Los Angeles herald., 1910-09-07
NO TAX INCREASE
FOR |. A. COUNTY
EquaIizerS Accept Assessment on
Los Angeles as Fixed by
Assessor Hopkins
LOW STATE RATE Is MADE
Realty Dealers Association Is
Thanked for Assistance
Given Official
LOW STATE RATE IS MADE

valuations on taxable property in
Los Angeles county will stand as re-
turned by e. W. Hopkins, county as
SCISSOR. There will be no increases by
the state board of equalization. More
over, the state rate will be 35 cents
and mills, the smallest in the his
tory Of California.
Property owners who feared that
valuations would be increased need
feel no further alarm. for the decision
OF the board, rumored for several days,
was announced officially yesterday. 1t
is believed that the efforts Of Assessor
Hopkins, the Los Angeles realty
board and several citizens who went
to Sacramento to protest against a
raise, were largely responsible for the
action of the equaliZers in approving
the valuations returned by Mr.. Hop
kins.
BURDETT'S STATEMENT
Herbert Burdett, secretary Of the
realty board, said last night:
"Yes, we have been saving wood
and saying very little, but the results
are now apparent. The members of
the realty board realized last year,
when the hearing of the state board
of equalization was held in Los An
geles, that there were certain grossly
unequal assessments in this county
and some few in the city. Values had
been unchanged in many cases for
several years and owing to the death
of the former assessor, together with
a tremendous increase in the business
of the office, our new assessor had not
had time to thoroughly review the
field. At the same time the board did
not believe that any such raise as 40
per cent on all property could be justi-
fed.
I'VE called mass meeting Of Los
Angeles property owners to protest
against the raise, and we told those
present that if they would join our
board as associate members and thus
aid in providing the sineWs of war we
would undertake a campaign with the
object Of showing to all fair-minded
citizens of California that Assessor
Hopkins could be depended upon for a
fair valuation. Some of the largest
property owners in this city and nearly
all of the banks responded to our sug-
gestion, and we expended the fund
thus obtained and an additional sum
In preparing and compiling statistics
which were used with excellent effect.
1.-THE boards treasury is nearly
empty as a result, but we have, in my
opinion, saved a 20 per cent raise this
year. One of our members spent a
good deal of time in San Francisco
looking up values there and compar-
ing them with assessments, and was
armed with a list covering $28,OOO0OO
worth of sales.
"Col. George N. Black. who was vice
president of the realty board when
the 40 per cent raise occurred, went
with Alex. McKeigan of Mines & Far
ish, to assist Assessor Hopkins at the
hearing in San Francisco. He had
an armful of scrapbooks compiled dur
ing the past eight months in my office.
at met Colonel Black in San Fran
cisco and after we had compared notes
l felt fairly confident that the efforts
of the realty board would be success
full"
HOPKINS THANKS
Following is copy of a letter mailed
to the local board by Assessor Hop
kins:
"Los Angeles. Sept. 6, 1910.
Herbert Burdett,
Secretary Los Angeles Realty Board,
Los Angeles.
"Dear Sir: I am pleased to inform
YOU that the state board of equaliza-
tions by a resolution passed today
accepted the figures of Los Angeles
county as returned by the assessor.
am connection Herewith I want to
thank your board for the assistance
they gave me, and particularly in fur-
nishing a man to secure and compile
the statistics on the San Francisco
valuations.
"Again thanking your board, and
particularly its past and present off,
GERS and directors who since the hear.
ing in this city by the state board or
equalization last year have aided in
this matter, beg to remain,
"Yours truly,
"ED. w. HOPKINS,
County Assessor"
Mr. Burdett spoke earnestly in COM
mendation Of Assessor Hopkins good
work both as fair, just assessor and
as a defender of Los Angeles.