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Taxpayer Rights Advocate office says caseload rose; disaster guide singled out as helpful
Summary
The Taxpayer Rights Advocate Office reported increased casework in 2024, completing roughly 380 cases for the calendar year and publishing an informational guide on disaster relief that staff described as especially useful for wildfire-affected taxpayers.
Lede: Lisa Thompson, chief of the Taxpayer Rights Advocate Office, told the board the office completed approximately 380 cases in calendar year 2024 and is on pace to exceed prior fiscal-year totals; she highlighted educational materials, including the recently published disaster-relief information guide.
Nut graf: Thompson provided a breakdown of recently closed cases by board district and by category (administrative and valuation), noted that valuation matters made up the bulk of caseloads in the period, and said the TRA’s materials aim to reduce taxpayer confusion about relief and reassessment rules.
Body: Thompson reported 27 completed cases in the most recent reporting period (11 in District 1, 10 in District 2, two in District 3 and four in District 4). She said administrative cases included a concentration on special assessments and direct levies, and valuation cases were dominated by change-in-ownership and exclusion issues, including parent-child transfers and base-year transfers for seniors.
Thompson told the board that her office historically reports on a fiscal-year basis but had also tallied calendar-year totals for 2024 to give the board a near-term view. “In calendar year 2024 alone, my team and I have completed approximately 380 cases,” she said, compared with 329 in the prior fiscal year. Thompson credited her staff for handling a wider variety of taxpayer questions and for producing educational resources; she singled out the disaster-relief information guide as particularly helpful during the recent wildfires.
Member Vasquez asked whether caseloads were likely to rise after the disaster; Thompson said categories likely to grow include base-year value-transfer issues and other valuation concerns and that the agency’s publications should help direct taxpayers to the appropriate remedies.
Ending: The TRA office will publish its annual report with complete fiscal-year statistics and continue to field and resolve both administrative and valuation cases, Thompson said.
