Stone: What exactly does the Santa Clara County assessor do?

Unlike the sheriff or the district attorney, people often ask me: “What exactly does the assessor do?” My answer surprises them. “The assessor is not a political position.”

Their reaction is almost always the same: “But you get elected, don’t you?” Yes, the law requires election, but after the ballots are counted, there is nothing political about managing the Assessor’s Office. In fact, it would be unethical — or even illegal — for politics to influence the appraisal or assessment of property.

This distinction is often overlooked. Mayors, for example, deal with a wide range of issues: public safety, traffic, housing, homelessness, parks and more. To succeed, they must build coalitions and negotiate with other elected officials. Politics is part of the job.

The assessor, however, has a single responsibility: to fairly and accurately assess property. It is highly technical work requiring deep assessor knowledge, legal expertise and management skill — not political calculation. The assessor’s work is governed by laws so regardless of who the assessor is, the assessed values of properties should be the same if the assessor complies with those laws.

Consider the scale of the office: the assessor is responsible for appraising and assessing more than 500,000 properties countywide, producing a $700 billion assessment roll that generates $8 billion in property tax revenue each year. The office manages more than 16,000 active appeals and employs a staff of 251 professionals, most of them certified appraisers and auditors. That’s why the next assessor must be a professional, not a politician.

This election to choose the next Santa Clara County assessor is critical. Voters need to understand the uniqueness of the assessor role and the importance of the work done in the office. More than half of all revenue generated from the work in the assessor’s office goes directly to fund local schools and community colleges. The stakes for our community could not be higher.

I have served as the assessor for 30 years. I know the requirements of this position better than anyone. This is not a job for amateurs.

In fact, it is not a coincidence that 70% of elected county assessors have risen through the ranks of the Assessor’s Office, while the remaining 30% come from strong backgrounds in real estate, law or county administration. Santa Clara County’s assessment roll is among the most complex in the state as evidenced by the region’s high business property values — the second largest in California.

Electing someone to be the next Santa Clara County assessor without any relevant experience would be reckless.

Larry Stone is the former Santa Clara County assessor.