Board Upset Assessor Has Yet to Seek State Funds

SANTA ANA — County supervisors expressed frustration Wednesday with Assessor Bradley L. Jacobs’ refusal to participate in a state program that could ease a 12- to 15-month backlog in property tax assessment appeals.

“I don’t see the advantage of sitting around and watching an opportunity fly by, when this could enhance the tax assessment process and the objectives of his office,” complained Supervisor Thomas W. Wilson.

Orange County is eligible to receive as much as $14 million under the state’s Property Tax Administrative Loan Program. The loans convert to grants if the county meets certain efficiency goals.

Partly because of the chronic backlog of appeals from residents who have challenged their property tax assessments, county officials have repeatedly urged Jacobs to seek the state funding.

But Jacobs has maintained that Orange County does not qualify for the program, a view that is disputed by some officials. And Jacobs also questioned in an interview Wednesday the financial wisdom of accepting state money when there is a chance the county will have to eventually repay it.

“Putting the county into further debt is something that cannot be done lightly,” he said. “Taking on more debt must be done with extreme care.”

Responded Wilson: “I think the benefits outweigh any risks.”

Wilson and other board members also complained that Jacobs has remained aloof from the county’s long-term planning process, noting that the assessor’s office was the only county department not represented at a board retreat last week, and was the only department not to submit a strategic business plan.

“I don’t feel that he is being a partner in the county’s planning for the 21st century,” Supervisor Todd Spitzer said. “I plan to be on the back of the assessor to insist that there is accountability.”

Forty of California’s 58 counties now take advantage of the state loan-to-grant program, including all six Southern California counties. Orange County has until June to apply for a share of this year’s allocation.

Under the law, only the assessor can submit a funding request, even though money can be used by other departments involved in the assessment appeals process.

State officials said the money has helped counties reduce the backlogs in property tax appeals filed by property owners who want their valuations reduced to conform with the sagging real estate market.

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Jacobs defended his stance Wednesday, insisting that Orange County is not eligible for the program because of a requirement that participants maintain a minimum level of staffing.

The county would have to hire 15 or more new assessment workers before it could receive any state money, he said.

“It doesn’t apply to us,” Jacobs said. “That is very clear if you read the law. It requires a certain level of staffing, and we are below that level. . . . This was designed for Los Angeles County and its problems.”

Jacobs said he is also concerned about the risks of accepting a loan that might have to be repaid later. He also rejected the suggestion by some county officials that he submit the funding request with the understanding that his office would not be responsible for repaying the loan.

“When you sign something, you are taking responsibility for it,” he said. “How would you feel if I borrowed a million in your name?”

Jacobs said he didn’t attend last Friday’s board retreat because he had wisdom teeth removed two days earlier. While his office didn’t submit a business plan like other departments, it did provide Chief Executive Officer Jan Mittermeier with its annual budget and “operating plan.”

“It covered every pertinent function of the department,” the assessor said. “I have frequent personal discussions with [Mittermeier], and they are well aware of what we are doing.”

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Jacobs said the information he submitted to Mittermeier should be enough for the county’s planning purposes. Beyond that, “I make it a practice not to mind other people’s business,” he added.

But some supervisors said Jacobs needs to be more involved with activities beyond his own office.

“Brad sort of does his own thing without regard to the fact that he is part of a larger organization, where he should be a team member,” Board of Supervisors Chairman William G. Steiner said. “I haven’t seen a willingness to work cooperatively with a team.”

Because the assessor is an independently elected official, neither Mittermeier nor the board tell him how to run his office.

But Steiner, Spitzer and Wilson expressed hope that the board’s prodding might cause Jacobs to reexamine his stance on the state loan program.

“He is an elected official and cannot be forced to do anything,” Wilson said. “But with strong encouragement from a majority of the board, he should know that there is support behind him for doing this.”