A dozen candidates, nine of them county employees, are competing in today’s election to lead to the Los Angeles County Office of Assessor, while the last elected assessor, John Noguez, awaits trial on corruption charges.
West Hollywood Councilman Jeffrey Prang, a special assistant in the Office of Assessor; Bell Councilman Nestor “Rick” Valencia; and Deputy District Attorney John Morris are among those seeking to succeed John Noguez, who has been on a paid leave of absence since 2012 stemming from an ongoing criminal investigation that led to his being charged with 36 felony counts.
Businessman John Y. Wong, who finished second behind Noguez in the 2010 election, is also making another run to head the office responsible for establishing a value for all county property subject to taxation. Wong is a longtime member and former chair of the Assessment Appeals Board.
Other candidates are Los Angeles County Deputy Assessors Frank Diaz, Omar Haroon, John Loew, Krish Kumar, Sandy Sun and Brilliant Manyere, Appraiser Tracy Okida and Property Assessment Specialist Yvonne Austin.
Prang has dozens of high-profile endorsements, including that of California Controller John Chiang, Mayor Eric Garcetti, Supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas and Zev Yaroslavsky, 10 members of the Los Angeles City Council and former assessors Kenneth P. Hahn and Rich Auerbach.
Citing his role in reforms, Prang, like his rivals, promises to restore the public’s trust in the office. His critics argue that he was hired by and is too close to Noguez, but Prang has said he only worked with the assessor for four or five weeks before Noguez took his leave.
Wong has the backing of Supervisor Michael Antonovich and dozens of mayors and city council members from various municipalities. The businessman promises to protect Proposition 13 and advocate against a split tax roll for residential and commercial properties.
Morris, who is supported by former Gov. George Deukmejian, also says he will defend Prop 13 against legislative encroachments. He argues that his role as prosecutor makes him best suited to institute reforms.
Haroon has called on the Board of Supervisors to stop paying Noguez’s salary of roughly $200,000 per year, which the assessor has continued to collect during the time he has been jailed and awaiting trial. He also says he would clean house, if elected.
“(Noguez’s) whole network is still there in place,” Haroon told L.A. Weekly. “As Angelenos, we deserve better.”
Asked how he would prohibit corruption in the office, Valencia said ethics training, rotating appraisers and closer supervision would reduce the likelihood of wrongdoing.
Noguez, an elected official, cannot be fired by the board. A measure proposing that future candidates for the position be appointed, rather than elected, was roundly defeated by 78 percent of voters on a 2012 ballot.
Noguez was arrested Oct. 17, 2012, in connection with an alleged scheme to solicit campaign donations in exchange for lower appraised valuations on properties in Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Pasadena, Marina del Rey and the South Bay. Acting Assessor Sharon Moller chose not to run.
The two candidates receiving the most votes will move on to a run-off election in November, unless one is able to garner a majority in the primary.
