(1170) Assessor's Division

The Assessor’s Office has several divisions which include Administration, Appraisal, Auditing, Mapping and the Front Office. The Administration oversees the entire function and operation of the office. Appraisal & Auditing work together in the overall property appraisal process. The Mapping division is the starting point in drawing and creating new parcels from recorded subdivisions and processing workflow distribution to the appraisal staff. The Front Office staff processes documents, receives phone inquiries, serves as the representative and focal point for the Assessor’s Office in providing outstanding customer service to the public.

The Mission of the Assessor's Office is to provide an annual assessment roll in a timely, accurate, and efficient manner resulting is fair and equitable treatment; and to provide the highest level of customer service along with current assessment information to the public and government agencies in a professional, responsive, and effective way.

DEPARTMENT/DIVISION OVERVIEW

The Assessor’s Office has several divisions which include Administration, Appraisal, Auditing, Mapping and the Front Office. The Administration oversees the entire function and operation of the office. Appraisal & Auditing work together in the overall property appraisal process. The Mapping division is the starting point in drawing and creating new parcels from recorded subdivisions and processing workflow distribution to the appraisal staff. The Front Office staff processes documents, receives phone inquiries, serves as the representative and focal point for the Assessor’s Office in providing outstanding customer service to the public.

• Committed to Service - Provide the highest level of public service
• Fair & Equitable Treatment- Provide timely and accurate assessments and services
• Technology- Continue to use technology to improve overall efficiency

•  • Assessment Roll Increase – We experienced an additional $818 million in assessed value for the 2024 assessment roll which represents a 6.5% increase from the prior year. Our total assessed value reached a new milestone exceeding $13.5 billion which will generate approximately $135 million in property taxes for local government agencies and schools.
•  • Prop 8 Assessments – Due to the changing real estate market, the Assessor’s Office focused efforts on properties that had received a temporary value reduction under Proposition 8 to determine the value of those properties as of January 1, 2024. As a result of this mandatory review, 27 properties were removed from Proposition 8 status and fully restored to the Proposition 13 assessed values. The majority of the remaining 401 properties also experienced some upward value adjustment (partial restoration).
•  • Assessment Appeals – The Assessor’s Office staff has worked diligently to reduce the filing of assessment appeals through more taxpayer contact and detailed explanation of our assessed valuations. In 2024, there were a total of 17 assessment appeal applications out of approximately 25,800 (secured & unsecured) assessments which represents .06% (1/16 of 1%).

• • Expand Office Space – The Office fire of September 6, 2023 displaced the Assessor's Office. We were fortunate to relocate to our new location at 1131 San Felipe Road. The Assessor's Office needs more office space and with the future office renovation of our previous location downtown at 440 Fifth Street this should accomplish our needs for office space.
• • Rapid Development Growth – The office is concerned with the growth in residential developments and keeping up with new construction assessments. We are working on alleviating the backlog of appraisal work. Our mapping department is moving forward with staying current on drawing and creating parcels from new subdivisions which will speed up the workflow distribution process allowing our appraisal staff to value those properties in a timely manner.
• • Scanning and Cataloging of All Records – One of our objectives is scanning and cataloging of all our paper records. We have purchased scanners and are in the process of digitizing our property records providing a much more effective way to store, retain, and locate our information which will improve office and appraisal efficiency.
• • With the passage of Proposition 19 by the California voters on November 3, 2020, it has created a much heavier workload for staff. This has emphasized the need for additional staff but also more in-depth training and certification for existing staff who are making important assessment decisions to determine the taxpayer’s eligibility for the exclusion.

• Continue to Expand Office – The goal is to increase the office personnel for future assessment needs.
• Succession Planning – Train existing staff to take on some of the management roles in the Assessor’s Office.
• Continue with the conversion of the Assessor’s AutoCAD parcel maps to a GIS format for the Assessor’s parcel maps which will provide all our parcel map pages in a digitized environment.

As part of the 2025-2026 Assessor’s Budget, two key supervising positions – Supervising Auditor-Appraiser and Supervising Appraiser – were officially removed from the Assessor’s Schedule of Authorized Positions after remaining unfunded for several years. These positions became vacant when the previous incumbents were promoted to Assistant Assessor and Chief Appraiser, respectively. At the time, the vacancies were not filled due to a lack of qualified internal candidates, as these roles are typically staffed through internal promotion.
Currently, there are now potential candidates on track to meet the necessary qualifications, making it crucial to consider reinstating these positions in the near future. Their restoration is vital for effective succession planning and employee retention, particularly given the highly specialized nature of the Auditor-Appraiser and Appraiser classifications, which require both certification and ongoing continuing education.
These supervisory positions play a critical role in conducting complex audits and appraisals, reviewing staff work for accuracy and compliance, providing support to employees on assessment appeals, overseeing training and day-to-day management within their respective divisions.