Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-29


tions would only render true and
correct statement to the assessor Of
all the property owned by them then
the assessor could make an equitable
and just assessment on them all, but
the difficulty Is a great many of them
do not do It until they are caught; then
they are willing to surrender the
goods,
To RevaIue Improvements
Now, as I have gone all over the city
revaluing and equalizing real estate,
shall start again at once to revalue Inn
provements. owing to the fact that
material and lumber are much higher
now than they have been l have de-
cided to assess all new improvements
from now on at so per cent of their
actual cost instead of so per cent, as
heretofore.
"All ether improvements that are now
valued at so per cent of their cost will
be reduced to 80 per cent Old i'm
provements will also be cut from 10 to
20 per cent when 1ustihable.
'I shall make this change because I
do not believe IT, is just and right to
assess Improvements on a higher basis
than that of real estate. The cut /
shall make in these improvements will
amount to perhaps about five millions,
but new improvements built this year
will more than make up for this loss
When this cut Is made thousands own
ing homes in the residential section Of
the city will not pay any more taxes
than they did two years ago and a
great many will pay less according to
the value of their homes because the
cut made in their improvements will
be equal or greater than the increase
made in the valuation of their lots.
VIII Increase Assessment Roll
"Of course, the speculator in land will
not be benefited by this, only those i'm
proving their property and building up
the city. In the meantime when this
is done the valuation of the property
in the city of Los Angeles will have
been increased at least 100000, 900, for
contend that there will be some in
crease in the assessment roll of this
city again next year. notwithstanding
the cut of $5,000,000 to be made in i'm
provements. How much l am not able
to state at this time, but a safe esti-
mate, think will be about $50 900, 900.
THE residential section of the city is
fairly assessed now, and so is the busi-
ness section of the city, but the busi-
ness section is growing and expanding
rapidly, and in consequence values are
and can be assessed accordingly. The
industrial section of the city also can
be raised again in spots next year.
There will be numbers of new subdi-
visions also this year that will add
materially to the value of the city.
Public utility and close corporations can
pay on few millions more again next
year as their business increases, and,
that without being Disseminated
against.
Continued Prosperity Expected
with this and other sources of reve-
nue. will, l think, come very close to
make up the above estimated increase.
Of course / figure on the city growing
and prospering as it has in the past
and every indication points that way at
the present time.
The city has already recovered from
the temporary setback caused by the
San Francisco disaster and has shown
greater activity and prosperity than
before, and it is safe to say that the
progress and growth of our city in the
next ten years will be more real and
noticeable by far than that of the past
twenty years.
Millions of money will pour into our
channels in the near future which will
help to build it up until it becomes the
noplest, the grandest and by far the
greatest on the Pacific coast.
Il have always contended that it is
the best for the city's credit and gem
eral welfare to have a reasonable
valuation on property don't mean
high valuation, and to have the rate
as low as it can possibly be made. In
1904 the rate was $40 on each one
hundred dollars valuation; in 1905 the
increase in the valution of the city
brought it down to 81 20 on each one
hundred dollars.
If the increase in the valuation of
the property again this year would
only bring the rate down to 81 10 or
LIZ, no better advertisement this city
can have If this can be done, we could !
then Watch 1t Crow