League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Los Angeles County, CA June 3, 2014 Election
	Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues Assessor; County of Los Angeles

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles and asked of all candidates for this office.     See below for questions on Reduction of Favoritism/Corruption, Auditing Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest. 1. What steps would you take to reduce the possibility of favoritism or corruption when reassessing property in Los Angeles County? Answer from John Y. Wong: I have formed a new team of leaders that consists of retired deputy assessors that resigned from the Assessor's office because of our current Assessor, to regain the trust that is lost. The department is in need of new leadership, and I will provide that leadership to regain the fundamental foundations of trust that is now missing at the Assessor's office. Answer from Brilliant Edward Manyere: a.) I plan to manage the department using a team approach. The members will set aside personal goals and focus on the County goal. I will communicate the goal of assessing properties fairly and make sure it is understood. Other expectations are addressed to each member. I will make sure that he or she understands his or her role. I will hold each member accountable on those expectations. In the event of violations I will use the Los Angeles County disciplinary action, which is objective, fair, and reasonable. b.) I will lead by example and not intervene on opinion of valuation issues. I will appoint a tax payer advocate, who will tell taxpayers with concerns of property values their rights to appeal. Any taxpayer who comes to me would be referred to the regional office or tax payer advocate. c.) On each appraisal, the appraiser would be required to explain the reasons and rational of the opinion of value. Appraisers would not change any value without a supervisor or other upper level manager's approval. All value changes will require authorized signatures by various management levels depending on the magnitude of the valuation. The highest level to approve changes in value would be the assistant assessor. d.) An appraiser will not be assigned to work on properties where there is conflict of interest such as appraising one's own property or properties owned by family members or close friends. e.) I will offer a reward to whistle blowers. f) I will post the County Auditor's fraud hotline in places that the public can see. g.) I will conduct a management audit if there is any sign of tempering. h.) I will put security enhancements in the new computer system such as a smart system that will alert the appraiser's supervisor and managers when there is a violation of procedures. i) I will continue to provide ethics training. The training will help staff understand that corruption damages the reputation of the Assessor's Office as well as the appraisers and other staff. Answer from Krish Kumar: Simply by following the Revenue and Taxation Code would make sure everyone inside LA County is assessed fairly. For campaign donors I would recommend a 3rd party appraisal to be done to show that our office value is fair. Answer from Frank Diaz, Jr.: I have already taken a vital step to assure the taxpayers of Los Angeles County that I will have an influence-free department by refusing to take any contributions for my campaign. Every reassessment of property will be fair and free of influence peddling. Answer from Nestor "Rick" Valencia: I would move appraisers around and train the supervisor. Appraisers can attend an annual ethics training. Answer from Jeffrey Prang: 1. I will treat all taxpayers the same, ensuring the same high-quality response to inquiries to all residents seeking service. 2. I support the ban on contributions from "tax agents," to prevent any appearance of political favoritism. 3. I support limiting appraiser discretion when settling assessment disputes and requiring verification by supervisors when enrolling assessment values. Answer from John Morris: Establish an Internet-based fraud hotline to report fraud/corruption Initiate policies to remove political influence from assessments Establish transparent appeals processes for all taxpayers Implement policies that if the Assessor cannot serve because of pending criminal charges, he/she forfeits his salary and benefits. Answer from Yvonne Austin: The direct result of a lack of respect and adherence to the law are manipulations of the assessment of property to favor certain individuals or allow for corrupt intentions to be effectuated. Therefore, by adhering to the appropriate legal channels and respecting the appeals process favoritism and corruption can be eliminated. The appropriate recourse for a property tax dispute is an assessment appeal. The result of which must be recorded through a public hearing. This surely will eliminate the possibility of favored treatment or corrupt manipulations of values. 2. Should the Assessor's Office be audited more frequently? Answer from Brilliant Edward Manyere: a.) The Assessor is responsible for preventing fraud or corruption among the staff. It is his or her duty to make sure that the taxpayer rights are not being violated. An audit whether it is internal such as County Audits or Management audits: or external from the State Board of Equalization is an effective tool that the Assessor can use to prevent misconduct. b.) The frequency of audits is necessary and a warning to appraisers that if they are involved in misconduct they will get caught. Additionally audits help determine that an appraiser is not biased towards a particular tax payer c.) Audits assure taxpayers that the assessments are fair and are being done honestly and with integrity. Audits shed light that the appraisals are consistent and conform to the rules and regulations of the State Board of equalization d.) Overtime as the audits continue to be conducted, but revealing no violations the property tax payers will eventually trust that the Assessor Department is fair. Answer from Krish Kumar: The State Audits all Assessor's offices in California. I believe that the State should have a hotline where employees can report issues without fear of losing their jobs or being blacklisted. Answer from Frank Diaz, Jr.: An audit reviewing transactions and procedures of the Assessor should be conducted every two years by the County Auditor Controller. A periodic audit is an excellent way to maintain strict quality controls and insures that all procedures are followed by managers, appraisers and clerks. Answer from Yvonne Austin: Routine audits and or referrals are necessary to maintain effective operations and determine the reasonableness of the appraisals that are made. I would also support and make every effort to create transparency regarding all Board of Supervisors/Executive referrals directed to the Assessor's Office. Those particular cases should be audited to determine whether constituents are being handled in a fair, objective and unbiased manner following the chain of command and at all times using channels available to all. The Assessor's Office should refer matters that appear questionable or refer issues where there were manipulations of values outside the realm of reason to the appropriate law enforcement agency. Answer from Nestor "Rick" Valencia: The Assessor's Office should be audited more frequently. This also can assist in good management practices. Answer from Jeffrey Prang: Yes. Over the last two years, the Assessor's Office has had Management, Fiscal and Forecasting audits. Best practices in government include regular audits, and if elected, I will require regular audits over operations, management, and fiscal accountability. Answer from John Y. Wong: Yes Answer from John Morris: Yes. My administration will provide quick responses to requests for information so all deficiencies are discovered and addressed to ensure we provide honest and effective government. Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' answers are presented as submitted. The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.