Rules Committee advances multiple reappointments to Assessment Appeals Boards

The San Francisco Rules Committee on Sept. 22 moved to forward a slate of reappointments and seat assignments for the city’s Assessment Appeals Boards 1, 2 and 3.

Supervisor Marr moved to reappoint Jeff (Jeffrey) Morris and Eugene Valla to Assessment Appeals Board No. 1; John Lee, Mervyn Conlin and Joseph (Yosef) Tabazov to Board No. 2 (three seats); and Sean Regel and James Reynolds to Board No. 3, with seat assignments clarified during the hearing. Supervisors approved the slate without recorded objection.

Candidates described lengthy experience in real‑estate appraisal, law and public service. Jeff Morris outlined a methodology he said improved consistency and efficiency at hearings and credited closer coordination with assessor staff and new time limits for presentations. Eugene Valla and other candidates proposed modest process improvements including clearer visual aids (whiteboards or mapping displays) to reduce confusion over parcel location and fewer nonessential postponements. Several candidates for Boards 2 and 3 recommended better training and procedural support for taxpayers who sometimes appear with little experience in appeals hearings.

The committee clerk noted items acted upon would appear on the Board of Supervisors agenda on Oct. 4. The motions were recorded as committee recommendations to the full Board.

The committee’s action advances staffing for appeals panels that decide property tax disputes between taxpayers and the Assessor’s Office.