The San Francisco call., 1905-08-24
EQUALIZING ASSESSMENTS

THE State Board of Equalization is deep the
annual dispute the equalization of county assessments %
property The board has been or month
the subject of railroad assessments and mas
the usual attacks upon its Judgment and integrity dictated by
variety OF motives principally personal partisan Now has
listen the county county and 10 the
tons upon each other! The whole process
costly State trying OF the officials concerned
and is clumsy and unsatisfactory in the extreme
County The people of the latter demand horizontal
per the assessment OF their county IN order
crease in the of Francisco in order equaze
with Los Angeles the board has the option
equze by reducing the or raising the other assessor
Dodge enovs people of Francisco who
gard him honest and panstakng officer very clear in ms udg
en of property Naturally Los Angeles looks him
inaccuracy who studies and to avoid State
for his and put the burden on the metropo-
county the south The board informed that realty assess
Los Angeles only cent of actual value while the
ent proves that paying entirely unjust
proportion Oddly enough Assessor Ward of Los
ground defending his his
county Supervisors and resisting the reduction they ask
controversy who shall say which side is right? After the
Equalization decided who believes that the decision
The law compes decision but not the members
make will defend its infalibity 1t will be
merely perunco something done because the law requires that
shall be of decision After is rendered no tax
ayr in San Francisco can be morally paying
what he ought paw Los Angeles
point that law long obsoleted
by changing conditions gives county the right to mpeach the
another The law mistakenly derives State
the forms of property and assessment as the local
This primary bunder renders the State Board OF Equa
necessary and the annual miup and comedy OF errors
No doubt the members of the board do
which be that he right
and we do not join in any hue and cry against them
The attacks made them be usefuy turned against
defective which their necessary 1t should
replaced of taxation which will the counties abb
and levy, deprvng them of the
essy and therefore of the to dispute and mpeach each
This will be accomplished by the law suggested
by the Grange advocated by The Call and under
by provided by the Legislature at its last
This should separate State from local taxation entirely
The property FORMS values and privileges taxed for State purposes
from local taxation The property FORMS values
privileges local purposes should be- in exempted
Then if the Board of Equalization survive in
board of deal with the
valuation of the objects from which State only derived
1Oala
could make his accordingly and the proper local
body could adjust thereto its levy for the year.
Under such the tendency would be toward high
low levy it be that the of Los
Angeles IS of values because that
s taxation and therefore willing to submit
high levy purposes Under the right system the temptation
would disappear and there would be low levy for local
county would be all concerned the
another each would be independent the
necessary supply local budget We hope the dispute between
will be the that will call public
present defective and imperfect system and
public mind for something better People often cling obstnae
defective method because has made it familiar and
this disposition will have be considered by those who hope
sttue reform.