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What’s at stake in this race
The Board of Equalization was created to standardize property tax assessments across the state. Today, it has a five-person board consisting of four elected members representing geographic districts and the state controller. It advises county assessors, sets the taxable value of property owned by utilities and railroads and hears some taxpayer appeals. Lawmakers stripped the agency of broader authority in 2017.
District 3, which covers all of L.A. County, has two Democrats on the ballot — with a wide gap in financial support. Mike Gipson is a longtime state legislator. He is termed out of his state Assembly seat representing the 65th district, which covers Carson, North Long Beach and Compton, among other nearby communities. Gipson faces Sam P. Sukaton, whose campaign website lists his background as a "union organizer, policy leader, and former Jeopardy! contestant." Sukaton also served as a regional campaign director for Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential run in the Inland Empire and Orange County.
District 3
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State of California
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The candidates
Mike Gipson
Party: Democratic
State Assemblymember
Key endorsements
More voter resources
Samuel P. Sukaton
Party: Democratic
Labor union organizer
Sponsored message
Key endorsements
More voter resources
- No official candidate statement
- Campaign website
- Full endorsement list
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