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Committee moves AB 245 to expand property‑tax relief for Los Angeles wildfire victims
Summary
The committee advanced AB 245, which would extend rebuilding deadlines and allow downward reassessments for property owners affected by the January Los Angeles County fires, after testimony from county assessors and housing and insurance groups.
Assemblymember Gibson introduced AB 245 and described the bill as urgent property‑tax relief for victims of the 2025 fires in the city and county of Los Angeles. The author asked for two principal relief measures: (1) extend the rebuilding deadline by three years to allow victims more time to rebuild while maintaining the property's base‑year value and (2) allow automatic downward property value adjustments for fire‑damaged homes so owners are not overtaxed if they cannot rebuild or occupy the property promptly.
Rob Grosskauser of the California Assessors Association and LA County Assessor Jeffrey Prang (represented) said the bill would reduce administrative burdens given the size and scope of the disaster. The California Assessors Association voiced support and explained how assessors would implement the exemptions and reassessments.
Support came from a range of real‑estate, insurance and charter‑school groups that said the provisions would help schools, homeowners and insurers manage fiscal and administrative burdens. No principal witnesses appeared in opposition during the hearing.
Committee members asked technical questions about amendments; the author confirmed an accepted technical amendment (committee comment number 9) and the committee moved the bill, as amended, to Appropriations. The clerk recorded the motion as "do pass as amended to the Committee on Appropriations." Committee roll call recorded the measure as advancing (committee summary recorded the measure on call and moved to Appropriations).
Ending: AB 245 advances to the Appropriations Committee for fiscal vetting and implementation planning; authors and assessors said they will work with counties and stakeholders on administration and outreach.
