Vol. XV, No. 7
February 22, 2002

assessor races update: some like it hot

In what used to be little-noticed elections, a number of county assessor races this year have become highly visible featuring hand-to-hand combat. In fact, there are more contested assessor races than anytime in recent memory.

The soap-opera saga in San Bernardino County reached a new low this week, with incumbent Assessor Don Williamson urging criminal charges be brought against his principal opponent. The San Luis Obispo assessor is hearing some not-so-veiled criticism of his performance. And in San Francisco, Assessor Doris Ward is under fire for, among other things, using public funds to help her campaign.

Here are some updates on assessor races around the state:

San Bernardino County. Mr. Williamson said he ordered county lawyers to press criminal charges against his main opponent, Linda Foster, the Riverside Press Enterprise reported on February 19. He said Ms. Foster and her husband should be criminally charged for failing to report the existence of a number of billboards to the assessor’s office.

In response, Ms. Foster, who had served as chief of staff in the assessor’s office until she resigned in 2001, threatened to sue Mr. Williamson for libel. She called his allegations “absolute baloney” and said, “We have to stand up and say that we won’t take it anymore.” She claimed the questioned billboards were assessed as part of the land value and noted the parcel with the billboards is assessed at $98,000 while similar-sized neighboring parcels are assessed at $4,000 per parcel. Mark Edwards, an attorney for the Colorado River Indian Land Co., the owner of the billboards, sent a scathing letter to Mr. Williamson stating it had a letter Mr. Williamson sent to his staff ordering them to investigate any billboards owned by Ms. Foster, the San Bernardino Sun reported on February 21. The letter accused Mr. Williamson of violating the federal Civil Rights Act by abusing his authority as an elected official to persecute a small business for political purposes. Mr. Williamson said he ordered a review of all billboards. Mr. Edwards said he will be in the assessor’s office on Monday (February 25) to demand any documents the assessor has used to make his allegation. He said, “We expect to find nothing.”

Fred Aguiar, former Assembly member and chair of the County Board of Supervisors, and County Counsel Alan Marks ordered Mr. Williamson on February 8 to transfer the case from his private counsel to Mr. Marks. The county counsel has questioned the suit’s validity because Mr. Williamson did not have authority under state law to hire his own lawyer and did not approach the Fosters before suing.

Mr. Williamson said he has ordered the counsel to file his information with the district attorney and grand jury. “If the county counsel does not do so as I direct, I will file an action against the county counsel and the county to have this information filed with the correct authority,” he said.

The San Bernardino Sun reported that, according to the California State Bar Association Web site, the attorney Mr. Williamson started with isn’t entitled to practice law in this state.

The Press-Enterprise noted that Mr. Williamson used the courts to battle his opponent in the last election. He sued former Assessor R. Gordon Young, who is also running this year, over the wording of a ballot argument.

San Luis Obispo County. Candidate Tom Bordonaro, a former state Assembly member, is hammering the record of 26-year incumbent Dick Frank. In response, Mr. Frank is defending his record and touting his experience.

Mr. Bordonaro cites the incident where the county was sued, and settled out-of-court, for actions by an assessor’s office employee who trespassed on property, opening the front door and walking through a gate into the back yard. Mr. Frank said assessors aren’t trespassing unless they are ordered to leave. Mr. Bordonaro also charged Mr. Frank assessed tax-exempt churches that allowed non-profit groups to meet in them. Mr. Frank said the churches were taxed because non-profit groups were meeting in them. “I think the issue that matters with the voters is trust, and I think this office has lost its trust of the people of San Luis Obispo County,” Mr. Bordonaro told the San Luis Obispo Tribune editorial board last week. Mr. Frank said the fact that there have only been a few complaints against his office shows it is well run.

Mr. Bordonaro has been endorsed by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.

San Francisco County. The San Francisco Chronicle says (February 18) that Assessor Doris Ward is in the “political fight of her life.” The paper adds “she has been caught skipping work, shopping on city time and missing out on tax revenue in her nearly 10 years on the job.”

She has also been criticized and, according to newspaper reports, has been a target of an FBI probe for using public funds to help pay for a campaign newsletter (see Caltaxletter of December 21, 2001). Earlier this month, an aide quit because he had been ordered to work for her campaign.

Ms. Ward’s supporters contend she is being vilified because she is black, old and female. And in San Francisco, she has the support of Mayor Willie Brown, who still is a formidable political ally despite recent defeats of his hand-picked candidates for supervisor. She is also supported by the San Francisco Labor Council. She takes credit for “having one of the most highly computerized offices” in the state.

Her opponents are:

• Richard Hongisto, a former assessor who has also been elected a supervisor and served a stint as police chief. He says he wants to complete the changes in the office he made before he left and get all taxable property on the roll. He is supported by Supervisor Matt Gonzales and former Public Defender Jeff Brown.

• Mabel Tang, a former supervisor and former Willie Brown supporter who recently broke with the mayor. She considers herself as the “reform” candidate and wants to tax new developments at the Presidio by challenging the former U.S. Army base’s exempt status.

• Ron Chun, a tax attorney and former IRS agent. He has also been a member of the county’s assessment appeals board for the past seven years. In this capacity, he wrote the appeals board decision in a case described by the Chronicle as the largest case of alleged property tax fraud in state history. The board upheld a $1 million penalty imposed on the owners of One Market Plaza, who were charged of concealing an ownership change.
  
  His endorsements span the political spectrum and include the liberal, anti-Brown weekly paper The Bay Guardian, the Republican Party, the Richmond Democratic Club, the San Francisco Small Property Owners Association and Mara Kopp (wife of former state Senator Quentin Kopp).

• John Farrell, an assistant assessor. He said that an “insider” is needed to fix the problems in the Assessor’s Office.

• Jim Rodriquez, an unsuccessful supervisor candidate in 2000 and health care professional. He wants to reorganize the Assessor’s Office for increased efficiency and cost reduction and assist renters in becoming homeowners. He is supported by the Mexican-American Political Association, the Ron Brown Democratic Club and Affordable Homeownerships Alliance.

Kern. Assessor candidates Jim Fitch and Trice Harvey are battling down to the wire in a race to succeed retiring assessor Jim Maples. Mr. Fitch, an “inside” candidate, stressed the need for someone with experience and said his background as chief appraiser will fill the bill. He also said he supports increasing the homeowners’ exemption from $7,000 to $25,000. He has the support of Mr. Maples and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. Mr. Harvey, a former county supervisor and former state Assembly member, cited his managerial experience as the best qualification to become assessor. He also has a substantial lead in fund raising. He told the Bakersfield Californian (February 9) that his experience as county supervisor in overseeing budgets and hiring and firing is similar to the kind of duties he would face as assessor.

Of the county’s last four assessors, two came from inside the assessor’s office and two came from outside.

Merced. David Cardella, the incumbent assessor for the past 25 years, is faced with a challenger who says “It’s time for a change.” Dave Contreras, an appraiser in the office, who also ran for assessor in 1998, said conditions in the office during the past four years were so bad the county had to bring in a psychologist at a cost of $8,000. He told the Modesto Bee (February 16), “We were the laughing stock of the administration building in 1999. The assessor, in my opinion, just lost control. He was an embarrassment. He went after people who backed me.”

Mr. Contreras said that, among other things, he would update 16-year-old aerial photos of the county.

Mr. Cardella takes credit for implementing Proposition 13 in 1978 and the county’s entry into the Williamson Act in 2000. He called allegations of mistreatment after the last election ridiculous, and added, “I realize I’ve been around a long time, but I think I have a lot of good years left.”

Orange. There hasn’t been much media coverage of the campaign for Orange County assessor between incumbent Webster Guillory and Larry L. Bales, an auditor with 30 years experience in property taxes. Mr. Guillory, who has been endorsed by the Orange County Deputy Sheriffs Association, said his re-election priorities are to provide excellent public service, improve public access to data and maintain integrity in the office.

Mr. Bales, who has been endorsed by the California Republican Assembly, is calling for legal assessments under Proposition13 and return of tax dollars he says were illegally assessed.

El Dorado County. In the three-way battle to succeed retiring assessor John Winner, candidates are lining-up key endorsements.

Tom Holcomb, an assistant assessor, says he is carrying the endorsement of Mr. Winner and 40 of the 43-member office staff. His top priorities are keeping taxpayers informed of their benefits, continuing to enhance public access to property data and to lobby the Legislature for better taxpayer benefits.

Terry Tawney, an assessment systems manager and 29-year certified property tax appraiser, also has some impressive endorsements. He is supported by the El Dorado County Republican Assembly, the El Dorado Green Party Control Committee and former Assembly Democratic Floor Leader and former Congressman Jerome Waldie. He is also endorsed by the Tahoe Daily Tribune, the only daily paper in the county. His priorities are to maintain a high degree of office integrity, and create a public service organization to provide excellent, cost-effective service.

The third candidate in the race is Bill Vandegrift, a property values analyst. A candidate forum was scheduled February 22 at 7:30 p.m. in the Placerville Town Hall.

Butte County. Assessor Ken Reimers, who is seeking a third term, is challenged by Chris Baker, an assessor technician. According to the Chico Enterprise Record (February 19), the campaign has been low-key so far, with both candidates borrowing money from themselves. Mr. Reimers told the paper his opponent wasn’t qualified for the job and “spends most of his time in the file room.”

In response, Mr. Baker states he has degrees in law and public administration, has been an appraisal specialist for five and one-half years and said, “I believe I can do the job better.” He said he would provide for more taxpayer outreach and pay for it himself, if necessary.

Both candidates claimed to have a majority of the assessor’s staff supporting their candidacies.

Stanislaus County. Do voters have a real choice in the contest to succeed retiring Assessor Mike DeFerrari? Both candidates, Doug Harms and Mike Serpa, have worked in the office for more than 20 years and both pledge to protect the rights of property owners and to run an efficient office.

Mr. Harms, a graduate of San Jose State, said he wants to make assessment information available to the public on the Internet. He currently is one of two top assistants to Mr. DeFerrari. According to the Modesto Bee (February 16), he said, “The reason you don’t hear about us is that we are doing a good job.”

Mr. Serpa, a graduate of Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, is a current member of the Modesto City Council and is a senior appraiser in the Assessor’s Office. He told The Bee that the assessor needs to do a better job of telling people of their right to seek a reduced value if their property value declines. He said he has wide budgeting experience from city council responsibilities, works with community groups and is involved in his family’s farm. He has worked in the Assessor’s Office for 22 years.

Los Angeles. Although there are three challengers to incumbent Assessor Rick Auerbach on the ballot, there is scant evidence of a campaign and it appears that Mr. Auerbach will have no trouble getting re-elected on March 5. He is on some important slate mailers and supported by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, a number of businesses and several labor groups.

His opponents are Steven Kalski, a deputy assessor, John Lower Taxes Loew, a deputy assessor, and Mervin Evans, an author and investment banker.

San Diego. Gregory Smith, who has been county assessor since 1983 and who holds a masters degree in public administration from San Diego State, has only token opposition. Mr. Smith says he has opened five branch offices to better serve the public and his office is rated as one of the best run assessors offices. His opponent, John Hammerstrand, is an environmental health specialist.

Santa Barbara County. With the retirement of Assessor Ken Pettit, Larry Herrera and Joe Holland are vying for the job. Mr. Herrera is Mr. Pettit’s second in command in the office and is supported by Mr. Pettit. Mr. Herrera said he wants to improve customer service, both over-the-counter and on the Internet, and pledged to serve only two terms. Mr. Pettit was quoted in the Santa Maria Times as saying Mr. Herrera is the “brains of the outfit.”

His opponent is Joe Holland, who heads the Business Division of the Assessor’s Office. He has lined up the endorsement of former Assessor William Cook. Mr. Holland told the Santa Maria Times that the 2001 assessment roll was rife with mistakes and over 2,000 corrections had to be made. Mr. Holland said a new county Recorder’s Office being built in Santa Barbara is unnecessary and funds could have been used to improve services. Mr. Herrera said the current courthouse space for the recorder’s office is cramped, hot and humid.

Solano. Candidates to succeed retiring Assessor Robert Blechschmidt are Skip Thomson and Alfred Wise. Mr. Thomson, who spent 16 years as a real-estate appraiser, appears to be the front runner as he is a county supervisor and has been endorsed by Mr. Blechschmidt.  Mr. Wise is chief deputy assessor for Contra Costa County.

Fresno. The candidates seeking to succeed Bill Greenwood as county assessor are touting the endorsements they have received. Bob Werner, a deputy county assessor, is supported by Mr. Greenwood and two county supervisors – Susan Anderson and Bob Waterston.

Chuck Brough, an educator with teaching experience at Fresno State and a chief appraiser, has the endorsement of former Assembly Member Bruce Bronzon and Mike Reynolds, author of the “Three Strikes” initiative.

Ron Shapazian, a businessman, has the backing of Sheriffs Hal McKinney and Steve Magarian, the San Joaquin Valley Taxpayers Association, and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.

The fourth candidate, Paul Burris, a CPA, is campaigning as an outsider in support of Proposition 13.

Other Assessor Election Coverage. Caltaxletter of February 8 reported on races for assessor in Humboldt, Monterey, San Bernardino and Fresno counties. The January 25 Caltaxletter reported on the Kern County race.