On April 15, the California Assembly voted to approve AB 1203, important legislation that would expand the pool of qualified applicants who may serve on the L.A. County Assessment Appeals Board. The bill, introduced by Assemblymember Autumn Burke, passed 53-14 and will now be moved to the State Senate.
CAPE has been a strong supporter of AB 1203 and worked to urge our allies in the California Assembly to vote in favor of this very important legislation.
Below is the official statment CAPE made to California Assemblymembers before their vote:
The California Association of Professional Employees (CAPE) – and our 2,500 members who ensure the safety of L.A. County roads, buildings, bridges, and flood control channels in the event of earthquakes, fires, and floods – express our strong support for AB-1203, introduced by Assemblymember Autumn Burke, to amend Sections 1624.05 and 1624.1 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, relating to taxation.
AB-1203 is important legislation that would expand the pool of qualified applicants who may serve on the L.A. County Assessment Appeals Board. By reducing the number of years a former-Appraiser can be appointed to the Assessment Appeals Board, you open the type of professional experience a person may have to be eligible for nomination for membership to include business accounting and taxation, land use and urban planning, real estate development or investment analysis, and real estate banking/financing.
It’s no secret that the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in a backlog of appeals that is only expected to grow even more in the near future. In just a year, the number of appeals cases has doubled from 20,000 to more than 40,000. L.A. County does not currently have the resources or the structure to manage such a significant caseload.
We are aware that there are special interest groups working against AB-1203, insinuating that somehow those who have worked as Appraisers are unable to be unbiased as members of the Assessment Appeals Board. This suggestion is not only wrong, but an insult to the hard-working professionals who serve our County every single day. Our members who serve as Appraisers go through extensive training to be objective in their work and bring an abundance of real-world experience needed to serve on the Appeals Board.
The enormous workload and current backlog of appeal cases in L.A. County requires immediate legislative action. AB -1203 is scheduled to go to a floor vote and we strongly urge you to vote in support this very important legislation.
