Alexander H. Pope dies at 80; former Los Angeles County assessor
The assessor's job is to provide the most accurate assessments he or she can, and then leave it to the elected representatives of the community to establish the community's spending budget. The assessments merely -- and importantly -- provide the formula via which that tax burden gets allocated across all the property owners.
Smart and enabled elected representatives will only take into account the land values, and ignore the values of buildings and equipment and other personal property.
Applying last year's millage rate to this year's property values is illogical. The millage rate has to be recalculated each and every year. And ideally, the property values should be updated at least every other year.
Doing this well is not difficult or expensive, particularly when the assessor recognizes that he should analyze land values first, and then recognize the depreciated value of the existing structures as being the difference between the land value and the market value of the property as a whole. Every teardown tells us all very clearly what the land value is.
Houses do not appreciate.
Land appreciates, and the reasons for its appreciation have everything to do with the community, and nothing to do with the individual landholder. While some might argue from that that therefore taxing land values is somehow unjust, I think the opposite argument is far more compelling: taxing land values collects from the landholder that which he didn't -- couldn't possibly! -- create.
And further, it permits the community to leave inviolate that which he does create: the products and services he sells, which shouldn't be subject to a sales tax, and his wages.
Mr. Pope was very right to oppose Proposition 13. It created a situation in which the young were forced to subsidize the old, the newly arrived subsidize the grandfathered.
The article goes on to say,
and that he then went on to practice law and served on the California Citizens Budget Commission. It appears that he never tried to end Prop 13.
Working within the system to help a few people doesn't relieve one of working against injustice.
Alexander H. Pope, who was a Westwood attorney when he became the Los Angeles County assessor in 1978 and soon faced the challenge of implementing property tax rollbacks newly mandated by Proposition 13, has died. He was 80.
Pope, who later became executive director of the California Citizens Budget Commission, died Tuesday of complications of Parkinson's disease at his home in Berkeley, said his wife, Kate.
After becoming a partner in the Fine & Pope law firm in 1957, Pope served as legislative secretary for Gov. Pat Brown from 1959 to 1961, during which he supervised a staff of 20 in lobbying for administration programs with the state Legislature.
Known as a longtime activist in Democratic Party matters, he was appointed to the California Highway Commission in 1966 and served until 1970. In 1973, he was named to the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners.
Then, in January 1978, Pope was appointed Los Angeles County assessor by the Board of Supervisors to fill out the unexpired term of Assessor Philip Watson, who had received a disability retirement.
Pope had only a few months on the job before Proposition 13, the landmark property tax relief initiative, was passed that June, placing him on what a Times writer described as "the firing line." Pope, according to the 1978 Times article, had openly opposed the measure, "although ironically he gave the initiative a big boost in May when he released -- and then canceled -- the 1978 assessment roll with its galloping market values."
After becoming a partner in the Fine & Pope law firm in 1957, Pope served as legislative secretary for Gov. Pat Brown from 1959 to 1961, during which he supervised a staff of 20 in lobbying for administration programs with the state Legislature.
Known as a longtime activist in Democratic Party matters, he was appointed to the California Highway Commission in 1966 and served until 1970. In 1973, he was named to the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners.
Then, in January 1978, Pope was appointed Los Angeles County assessor by the Board of Supervisors to fill out the unexpired term of Assessor Philip Watson, who had received a disability retirement.
Pope had only a few months on the job before Proposition 13, the landmark property tax relief initiative, was passed that June, placing him on what a Times writer described as "the firing line." Pope, according to the 1978 Times article, had openly opposed the measure, "although ironically he gave the initiative a big boost in May when he released -- and then canceled -- the 1978 assessment roll with its galloping market values."
The assessor's job is to provide the most accurate assessments he or she can, and then leave it to the elected representatives of the community to establish the community's spending budget. The assessments merely -- and importantly -- provide the formula via which that tax burden gets allocated across all the property owners.
Smart and enabled elected representatives will only take into account the land values, and ignore the values of buildings and equipment and other personal property.
Applying last year's millage rate to this year's property values is illogical. The millage rate has to be recalculated each and every year. And ideally, the property values should be updated at least every other year.
Doing this well is not difficult or expensive, particularly when the assessor recognizes that he should analyze land values first, and then recognize the depreciated value of the existing structures as being the difference between the land value and the market value of the property as a whole. Every teardown tells us all very clearly what the land value is.
Houses do not appreciate.
Land appreciates, and the reasons for its appreciation have everything to do with the community, and nothing to do with the individual landholder. While some might argue from that that therefore taxing land values is somehow unjust, I think the opposite argument is far more compelling: taxing land values collects from the landholder that which he didn't -- couldn't possibly! -- create.
And further, it permits the community to leave inviolate that which he does create: the products and services he sells, which shouldn't be subject to a sales tax, and his wages.
Mr. Pope was very right to oppose Proposition 13. It created a situation in which the young were forced to subsidize the old, the newly arrived subsidize the grandfathered.
The article goes on to say,
Ryavec said Pope -- who as assessor once joined then-Los Angeles City
Councilman Bob Ronka in visiting San Fernando Valley neighborhoods hit
by floods and mudslides to talk to homeowners and explain how the
damage to their homes entitled them to apply for property tax relief --
was "a marvelous mentor."
"He was a gentle soul and always on the go, always engaged with projects and activities to improve the office," he said. "When he was not doing that, he was hiking and traveling. He really lived a carpe diem -- seize the day -- life at all turns."
"He was a gentle soul and always on the go, always engaged with projects and activities to improve the office," he said. "When he was not doing that, he was hiking and traveling. He really lived a carpe diem -- seize the day -- life at all turns."
and that he then went on to practice law and served on the California Citizens Budget Commission. It appears that he never tried to end Prop 13.
Working within the system to help a few people doesn't relieve one of working against injustice.
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It's always great to see people share what works for them, even if you get something out of it!
Deirdre G
Posted by: Real estate Philippines | November 17, 2009 at 10:23 PM