"Unlike the sheriff or the district attorney, people often ask me: "What exactly does the assessor do?" My answer surprises them. "The assessor is not a political position." Their reaction is almost always the same: "But you get elected, don't you?" Yes, the law requires election, but after the ballots are counted, there is nothing political about managing the Assessor's Office. In fact, it would be unethical - or even illegal - for politics to influence the appraisal or assessment of property."
"The assessor, however, has a single responsibility: to fairly and accurately assess property. It is highly technical work requiring deep assessor knowledge, legal expertise and management skill - not political calculation. The assessor's work is governed by laws so regardless of who the assessor is, the assessed values of properties should be the same if the assessor complies with those laws."
"Consider the scale of the office: the assessor is responsible for appraising and assessing more than 500,000 properties countywide, producing a $700 billion assessment roll that generates $8 billion in property tax revenue each year. The office manages more than 16,000 active appeals and employs a staff of 251 professionals, most of them certified appraisers and auditors. That's why the next assessor must be a professional, not a politician."
The assessor is a nonpolitical, technical official whose primary responsibility is to fairly and accurately appraise and assess property under law. Election is required by statute, but political influence on valuations would be unethical or illegal. The office appraises over 500,000 properties, produces a $700 billion assessment roll, and generates about $8 billion in property tax revenue annually. The office manages over 16,000 active appeals and employs 251 professionals, most certified appraisers and auditors. More than half of revenue produced funds local schools and community colleges. The next assessor must be a professional with legal and managerial expertise.
Read at San Jose Spotlight
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