Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Disaster Tax Relief topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee refers Los Angeles wildfire property-tax relief bill to suspense for further work
Summary
AB 245 would extend rebuild deadlines and enable assessors to file reassessment paperwork on behalf of fire victims; the committee referred the bill to the suspense file after testimony from assessors and stakeholder groups.
Assemblymember (name in transcript) presented AB 245, a bill designed to provide property tax relief to victims of the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires by extending rebuild deadlines and allowing county assessors to file reassessment paperwork on behalf of damaged property owners.
The measure proposes two principal changes: (1) extend the statutorily provided rebuild deadline by three additional years (from five years to eight total) for disaster-affected properties to retain their base-year value, and (2) authorize county assessors to file reassessment applications on behalf of property owners when the owners cannot respond timely because they are displaced or otherwise unable to meet statutory deadlines.
Sacramento County Assessor Christina Wynne testified and provided a letter of support on behalf of Los Angeles County Assessor Jeff Prang and the California Assessors Association. Wynne said the bill closes a gap that would otherwise leave properties without reassessment relief if owners miss procedural deadlines while coping with evacuation, displacement and recovery. The California Association of Realtors and the California Taxpayers Association also spoke in support.
The author emphasized conversations with Los Angeles County Assessors office in drafting the bill and cited estimates of large economic losses from the fires. Committee members thanked witnesses, and the bill was placed on the committee's suspense file for additional drafting and finalization.
