2006 Annual Report - Los Angeles County Assessor

A Message from assessor rick Auerbachos Angeles County’s strong and stable real estate market is again the dominant theme of theL2006 Annual Report which details an 11 percent increase in assessed value. This increase reflectscontinued economic growth and provides vital funding for schools, public health, and safety.I would like to take this opportunity to thank the voters for expressing their approval of the job this departmentis doing by re-electing me for four more years.It’s been an honor to serve taxpayers and property owners as Assessor for the past six years. It will be myprivilege to continue assuring fair and accurate valuations and providing the best in public service.It may seem obvious, but it’s worth repeating: I can neverfully express in words my gratitude to the 1,500 men andwomen who make me look good by making this officeefficient, cost effective, and user friendly.Home sales and the growing economy have increased ourworkload, but the size of the workforce remains the same.The employees of this office do their job within budget andon time, year after year.An amazing statistic came to my attention recently, and itillustrates one reason this department functions so well: theAnnual Report of 1956 lists 25 assessor retirees that yearThe Realtors Advisory CommitteeRick Auerbach meets with one of the four panels he formedto provide professional and community input about service toproperty owners and the public.whose accumulated average length of public service totaled slightly more than 27 years. Carrie B. Stovell of theMap Section was one of those retirees and left after 42 years with the County.Half a century later, it was almost the same story: our list of retirees’ average accumulated time totaled 29 years,including Information Systems Coordinator Joyce Richardson with 46 years in County service!This is an excellent work environment where staff is treated with dignity and respect, and I believe this is whywe convey that same spirit to the people who depend on us to do our job properly.The department’s primary obligation and goal is to produce a timely and accurate Assessment Roll, and thiswas met by reflecting the values of some 2.6 million properties on the Roll, the largest in the nation.2