Assessor's Office's Office Gets High Marks

By Jeff Prang

Los Angeles County Assessor

I wanted to share some exciting news with you this month. Your Los Angeles County Assessor's Office has received a nearly perfect score of 99.87 percent from a state regulating agency in its latest survey that acts as a de facto report card by comparing our assessment values, monitoring practices as well as evaluating how we perform administratively.

The survey, administered by the California State Board of Equalization (BOE), reflects the thoroughness, fairness and accuracy of the Assessment Roll, which is a list of the values of all taxable properties in Los Angeles County.

Some history, the California BOE was established in 1879 under the California Constitution to regulate county assessment practices, equalize county assessment ratios, and assess properties of intercounty railroads. In subsequent constitutional and statutory amendments, the Board was directed to administer tax, fee, and appellate programs to support state and local government.

Part of the BOE responsibilities is to provide guidance to county assessors that promotes uniformity and consistency in assessments throughout the state and to routinely conduct surveys (compliance audits) to ensure county assessors' practices and procedures comply with all statutory and regulatory provisions, using proper appraisal practices.

Although my office has the primary responsibility for local property assessment, the BOE ensures that assessor offices throughout California maintain fair and equitable assessments. This report card, known as the Assessment Practices Survey, is a periodic evaluation of all California assessors to make sure they meet those state standards.

For this latest report, BOE examiners reviewed a sampling of 332 items from the Assessment Roll along with interviews with staff and public officials as well as a review of other pertinent records.

I have long held that this survey, or audit if you will, of our administrative practices and assessments is an invaluable, useful and constructive tool to help us achieve our goal of excellent public service.

Furthermore, not only is the survey results good news for our office, it's good news for the public as well because it's a verification that what we are doing is exactly what we should be doing. That's a tribute to the employees of the Assessor's Office, who stand at the ready to help the public in any way they can. Their professionalism and dedication is the foundation for the best assessment office in the nation as well as the largest.