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Experts tell BOE that California’s property tax structure contributes to housing unaffordability and inequity
Summary
An informational panel convened by Vice Chair Lieber explored how Proposition 13, land valuation, and assessment rules interact with housing affordability, local revenue stability and inequality. Experts urged consideration of land‑focused reforms and circuit breakers to protect vulnerable homeowners.
The Board of Equalization hosted a panel April 20 that examined how California’s property tax system intersects with poverty, housing shortages and economic mobility. Vice Chair Sherry Lieber convened the discussion and said the Board should be familiar with the broader fiscal context as it considers policy options related to property taxation.
Panelists included Lenny Goldberg, a longtime tax policy analyst and former California Tax Reform Association executive director; Professor Darien Shanske, a UC Davis law professor and state and local tax scholar; and Devin Gray, president of Ending Poverty in California (EPIC). Each described different consequences of California’s current property‑tax framework.
Goldberg framed the problem around land taxation: he argued that the current treatment of land under…
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