An important message from Assessor Jeff Prang

Dear Friends,

Ordinarily, no one thinks of the County Assessor as a particularly glamorous position, especially compared with the offices of governor, senator, or mayor. However, during the time that I have had the honor of serving as the Los Angeles County Assessor, I can attest that the job is not only vitally important, but it is challenging and rewarding. It’s the best job I have ever had!

That is why I am proud to announce that I will be seeking re-election in June 2022 and I am asking for your support!

Why is the Assessor important and why should you care?

The Office of the Assessor is foundational to our system of local government, which is funded significantly through property taxes. No local government agency, whether it be a city, schools or the County itself can do its job in providing services until the Assessor does their job.

While the Assessor does not collect taxes and is not a revenue agency, revenue is the by-product of the property valuations conducted by my office. Last year, Los Angeles County property was valued at nearly $1.8 trillion and generated $18 billion in property taxes that helps fund public health and hospitals, schools, parks, libraries and public safety.

As Assessor, I have worked hard to enhance public service while building a modern and efficient public agency that works well:

• We have replaced our outdated technology platform with a new one that makes our work easier and makes accessing our office more convenient for the public.
• In 2020, we helped seniors, veterans, homeowners, the disabled and non-profits save over $654 million on their property tax bills!
• We have initiated an innovative new workforce development program with local community colleges to create an employment track to help more local residents get good-paying jobs with the Office of the Assessor as appraisers, appraiser assistants, and ownership technicians.
• We provided property tax relief to tens of thousands of small businesses and victims of natural disasters, such as wildfires.
• We have downloaded decades of property data on the County’s open data website, increasing public access to that data and increasing transparency.

But – there is always a but…

While we have been making great progress and bringing added value for the public, the Office of the Assessor remains little understood and obscure. Running for re-election when there are “big ticket” offices on the ballot such as governor and senator means it is easy to get overlooked.

Moreover, Los Angeles County has more residents than the State of Michigan and would be the 8th largest state based on population. With nearly 6 million registered voters in the County, it is very expensive to run a campaign – but to win, I need to communicate effectively with as many voters as I can and that takes money.

Without your financial support, my campaign runs the risk of being evaluated by voters based on the “eeny meeny miny moe” principal rather than based upon the merits of the work and progress we have achieved. If voters don’t know who I am and what I have done, they may cast their vote based on the likeability of my opponent’s name or ballot title, or some other irrelevant consideration.

My goal is to raise $1 million, and even that is insufficient to communicate effectively with voters. But with your generous support, I can make a good go of it.

Can you help with a contribution to my campaign today? Please click here to donate today.

Thank you for your support – with it, I cannot lose!

Sincerely,

JEFF PRANG
Assessor, Los Angeles County