What’s at stake in this race

If you own real estate in Los Angeles County, this race is all about your property tax bill. The current assessor, Jeffrey Prang, is facing four challengers.

What does the LA County assessor do?

The L.A. County assessor is responsible for determining how much your property is worth, which directly influences how much you pay in property taxes.

The assessor’s job is massive in scale. The 1,400-employee office places a value on all the homes, commercial buildings and other properties in the nation’s most populous county. Last year, the Assessor’s Office reported that L.A. County was home to a total of nearly 2.4 million parcels of property, collectively valued at about $2.18 trillion.

Why this race matters to everyone:

Counties in California depend on property taxes for nearly one-fifth of their total revenue. That money gets put toward schools, police, healthcare, parks and other programs.

Even though they are bound by strict rules and pre-existing policies, assessors retain enormous power. In past scandals, L.A. County assessors have been accused of lowering tax assessments for politically connected property owners. Former L.A. County Assessor John Noguez was accused in 2012 of accepting bribes leading to lower tax assessments. The long-running case remains ongoing and could go to trial soon.

Here are some of the things the assessor doesn't do:

• Assessors do not determine the market value of your property. Your tax assessment isn’t the same thing as what a buyer would be willing to pay for your home. For that, you should work with a licensed real estate appraiser (or check Zillow for a rough estimate).
• Assessors also do not collect property taxes. That job falls to an entirely different office: the L.A. County Treasurer and Tax Collector.
• The assessor must abide by California’s Proposition 13, which caps how much a property owner’s taxes can rise every year. This restriction means that even as homes increase in value based on market conditions, their assessed value for tax purposes will stay lower. (By the way, this 1978 voter-approved policy has had profound impacts for California’s tax revenue, school funding and housing affordability — but that’s a story for another time.)

What’s on the agenda for next term:

One big question facing the Assessor’s Office in the near future is how to value all the properties rebuilt following the Palisades and Eaton fires, which destroyed more than 16,000 structures.

The Assessor’s Office has said that rebuilt homes will retain their former tax base but with some caveats. The rebuilt property must be “substantially equivalent” to the lost home, and the Assessor’s Office has said:

What it takes to win:

Any candidate who gets more than 50% of the vote in the June primary will win office outright. If none reaches that threshold, the top two vote-getters will advance to the November ballot.

The candidates

Jeffrey Prang, incumbent

Prang is the incumbent in this race. He has held the position of L.A. County assessor since 2014.

In his own words

During his three terms as assessor, Prang said he has focused on modernizing efforts, including replacing older platforms with cloud-based technology. He said he has also improved access to tax relief, such as programs for disabled veterans, seniors and nonprofits.

He told LAist, “I am seeking reelection because I want to continue building on the progress we have made — modernizing the office, improving customer service, increasing transparency and ensuring that the property tax system works fairly for everyone.”

Prang said his key issues will include ensuring fairness in assessments, continuing technology modernization investments, raising awareness of tax relief programs and expanding workforce development programs with local colleges to provide job opportunities in the office.

More voter resources:

• Website: JeffreyPrang.com
• Endorsements: U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, L.A. County Supervisors Kathryn Barger, Janice Hahn, Lindsey Horvath and Hilda Solis
• Full list of endorsements here

Stephen Adamus, property assessment specialist

Stephen Adamus

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Courtesy of the campaign

)

Adamus currently works within the L.A. County Assessor’s Office, where he analyzes property transfers to determine whether a change in ownership should trigger a reassessment.

In his own words

Adamus told LAist he is running because he feels the current administration is corrupt. Adamus was one of three employees who filed a lawsuit in 2019, alleging incumbent Jeffrey Prang helped politically favored property owners pay lower taxes. Prang’s office called the lawsuit meritless.

“The connected and influential get what they want,” Adamus said. “We are losing millions of dollars every year under Jeff Prang because he cares more about his image than the county.”

Adamus said his top issues are corruption, waste and mismanagement.

“I know what is wrong with the place — I’ve seen it with my own eyes — and I know how to fix it,” Adamus said.

More voter resources:

• Website: AdamusForLA.com
• Endorsements: Adamus told LAist in mid-March, “As of now, my notable endorsements include my family (parents, wife, children) and friends. And co-workers.”

Rob Newland, real estate appraiser and housing economist

In his current role, Newland said he studies property valuation, housing markets and how property taxes can shape local economies.

In his own words

Newland said despite the assessor’s wide reach, he feels public transparency into property assessment data is limited. He said that data could help address L.A.’s broader challenges.

“Over the past 12 years, homelessness has worsened and housing affordability has continued to decline,” Newland told LAist. “I believe the Assessor’s Office should be far more proactive in using its data to help policymakers understand where housing opportunities exist and where the system is breaking down.”

Newland said if elected, he would launch a countywide vacant property and land transparency map, use assessor data to identify illegal short-term rentals and use property data to support housing and homelessness solutions.

More voter resources:

• Website: Newland4Assessor.com

Steven Palty, tax consultant

Palty told LAist, “I regularly speak to homeowners, renters and small business owners who are concerned and deeply affected by inflation, rising property values and the resulting effect on property taxes and rising rent costs.”

In his own words

Palty said if elected to office, he would ensure integrity and fairness in property tax assessment and collection.

“I intend to use all means to reduce the tax burden on L.A. County residents and to find and eliminate any waste and fraud in the system,” Palty said.

More voter resources:

• Website: none provided
• Endorsements: none provided

Sandy Sun, certified appraiser

Sun worked for the Assessor’s Office for more than two decades. Sun previously ran for L.A. County Assessor in 2018 and 2022, both times unsuccessfully.

In their own words

Sun did not respond to LAist’s survey of candidates for the assessor’s race.

More voter resources:

• Website: none provided
• Endorsements: none provided

How to get involved:

If you have questions about your property tax assessment, disaster relief or transferring your tax base to a child or grandchild, you can contact the Assessor’s Office here.

How to watchdog your local government

One of the best things you can do to hold officials accountable is pay attention. Your city council, board of supervisors, school board and more all hold public meetings that anybody can attend. These are times you can talk to your elected officials directly and hear about the policies they’re voting on that affect your community.

• Read tips on how to get involved.
• The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors meets on most Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m. at Room 381-B, 500 West Temple St., Los Angeles. You can check out the full calendar here.
• Learn how to submit a public comment to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors here.

If you want to see the meetings without participating, you can watch them live here or on YouTube. The meetings are also aired on KLCS at 11 p.m. the following Wednesday. Here are more tips on how to participate.