The Board of Equalization on November 19 approved an informational hearing on the Legal Entity Ownership Program (LEOP) for the second day of its January 2026 meeting and discussed governance and public-access questions raised in the annual governance-policy review.

LEOP hearing scheduled

Vice Chair Sally Lieber proposed a 90–120 minute informational hearing to review LEOP functions, county implementation, academic research on property-ownership changes, and stakeholder perspectives. Members requested invitations to be extended to CalTax, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and the California Business Roundtable. Executive Director Yvette Stowers and LEOP Chief Lauren Keach said BOE staff would lead the presentation with county assessors and academic researchers following; the Board voted to schedule the hearing for January 29, 2026.

Governance review and public access debate

During the annual governance policy review, Member Mike Schaffer urged several rule clarifications: staggered board terms to preserve institutional memory, clearer language in the governance policy that one-way communications under Bagley-Keene are permitted, and streamlining telephonic public-comment checks to avoid repeated, unproductive queries when no callers are present. Chief Counsel Julia Himovitz and executive staff explained that Bagley-Keene allows one-directional communications and cautioned that serial relaying of messages could create inadvertent serial-meeting risks; staff recommended any changes be clarified in the governance policy rather than attempt to amend Bagley-Keene itself.

Public comment and transparency concerns

Vice Chair Lieber and other members emphasized maintaining broad public access (in-person, phone, and written) as an important transparency measure; staff noted that the Board prides itself on accessibility established after past organizational reforms and cautioned against actions that would be perceived as reducing access. The Board agreed to continue its existing public comment policies but asked staff to consider operational improvements (for example, notifying the dais only when a call is actually queued) while remaining compliant with the Bagley-Keene Act.

Why it matters: LEOP oversight and governance policy shape how county assessors and the BOE detect and process changes in ownership that affect property valuations and local revenues. Transparency procedures affect public participation and the Board's accountability.

What's next: BOE LEOP staff will coordinate the January informational hearing, circulate invitations to named stakeholders, and provide BOE staff briefing materials in advance. The governance policy conversation will continue; members may bring specific governance-policy amendments forward for consideration at future meetings.

Attribution: Items were introduced and discussed by Vice Chair Lieber, Member Schaffer, Executive Director Yvette Stowers, Chief Counsel Julia Himovitz and LEOP Chief Lauren Keach.

Ending: The Board adjourned after receiving the executive director's and divisional reports; the next meeting is scheduled for December 16, 2025, in Sacramento.