saatchi & Saatchi leases 100% of the Del Amo Office property under the terms of an office lease that permits Saatchi & Saatchi to terminate the lease as to all of the leased premises prior to the stated lease expiration on December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2016, in each case upon nine months prior notice and in exchange for payment of an early termination fee estimated to be approximately $3.8 million for 2014 and approximately $3.0 million for 2016. As of December 31, 2013 , the Saatchi & Saatchi lease comprised approximately 2.3% of our annualized office base rent. To the extent that Saatchi & Saatchi exercises its early termination right, our financial condition, results of operations and cash flow will be adversely affected, and we can provide no assurance that we will be able to generate an equivalent amount of net rental revenue by leasing the vacated space to new third-party tenants. Our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow and the per share trading price of our securities could be adversely affected if any of our significant tenants were to become unable to pay their rent or become bankrupt or insolvent.

We may be unable to renew leases, lease vacant space or re-let space as leases expire.

As of December 31, 2013 , approximately 5.9% of the square footage of the office properties in our portfolio was available (taking into account uncommenced leases signed as of December 31, 2013 ), and an additional approximately 6.3% of the square footage of the office properties in our portfolio is scheduled to expire in 2014 (including leases scheduled to expire as of, but including, December 31, 2013 ). Furthermore, substantially all of the square footage of the media and entertainment properties in our portfolio (other than the KTLA lease of the KTLA facility at Sunset Bronson) will expire in 2014 and 2015. We cannot assure you that leases will be renewed or that our properties will be re-let at net effective rental rates equal to or above the current average net effective rental rates or that substantial rent abatements, tenant improvements, early termination rights or below-market renewal options will not be offered to attract new tenants or retain existing tenants. If the rental rates for our properties decrease, our existing tenants do not renew their leases or we do not re-let a significant portion of our available space and space for which leases will expire, our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow and per share trading price of our securities could be adversely affected.

We may be required to make rent or other concessions and/or significant capital expenditures to improve our properties in order to retain and attract tenants, causing our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow and per share trading price of our securities to be adversely affected.

To the extent adverse economic conditions continue in the real estate market and demand for office space remains low, we expect that, upon expiration of leases at our properties, we will be required to make rent or other concessions to tenants,

accommodate requests for renovations, build-to-suit remodeling and other improvements or provide additional services to our tenants. As a result, we may have to make significant capital or other expenditures in order to retain tenants whose leases expire and to attract new tenants in sufficient numbers. Additionally, we may need to raise capital to make such expenditures. If we are unable to do so or capital is otherwise unavailable, we may be unable to make the required expenditures. This could result in non-renewals by tenants upon expiration of their leases, which could cause an adverse effect to our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow and the per share trading price of our securities.

The actual rents we receive for the properties in our portfolio may be less than our asking rents, and we may experience lease roll-down from time to time.

As a result of various factors, including competitive pricing pressure in our submarkets, adverse conditions in the Northern or Southern California or the Pacific Northwest real estate markets, a general economic downturn and the desirability of our properties compared to other properties in our submarkets, we may be unable to realize the asking rents across the properties in our portfolio. In addition, the degree of discrepancy between our asking rents and the actual rents we are able to obtain may vary both from property to property and among different leased spaces within a single property. If we are unable to obtain rental rates that are on average comparable to our asking rents across our portfolio, then our ability to generate cash flow growth will be negatively impacted. In addition, depending on asking rental rates at any given time as compared to expiring leases in our portfolio, from time to time rental rates for expiring leases may be higher than starting rental rates for new leases.

Some of our properties are subject to ground leases, the termination or expiration of which could cause us to lose our interest in, and the right to receive rental income from, such properties.

The 9300 Wilshire Boulevard property, 0.59 acres of the Sunset Gower property and a portion representing 64% of the building area of the 222 Kearny Street property (excluding the 180 Sutter building) are subject to ground leases. If any of these ground leases are terminated following a default or expire without being extended, we may lose our interest in the related property and may no longer have the right to receive any of the rental income from such property, which would adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow and the per share trading price of our securities.

The ground sublease for the Del Amo Office property is subject and subordinate to a ground lease, the termination of which could result in a termination of the ground sublease.

The property on which the Del Amo Office building is located is subleased by Del Amo Fashion Center Operating Company, L.L.C., or Del Amo, through a long-term ground sublease. The ground sublease is subject and subordinate to the terms of a ground lease between the fee owner of the Del Amo Office property and the sub-landlord under the ground sublease. The fee owner has not granted to the subtenant under the ground sublease any rights of non-disturbance. Accordingly, a termination of the ground lease for any reason, including a rejection thereof by the ground tenant under the ground lease in a bankruptcy proceeding, could result in a termination of the ground sublease. In the event of a termination of the ground sublease, we may lose our interest in the Del Amo Office building and may no longer have the right to receive any of the rental income from the Del Amo Office building. In addition, our lack of any non-disturbance rights from the fee owner may impair our ability to obtain financing for the Del Amo Office building.

Our success depends on key personnel whose continued service is not guaranteed.

Our continued success and our ability to manage anticipated future growth depend, in large part, upon the efforts of key personnel who have extensive market knowledge and relationships and exercise substantial influence over our operational, financing, acquisition and disposition activity. Many of our other senior executives have extensive experience and strong reputations in the real estate industry, which aid us in identifying opportunities, having opportunities brought to us, and negotiating with tenants and build-to-suit prospects. The loss of services of one or more members of our senior management team, or our inability to attract and retain highly qualified personnel, could adversely affect our business, diminish our investment opportunities and weaken our relationships with lenders, business partners, existing and prospective tenants and industry personnel, which could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow and the per share trading price of our securities.

Potential losses, including from adverse weather conditions, natural disasters and title claims, may not be covered by insurance.

We carry commercial property (including earthquake), liability and terrorism coverage on all the properties in our portfolio (most are covered under a blanket insurance policy while a few are under individual policies), in addition to other coverages, such as trademark and pollution coverage, that may be appropriate for certain of our properties. We have selected

policy specifications and insured limits that we believe to be appropriate and adequate given the relative risk of loss, the cost of the coverage and industry practice. However, we do not carry insurance for losses such as loss from riots or war because such coverage is not available or is not available at commercially reasonable rates. Some of our policies, like those covering losses due to terrorism or earthquakes, are insured subject to limitations involving large deductibles or co-payments and policy limits that may not be sufficient to cover losses, which could affect certain of our properties that are located in areas particularly susceptible to natural disasters. All of the properties we currently own are located in California and the Pacific Northwest, areas especially susceptible to earthquakes. In addition, we may discontinue earthquake , terrorism or other insurance on some or all of our properties in the future if the cost of premiums for any such policies exceeds, in our judgment, the value of the coverage discounted for the risk of loss. As a result, we may be required to incur significant costs in the event of adverse weather conditions and natural disasters. If we or one or more of our tenants experiences a loss that is uninsured or that exceeds policy limits, we could lose the capital invested in the damaged properties as well as the anticipated future cash flows from those properties. In addition, if the damaged properties are subject to recourse indebtedness, we would continue to be liable for the indebtedness, even if these properties were irreparably damaged. Furthermore, we may not be able to obtain adequate insurance coverage at reasonable costs in the future as the costs associated with property and casualty renewals may be higher than anticipated. In the event that we experience a substantial or comprehensive loss of one of our properties, we may not be able to rebuild such property to its existing specifications. Further reconstruction or improvement of such a property would likely require significant upgrades to meet zoning and building code requirements.

Future terrorist activity or engagement in war by the U.S. may have an adverse effect on our financial condition and operating results.

Terrorist attacks in the U.S. and other acts of terrorism or war may result in declining economic activity, which could harm the demand for and the value of our properties. A decrease in demand could make it difficult for us to renew or re-lease our properties at these sites at lease rates equal to or above historical rates. Terrorist activities also could directly impact the value of our properties through damage, destruction, or loss, and the availability of insurance for these acts may be less, and cost more, which could adversely affect our financial condition. To the extent that our tenants are impacted by future attacks, their businesses similarly could be adversely affected, including their ability to continue to honor their existing leases.

Terrorist attacks and engagement in war by the U.S. also may adversely affect the markets in which our securities trade and may cause further erosion of business and consumer confidence and spending and may result in increased volatility in national and international financial markets and economies. Any one of these events may cause decline in the demand for our office and media and entertainment leased space, delay the time in which our new or renovated properties reach stabilized occupancy, increase our operating expenses, such as those attributable to increased physical security for our properties, and limit our access to capital or increase our cost of raising capital.

We may become subject to litigation, which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow and the per share trading price of our securities.

In the future we may become subject to litigation, including claims relating to our operations, offerings, and otherwise in the ordinary course of business. Some of these claims may result in significant defense costs and potentially significant judgments against us, some of which are not, or cannot be, insured against. We generally intend to vigorously defend ourselves; however, we cannot be certain of the ultimate outcomes of any claims that may arise in the future. Resolution of these types of matters against us may result in our having to pay significant fines, judgments or settlements, which, if uninsured, or if the fines, judgments and settlements exceed insured levels, could adversely impact our earnings and cash flows, thereby having an adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow and per share trading price of our securities. Certain litigation or the resolution of certain litigation may affect the availability or cost of some of our insurance coverage, which could adversely impact our results of operations and cash flows, expose us to increased risks that would be uninsured, and/or adversely impact our ability to attract officers and directors.

Joint venture investments could be adversely affected by our lack of sole decision-making authority, our reliance on co-venturers’ financial condition and disputes between us and our co-venturers.

As described more fully in Item 7 below, on November 8, 2012, we entered into a joint venture with M. David Paul & Associates/Worthe Real Estate Group, or MDP/Worthe, to acquire The Pinnacle, a two-building (Pinnacle I and Pinnacle II), 625,640 square-foot office property located in Burbank, California. In addition to our joint venture with MDP/Worthe, Pinnacle JV, we may co-invest in the future with other third parties through partnerships, joint ventures or other entities, acquiring non-controlling interests in or sharing responsibility for managing the affairs of a property, partnership, joint venture or other entity. These investments may, under certain circumstances, involve risks not present were a third party not involved, including the possibility that partners or co-venturers might become bankrupt or fail to fund their share of required capital contributions.

Partners or co-venturers may have economic or other business interests or goals which are inconsistent with our business interests or goals, and may be in a position to take actions contrary to our policies or objectives, and they may have competing interests in our markets that could create conflict of interest issues. Such investments may also have the potential risk of impasses on decisions, such as a sale, because neither we nor the partner or co-venturer would have full control over the partnership or joint venture. In addition, prior consent of our joint venture partners may be required for a sale or transfer to a third party of our interests in the joint venture, which would restrict our ability to dispose of our interest in the joint venture. If we become a limited partner or non-managing member in any partnership or limited liability company and such entity takes or expects to take actions that could jeopardize our status as a REIT or require us to pay tax, we may be forced to dispose of our interest in such entity. Disputes between us and partners or co-venturers may result in litigation or arbitration that would increase our expenses and prevent our officers and/or directors from focusing their time and effort on our business. Consequently, actions by or disputes with partners or co-venturers might result in subjecting properties owned by the partnership or joint venture to additional risk. In addition, we may in certain circumstances be liable for the actions of our third-party partners or co-venturers. Our joint ventures may be subject to debt and, in the current volatile credit market, the refinancing of such debt may require equity capital calls.

If we fail to maintain an effective system of integrated internal controls, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results.

Effective internal and disclosure controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and effectively prevent fraud and to operate successfully as a public company. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, our reputation and operating results would be harmed. As part of our ongoing monitoring of internal controls we may discover material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in our internal controls. As a result of weaknesses that may be identified in our internal controls, we may also identify certain deficiencies in some of our disclosure controls and procedures that we believe require remediation. If we discover weaknesses, we will make efforts to improve our internal and disclosure controls. However, there is no assurance that we will be successful. Any failure to maintain effective controls or timely effect any necessary improvement of our internal and disclosure controls could harm operating results or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations, which could affect our ability to remain listed with the NYSE. Ineffective internal and disclosure controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which would likely have a negative effect on the per share trading price of our securities.

Risks Related to the Real Estate Industry

Our performance and value are subject to risks associated with real estate assets and the real estate industry.

Our ability to pay expected dividends to our stockholders depends on our ability to generate revenues in excess of expenses, scheduled principal payments on debt and capital expenditure requirements. Events and conditions generally applicable to owners and operators of real property that are beyond our control may decrease cash available for distribution and the value of our properties. These events include many of the risks set forth above under “—Risks Related to Our Properties and Our Business,” as well as the following:

In addition, periods of economic downturn or recession, rising interest rates or declining demand for real estate, or the public perception that any of these events may occur, could result in a general decline in rents or an increased incidence of

defaults under existing leases, which would adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow and per share trading price of our securities.

Illiquidity of real estate investments could significantly impede our ability to respond to adverse changes in the performance of our properties and harm our financial condition.

The real estate investments made, and to be made, by us are relatively difficult to sell quickly. As a result, our ability to promptly sell one or more properties in our portfolio in response to changing economic, financial and investment conditions is limited. Return of capital and realization of gains, if any, from an investment generally will occur upon disposition or refinancing of the underlying property. We may be unable to realize our investment objectives by sale, other disposition or refinancing at attractive prices within any given period of time or may otherwise be unable to complete any exit strategy. In particular, our ability to dispose of one or more properties within a specific time period is subject to certain limitations imposed by our tax protection agreements, as well as weakness in or even the lack of an established market for a property, changes in the financial condition or prospects of prospective purchasers, changes in national or international economic conditions, such as the current economic downturn, and changes in laws, regulations or fiscal policies of jurisdictions in which the property is located.

In addition, the Code imposes restrictions on a REIT’s ability to dispose of properties that are not applicable to other types of real estate companies. In particular, the tax laws applicable to REITs effectively require that we hold our properties for investment, rather than primarily for sale in the ordinary course of business, which may cause us to forgo or defer sales of properties that otherwise would be in our best interest.

Therefore, we may not be able to vary our portfolio in response to economic or other conditions promptly or on favorable terms, which may adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow and per share trading price of our securities.

We could incur significant costs related to government regulation and litigation over environmental matters.

Under various federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the environment, as a current or former owner or operator of real property, we may be liable for costs and damages resulting from the presence or discharge of hazardous or toxic substances, waste or petroleum products at, on, in, under or migrating from such property, including costs to investigate, clean up such contamination and liability for harm to natural resources. Such laws often impose liability without regard to whether the owner or operator knew of, or was responsible for, the presence of such contamination, and the liability may be joint and several. These liabilities could be substantial and the cost of any required remediation, removal, fines or other costs could exceed the value of the property and/or our aggregate assets. In addition, the presence of contamination or the failure to remediate contamination at our properties may expose us to third-party liability for costs of remediation and/or personal or property damage or materially adversely affect our ability to sell, lease or develop our properties or to borrow using the properties as collateral. In addition, environmental laws may create liens on contaminated sites in favor of the government for damages and costs it incurs to address such contamination. Moreover, if contamination is discovered on our properties, environmental laws may impose restrictions on the manner in which property may be used or businesses may be operated, and these restrictions may require substantial expenditures. Some of our properties have been or may be impacted by contamination arising from current or prior uses of the property, or adjacent properties, for commercial or industrial purposes. Such contamination may arise from spills of petroleum or hazardous substances or releases from tanks used to store such materials. As a result, we could potentially incur material liability for these issues, which could adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow and the per share trading price of our securities.

Environmental laws also govern the presence, maintenance and removal of ACBM and LBP and may impose fines and penalties for failure to comply with these requirements or expose us to third-party liability (e.g., liability for personal injury associated with exposure to asbestos or lead). Such laws require that owners or operators of buildings containing ACBM and LBP (and employers in such buildings) properly manage and maintain the asbestos and lead, adequately notify or train those who may come into contact with asbestos or lead, and undertake special precautions, including removal or other abatement, if asbestos or lead would be disturbed during renovation or demolition of a building. Some of our properties contain ACBM and/or LBP and we could be liable for such damages, fines or penalties.

 

In addition, the properties in our portfolio also are subject to various federal, state and local environmental and health and safety requirements, such as state and local fire requirements. Moreover, some of our tenants routinely handle and use hazardous or regulated substances and wastes as part of their operations at our properties, which are subject to regulation. Such environmental and health and safety laws and regulations could subject us or our tenants to liability resulting from these activities. Environmental liabilities could affect a tenant’s ability to make rental payments to us. In addition, changes in laws could increase the potential liability for noncompliance. This may result in significant unanticipated expenditures or may

otherwise materially and adversely affect our operations, or those of our tenants, which could in turn have an adverse effect on us.

We cannot assure you that costs or liabilities incurred as a result of environmental issues will not affect our ability to make distributions to our stockholders or that such costs or other remedial measures will not have an adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow and the per share trading price of our securities. If we do incur material environmental liabilities in the future, we may face significant remediation costs, and we may find it difficult to sell any affected properties.

Our properties may contain or develop harmful mold or suffer from other air quality issues, which could lead to liability for adverse health effects and costs of remediation.

When excessive moisture accumulates in buildings or on building materials, mold growth may occur, particularly if the moisture problem remains undiscovered or is not addressed over a period of time. Some molds may produce airborne toxins or irritants. Indoor air quality issues can also stem from inadequate ventilation, chemical contamination from indoor or outdoor sources, and other biological contaminants such as pollen, viruses and bacteria. Indoor exposure to airborne toxins or irritants above certain levels can be alleged to cause a variety of adverse health effects and symptoms, including allergic or other reactions. As a result, the presence of significant mold or other airborne contaminants at any of our properties could require us to undertake a costly remediation program to contain or remove the mold or other airborne contaminants from the affected property or increase indoor ventilation. In addition, the presence of significant mold or other airborne contaminants could expose us to liability from our tenants, employees of our tenants or others if property damage or personal injury is alleged to have occurred.

We may incur significant costs complying with various federal, state and local laws, regulations and covenants that are applicable to our properties.

The properties in our portfolio are subject to various covenants and federal, state and local laws and regulatory requirements, including permitting and licensing requirements. Local regulations, including municipal or local ordinances, zoning restrictions and restrictive covenants imposed by community developers may restrict our use of our properties and may require us to obtain approval from local officials or restrict our use of our properties and may require us to obtain approval from local officials of community standards organizations at any time with respect to our properties, including prior to acquiring a property or when undertaking renovations of any of our existing properties. Among other things, these restrictions may relate to fire and safety, seismic or hazardous material abatement requirements. There can be no assurance that existing laws and regulatory policies will not adversely affect us or the timing or cost of any future acquisitions or renovations, or that additional regulations will not be adopted that increase such delays or result in additional costs. Our growth strategy may be affected by our ability to obtain permits, licenses and zoning relief. Our failure to obtain such permits, licenses and zoning relief or to comply with applicable laws could have an adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow and per share trading price of our securities.

In addition, federal and state laws and regulations, including laws such as the ADA, impose further restrictions on our properties and operations. Under the ADA, all public accommodations must meet federal requirements related to access and use by disabled persons. Some of our properties may currently be in non-compliance with the ADA. If one or more of the properties in our portfolio is not in compliance with the ADA or any other regulatory requirements, we may be required to incur additional costs to bring the property into compliance and we might incur governmental fines or the award of damages to private litigants. In addition, we do not know whether existing requirements will change or whether future requirements will require us to make significant unanticipated expenditures that will adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow and per share trading price of our securities.

We are exposed to risks associated with property development.

    

We may engage in development and redevelopment activities with respect to certain of our properties. To the extent that we do so, we will be subject to certain risks, including the availability and pricing of financing on favorable terms or at all; construction and/or lease-up delays; cost overruns, including construction costs that exceed our original estimates; contractor and subcontractor disputes, strikes, labor disputes or supply disruptions; failure to achieve expected occupancy and/or rent levels within the projected time frame, if at all; and delays with respect to obtaining or the inability to obtain necessary zoning, occupancy, land use and other governmental permits, and changes in zoning and land use laws. These risks could result in substantial unanticipated delays or expenses and, under certain circumstances, could prevent completion of development activities once undertaken, any of which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow and per share trading price of our securities.

Risks Related to Our Organizational Structure

As of December 31, 2013 , the Farallon Funds owned an approximate 23.5% beneficial interest in our company on a fully diluted basis and have the ability to exercise significant influence on our company.

As of December 31, 2013 , investment funds affiliated with Farallon Capital Management, L.L.C., or Farallon, which we refer to as the Farallon Funds, owned an approximate 23.5% beneficial interest in our company on a fully diluted basis. Consequently, the Farallon Funds may be able to significantly influence the outcome of matters submitted for stockholder action, including the election of our board of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions, including business combinations, consolidations and mergers. In addition, one member of our board of directors is a managing member of Farallon. As a result, the Farallon Funds have substantial influence on us and could exercise their influence in a manner that conflicts with the interests of other stockholders.

The series A preferred units that were issued to some contributors in connection with our initial public offering in exchange for the contribution of their properties have certain preferences, which could limit our ability to pay dividends or other distributions to the holders of our securities or engage in certain business combinations, recapitalizations or other fundamental changes.

In exchange for the contribution of properties to our portfolio in connection with our initial public offering, some contributors received series A preferred units in our operating partnership, which units have an aggregate liquidation preference of approximately $10.5 million and have a preference as to distributions and upon liquidation that could limit our ability to pay dividends on our series B preferred stock and our common stock. The series A preferred units are senior to any other class of securities our operating partnership may issue in the future without the consent of the holders of the series A preferred units. As a result, we will be unable to issue partnership units in our operating partnership senior to the series A preferred units without the consent of the holders of series A preferred units. Any preferred stock in our company that we issue will be subordinate to the series A preferred units. In addition, we may only engage in a fundamental change, including a recapitalization, a merger and a sale of all or substantially all of our assets, as a result of which our common stock ceases to be publicly traded or common units cease to be exchangeable (at our option) for publicly traded shares of our stock, without the consent of holders of series A preferred units if following such transaction we will maintain certain leverage ratios and equity requirements, and pay certain minimum tax distributions to holders of our outstanding series A preferred units. Alternatively, we may redeem all or any portion of the then outstanding series A preferred units for cash (at a price per unit equal to the redemption price). If we choose to redeem the outstanding series A preferred units in connection with a fundamental change, this could reduce the amount of cash available for distribution to holders of our series B preferred stock and our common stock. In addition, these provisions could increase the cost of any such fundamental change transaction, which may discourage a merger, combination or change of control that might involve a premium price for our common stock or that our stockholders otherwise believe to be in their best interests.

Our common stock is ranked junior to our series B preferred stock.

Our common stock is ranked junior to our series B preferred stock. Our outstanding series B preferred stock also has or will have a preference upon our dissolution, liquidation or winding up in respect of assets available for distribution to our stockholders. Holders of our common stock are not entitled to preemptive rights or other protections against dilution. In the future, we may attempt to increase our capital resources by making additional offerings of equity securities, including classes or series of additional preferred stock. Because our decision to issue securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of our future offering. Thus, our stockholders bear the risk of our future offerings reducing the per share trading price of our common stock and diluting their interest in us.

Conflicts of interest exist or could arise in the future between the interests of our stockholders and the interests of holders of units in our operating partnership, which may impede business decisions that could benefit our stockholders.

Conflicts of interest exist or could arise in the future as a result of the relationships between us and our affiliates, on the one hand, and our operating partnership or any partner thereof, on the other. Our directors and officers have duties to our company under applicable Maryland law in connection with their management of our company. At the same time, we, as the general partner of our operating partnership, have fiduciary duties and obligations to our operating partnership and its limited partners under Maryland law and the partnership agreement of our operating partnership in connection with the management of our operating partnership. Our fiduciary duties and obligations as general partner to our operating partnership and its partners may come into conflict with the duties of our directors and officers to our company.

Additionally, the partnership agreement provides that we and our directors and officers will not be liable or accountable to our operating partnership for losses sustained, liabilities incurred or benefits not derived if we, or such director or officer acted in good faith. The partnership agreement also provides that we will not be liable to the operating partnership or any partner for monetary damages for losses sustained, liabilities incurred or benefits not derived by the operating partnership or any limited partner, except for liability for our intentional harm or gross negligence. Moreover, the partnership agreement provides that our operating partnership is required to indemnify us and our directors, officers and employees, officers and employees of the operating partnership and our designees from and against any and all claims that relate to the operations of our operating partnership, except (1) if the act or omission of the person was material to the matter giving rise to the action and either was committed in bad faith or was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty, (2) for any transaction for which the indemnified party received an improper personal benefit, in money, property or services or otherwise, in violation or breach of any provision of the partnership agreement or (3) in the case of a criminal proceeding, if the indemnified person had reasonable cause to believe that the act or omission was unlawful. No reported decision of a Maryland appellate court has interpreted provisions similar to the provisions of the partnership agreement of our operating partnership that modify and reduce our fiduciary duties or obligations as the general partner or reduce or eliminate our liability for money damages to the operating partnership and its partners, and we have not obtained an opinion of counsel as to the enforceability of the provisions set forth in the partnership agreement that purport to modify or reduce the fiduciary duties that would be in effect were it not for the partnership agreement.

We may pursue less vigorous enforcement of terms of the contribution and other agreements with members of our senior management and our affiliates because of our dependence on them and conflicts of interest.

Each of Victor J. Coleman and affiliates of the Farallon Funds are parties to contribution agreements with us pursuant to which we have acquired interests in our properties and assets. In addition, Mr. Coleman is party to an employment agreement with us. We may choose not to enforce, or to enforce less vigorously, our rights under these agreements because of our desire to maintain our ongoing relationship with a member of our senior management and the Farallon Funds, with possible negative impact on stockholders.

Our charter and bylaws, the partnership agreement of our operating partnership and Maryland law contain provisions that may delay, defer or prevent a change of control transaction, even if such a change in control may be in your interest, and as a result may depress the market price of our securities.

Our charter contains certain ownership limits. Our charter contains various provisions that are intended to preserve our qualification as a REIT and, subject to certain exceptions, authorize our directors to take such actions as are necessary or appropriate to preserve our qualification as a REIT. For example, our charter prohibits the actual, beneficial or constructive ownership by any person of more than 9.8% in value or number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of the outstanding shares of each of our common stock and series B preferred stock, and more than 9.8% in value of the aggregate outstanding shares of all classes and series of our stock. Our board of directors, in its sole and absolute discretion, may exempt a person, prospectively or retroactively, from these ownership limits if certain conditions are satisfied. In connection with our initial public offering and the offering of our series B preferred stock, our board of directors granted to the Farallon Funds and certain of their affiliates, which we refer to collectively as the Farallon excepted holders, and to certain other persons, exemptions from the ownership limits, subject to various conditions and limitations. The restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock may:

We could increase the number of authorized shares of stock, classify and reclassify unissued stock and issue stock without stockholder approval. Subject to the rights of holders of series B preferred stock to approve the classification or issuance of any class or series of stock ranking senior to the series B preferred stock, our board of directors has the power under our charter to amend our charter to increase the aggregate number of shares of stock or the number of shares of stock of any class or series that we are authorized to issue, to authorize us to issue authorized but unissued shares of our common stock or preferred stock and to classify or reclassify any unissued shares of our common stock or preferred stock into one or more classes or series of stock and set the terms of such newly classified or reclassified shares. Although our board of directors has no such intention at the present time, it could establish a class or series of preferred stock that could, depending on the terms of

such series, delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change of control that might involve a premium price for our securities or that our stockholders otherwise believe to be in their best interest.

    

Certain provisions of Maryland law could inhibit changes in control, which may discourage third parties from conducting a tender offer or seeking other change of control transactions that our stockholders otherwise believe to be in their best interest. Certain provisions of the Maryland General Corporation Law, or MGCL, may have the effect of inhibiting a third party from making a proposal to acquire us or of impeding a change of control under circumstances that otherwise could be in the best interest of our stockholders, including:

As permitted by the MGCL, we have elected, by resolution of our board of directors, to exempt from the business combination provisions of the MGCL, any business combination that is first approved by our disinterested directors and, pursuant to a provision in our bylaws, to exempt any acquisition of our stock from the control share provisions of the MGCL. However, our board of directors may by resolution elect to repeal the exemption from the business combination provisions of the MGCL and may by amendment to our bylaws opt into the control share provisions of the MGCL at any time in the future.

Certain provisions of the MGCL permit our board of directors, without stockholder approval and regardless of what is currently provided in our charter or bylaws, to implement certain corporate governance provisions, some of which (for example, a classified board) are not currently applicable to us. These provisions may have the effect of limiting or precluding a third party from making an unsolicited acquisition proposal for us or of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of us under circumstances that otherwise could be in the best interest of our stockholders. Our charter contains a provision whereby we have elected to be subject to the provisions of Title 3, Subtitle 8 of the MGCL relating to the filling of vacancies on our board of directors.

Certain provisions in the partnership agreement of our operating partnership may delay or prevent unsolicited acquisitions of us. Provisions in the partnership agreement of our operating partnership may delay or make more difficult unsolicited acquisitions of us or changes of our control. These provisions could discourage third parties from making proposals involving an unsolicited acquisition of us or change of our control, although some stockholders might consider such proposals, if made, desirable. These provisions include, among others:

Our charter, bylaws, the partnership agreement of our operating partnership and Maryland law also contain other provisions that may delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change of control that our stockholders otherwise believe to be in their best interest.

Our board of directors may change our investment and financing policies without stockholder approval and we may become more highly leveraged, which may increase our risk of default under our debt obligations.

Our investment and financing policies are exclusively determined by our board of directors. Accordingly, our stockholders do not control these policies. Further, our organizational documents do not limit the amount or percentage of indebtedness, funded or otherwise, that we may incur. Our board of directors may alter or eliminate our current policy on borrowing at any time without stockholder approval. If this policy changed, we could become more highly leveraged which could result in an increase in our debt service. Higher leverage also increases the risk of default on our obligations. In addition, a change in our investment policies, including the manner in which we allocate our resources across our portfolio or the types of assets in which we seek to invest, may increase our exposure to interest rate risk, real estate market fluctuations and liquidity risk. Changes to our policies with regards to the foregoing could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow and per share trading price of our securities.

Our rights and the rights of our stockholders to take action against our directors and officers are limited.

Our charter eliminates the liability of our directors and officers to us and our stockholders for money damages, except for liability resulting from:

 

In addition, our charter authorizes us to obligate our company, and our bylaws require us, to indemnify our directors and officers for actions taken by them in those and certain other capacities to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law. As a result, we and our stockholders may have more limited rights against our directors and officers than might otherwise exist. Accordingly, in the event that actions taken in good faith by any of our directors or officers impede the performance of our company, your ability to recover damages from such director or officer will be limited.

Tax protection agreements could limit our ability to sell or otherwise dispose of certain properties.

In connection with our formation transactions for our IPO, we entered into tax protection agreements with certain third-party contributors that provide that if we dispose of any interest with respect to the First Financial or Tierrasanta properties in a taxable transaction during the period from the closing of our initial public offering on June 29, 2010 through certain specified dates ranging until 2027, we will indemnify the third-party contributors for certain tax liabilities payable as a result of the sale (as well as tax liabilities payable as a result of the reimbursement payment). Certain contributors’ rights under the tax protection agreements with respect to these properties will, however, expire at various times (depending on the rights of such partner) during the period beginning in 2017 and prior to the expiration, in 2027, of the maximum period for indemnification. The First Financial and Tierrasanta properties represented approximately 6.6% of our office portfolio’s annualized base rent as of December 31, 2013 . If we were to trigger the tax protection provisions under these agreements, we would be required to pay damages, if any, in the amount of certain taxes payable by these contributors (plus additional damages in the amount of the taxes incurred as a result of such payment). In addition, although it may otherwise be in our stockholders’ best interest that we sell one of these properties, it may be economically prohibitive for us to do so because of these obligations.

Our tax protection agreements may require our operating partnership to maintain certain debt levels that otherwise would not be required to operate our business.

Our tax protection agreements provide that during the period from the closing of our initial public offering on June 29, 2010, through certain specified dates ranging from 2017 to 2027, our operating partnership will offer certain holders of units who continue to hold the units received in respect of the formation transactions the opportunity to guarantee debt. If we fail to make such opportunities available, we will be required to indemnify such holders for certain tax liabilities, if any, resulting from our failure to make such opportunities available to them (and any tax liabilities payable as a result of the indemnity payment). We agreed to these provisions in order to assist certain contributors in deferring the recognition of taxable gain as a result of and after the formation transactions. These obligations may require us to maintain more or different indebtedness than we would otherwise require for our business.

We are a holding company with no direct operations and, as such, we rely on funds received from our operating partnership to pay liabilities, and the interests of our stockholders are structurally subordinated to all liabilities and obligations of our operating partnership and its subsidiaries.

We are a holding company and conduct substantially all of our operations through our operating partnership. We do not have, apart from an interest in our operating partnership, any independent operations. As a result, we rely on distributions from our operating partnership to pay any dividends we might declare on our common stock and on shares of our series B preferred stock. We also rely on distributions from our operating partnership to meet our obligations, including any tax liability on taxable income allocated to us from our operating partnership. In addition, because we are a holding company, claims of our equity holders will be structurally subordinated to all existing and future liabilities and obligations (whether or not for borrowed money) of our operating partnership and its subsidiaries and subordinate to the rights of holders of series A preferred units. Therefore, in the event of our bankruptcy, liquidation or reorganization, our assets and those of our operating partnership and its subsidiaries will be available to satisfy the claims of our stockholders only after all of our and our operating partnership’s and its subsidiaries’ liabilities and obligations have been paid in full.

Risks Related to Our Status as a REIT

Failure to qualify as a REIT would have significant adverse consequences to us and the value of our stock.

    

We have elected to be taxed as a REIT for federal income tax purposes commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2013 . We believe that we have operated in a manner that has allowed us to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes commencing with such taxable year, and we intend to continue operating in such manner. We have not requested and do not plan to request a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, that we qualify as a REIT, and the statements in this Annual Report are not binding on the IRS or any court. Therefore, we cannot assure you that we have qualified as a REIT, or that we will remain qualified as such in the future. If we lose our REIT status, we will face serious tax consequences that would substantially reduce the funds available for distribution to you for each of the years involved because:

Any such corporate tax liability could be substantial and would reduce our cash available for, among other things, our operations and distributions to stockholders. In addition, if we fail to qualify as a REIT, we would not be required to make distributions to our stockholders. As a result of all these factors, our failure to qualify as a REIT also could impair our ability to expand our business and raise capital, and could materially and adversely affect the value of our securities.

Qualification as a REIT involves the application of highly technical and complex Code provisions for which there are only limited judicial and administrative interpretations. The complexity of these provisions and of the applicable Treasury regulations that have been promulgated under the Code, or the Treasury Regulations, is greater in the case of a REIT that, like us, holds its assets through a partnership. The determination of various factual matters and circumstances not entirely within our control may affect our ability to qualify as a REIT. In order to qualify as a REIT, we must satisfy a number of requirements, including requirements regarding the ownership of our stock, requirements regarding the composition of our assets and a requirement that at least 95% of our gross income in any year must be derived from qualifying sources, such as “rents from real property.” Also, we must make distributions to stockholders aggregating annually at least 90% of our net taxable income, excluding net capital gains. In addition, legislation, new regulations, administrative interpretations or court decisions may materially adversely affect our investors, our ability to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes or the desirability of an investment in a REIT relative to other investments.

Even if we qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, we may be subject to some federal, state and local income, property and excise taxes on our income or property and, in certain cases, a 100% penalty tax, in the event we sell property as a dealer. In addition, our taxable REIT subsidiaries will be subject to tax as regular corporations in the jurisdictions they operate.

Our ownership of taxable REIT subsidiaries is subject to certain restrictions, and we will be required to pay a 100% penalty tax on certain income or deductions if our transactions with our taxable REIT subsidiaries are not conducted on arm’s length terms.

We currently own an interest in one taxable REIT subsidiary and may acquire securities in additional taxable REIT subsidiaries in the future. A taxable REIT subsidiary is a corporation other than a REIT in which a REIT directly or indirectly holds stock, and that has made a joint election with such REIT to be treated as a taxable REIT subsidiary. If a taxable REIT subsidiary owns more than 35% of the total voting power or value of the outstanding securities of another corporation, such other corporation will also be treated as a taxable REIT subsidiary. Other than some activities relating to lodging and health care facilities, a taxable REIT subsidiary may generally engage in any business, including the provision of customary or non-customary services to tenants of its parent REIT. A taxable REIT subsidiary is subject to federal income tax as a regular C corporation. In addition, a 100% excise tax will be imposed on certain transactions between a taxable REIT subsidiary and its parent REIT that are not conducted on an arm’s length basis. A REIT’s ownership of securities of a taxable REIT subsidiary is not subject to the 5% or 10% asset tests applicable to REITs. Not more than 25% of our total assets may be represented by securities, including securities of taxable REIT subsidiaries, other than those securities includable in the 75% asset test. We anticipate that the aggregate value of the stock and securities of any taxable REIT subsidiaries and other nonqualifying assets that we own will be less than 25% of the value of our total assets, and we will monitor the value of these investments to ensure compliance with applicable ownership limitations. In addition, we intend to structure our transactions with any taxable REIT subsidiaries that we own to ensure that they are entered into on arm’s length terms to avoid incurring the 100% excise tax described above. There can be no assurance, however, that we will be able to comply with the 25% limitation or to avoid application of the 100% excise tax discussed above.

To maintain our REIT status, we may be forced to borrow funds during unfavorable market conditions.

To qualify as a REIT, we generally must distribute to our stockholders at least 90% of our net taxable income each year, excluding net capital gains, and we will be subject to regular corporate income taxes to the extent that we distribute less than 100% of our net taxable income each year. In addition, we will be subject to a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the amount, if any, by which distributions paid by us in any calendar year are less than the sum of 85% of our ordinary income, 95% of our capital gain net income and 100% of our undistributed income from prior years. In order to maintain our REIT status and avoid the payment of income and excise taxes, we may need to borrow funds to meet the REIT distribution requirements even if the then prevailing market conditions are not favorable for these borrowings. These borrowing needs could result from, among other things, differences in timing between the actual receipt of cash and inclusion of income for federal income tax purposes, or the effect of non-deductible capital expenditures, the creation of reserves or required debt or amortization payments. These sources, however, may not be available on favorable terms or at all. Our access to third-party sources of capital depends on a number of factors, including the market’s perception of our growth potential, our current debt levels, the market price of our common stock, and our current and potential future earnings. We cannot assure you that we will have access to such capital on favorable terms at the desired times, or at all, which may cause us to curtail our investment activities and/or to dispose of assets at inopportune times, and could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow, cash available for distributions to our stockholders, and per share trading price of our securities.

Complying with REIT requirements may affect our profitability and may force us to liquidate or forgo otherwise attractive investments.

To qualify as a REIT, we must continually satisfy tests concerning, among other things, the nature and diversification of our assets, the sources of our income and the amounts we distribute to our stockholders. We may be required to liquidate or forgo otherwise attractive investments in order to satisfy the asset and income tests or to qualify under certain statutory relief provisions. We also may be required to make distributions to stockholders at disadvantageous times or when we do not have funds readily available for distribution. As a result, having to comply with the distribution requirement could cause us to: (i) sell assets in adverse market conditions; (ii) borrow on unfavorable terms; or (iii) distribute amounts that would otherwise be invested in future acquisitions, capital expenditures or repayment of debt. Accordingly, satisfying the REIT requirements could have an adverse effect on our business results, profitability and ability to execute our business plan. Moreover, if we are compelled to liquidate our investments to meet any of these asset, income or distribution tests, or to repay obligations to our lenders, we may be unable to comply with one or more of the requirements applicable to REITs or may be subject to a 100% tax on any resulting gain if such sales constitute prohibited transactions.

Dividends payable by REITs do not qualify for the reduced tax rates available for some dividends.

Income from “qualified dividends” payable to U.S. stockholders that are individuals, trusts and estates are generally subject to tax at preferential rates. Dividends payable by REITs, however, generally are not eligible for the preferential tax rates

applicable to qualified dividend income. Although these rules do not adversely affect the taxation of REITs or dividends payable by REITs, to the extent that the preferential rates continue to apply to regular corporate qualified dividends, investors who are individuals, trusts and estates may perceive investments in REITs to be relatively less attractive than investments in the stocks of non-REIT corporations that pay dividends, which could materially and adversely affect the value of the shares of REITs, including the per share trading price of our securities.

The power of our board of directors to revoke our REIT election without stockholder approval may cause adverse consequences to our stockholders and unitholders.

Our charter provides that our board of directors may revoke or otherwise terminate our REIT election, without the approval of our stockholders, if it determines that it is no longer in our best interest to continue to qualify as a REIT. If we cease to qualify as a REIT, we would become subject to U.S. federal income tax on our taxable income and would no longer be required to distribute most of our taxable income to our stockholders and accordingly, distributions Hudson Pacific Properties, L.P. makes to its unitholders could be similarly reduced.

Legislative or other actions affecting REITs could have a negative effect on us.

The rules dealing with federal income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the IRS and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Changes to the tax laws, with or without retroactive application, could adversely affect our investors or us. We cannot predict how changes in the tax laws might affect our investors or us. New legislation, Treasury Regulations, administrative interpretations or court decisions could significantly and negatively affect our ability to qualify as a REIT or the federal income tax consequences of such qualification.