Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-11
CITIZENS FIGHT
UNEQUAL TAXES
REALTY BOARD ISSUES CALL
FOR MASS MEETING
state Equalization Body Thought to
Have Dealt Unfairly with Los
Angeles in Regard to
Valuations

Initial steps looking to concerted
movement by citizens of county and
city to- meet the outrageous action of
the state board of equalization, which
without regard to evidence calling for
a contrary decision, exhibited apparent
unfairness toward Los Angeles county
y ZEN it returned it's report of valua-
tions of property were taken yesterday
in the call for a mass meeting of Los
Angeles county realty owners.
The call followed a consultation of
the Los Angeles realty board and is
signed by George N. Black, acting
president, apd Herbert Burdett seere-
tary of that body. The mass meeting
will be held at Symphony hall, 233
South Broadway, at 2 o'clock Monday
afternoon, and while general indigna-
ton makes even this brief delay seem
preposterous, in view of the unjust
action of the equalizers, 1t is regarded
as necessary, as it is the desire of the
persons who started the movement to
be assured of the presence of Edward
w. Hopkins, county assessor. Mr.
Hopkins is expected to reach Los An
geles today and to advi-e the board on
the course that should be pursued.
Property owners generally and es-
pecially those who were called on by
hired appraisers in the guise of pros
pective purchasers, are urged to attend
Mondays meeting, and the demand for
a remedy and one that will bring about
an effective and permanent cure will,
it is expected, go SO far even as to
make the question of state division a
matter for serious consideration.
Appeal to Court FruitIess
Appeals to the courts or to the equal
izers themselves are looked on as
fruitless, as in the former case perpe-
tration of fraud must be shown, and
that in suit by a single taxpayer
and not by the county as a whole.
Thus, it is apparent, IN action of this
kind would involve years of litigation
and bring no relief in the present de-
plorable situation.
AS to appeals to the majority of the
equaIzers to reconsider their action,
their attitude toward the southern part
of the state is regarded as an assump-
ton of asinine stubbornness, and that
it would need more than an appeal,
however insistent or generally ex-
pressed, to move them from the posi-
ii n they have taken.
State division-the cutting of Cali
fornia into two commonwealth
peals to many as the logical and only
remedy. But even should steps looking
to this result be taken. several years
must elapse before that could be OBJ
t,ine e, and as the north would have a
voice in deciding the question, the
success of such a movement is doubtful.
It present it is apparent that moth
ing remains but to comply with the
boards findings and to offset the in
creased burden imposed by that body
by reducing the tax levy for the county
from 70 cents to &c cents. as indicated
b.. thu board of supervisors yesterday.
Urges Drastic Measures
James Hanley, former supervisor.
al at one time superintendent of
streets, urged drastic measures in lift
ing the burden of northern oppression,
even to the extreme of dividing the
state if no other means of reaching the
desired end may be obtained.
TT is not a time for outbreaks of
revolutionary sentiment" said Mr..
Hanley, "but above all for deliberate,
dispassionate action. The thing to con-
sioer is not OR outraged feelings so
much as the possible ways of righting
he wrongs. I believe there are two
possible ways out of the difficulty.
one is the redistricting of the assess
ment districts on a basis of the in
crease in wealth and population of the
SOUTH and the other, although. suggest
CONTINUED on Page Five)