2005-2006 Annual Report - Santa Clara County Report05.pdfLaura Colunga Craig Cooper Sean Cooper Lisa...

Office of theCounty Assessor

Lawrence E. Stone, Assessor

DRAFT 7-29-05

2005-2006Annual Report

2005-2006Annual Report

Office of the County AssessorLawrence E. Stone, Assessor

Table of Contents

Message from the Assessor .............................................................. 1

Factors Causing Change to the Assessment Roll ............................. 3

Largest Taxpayers/How Tax Bills are Calculated & Allocated ......... 5

Assessment Roll .............................................................................. 6

Ten-year Roll Summary ................................................................... 7

Assessment Information by City ..................................................... 8

Proposition 8 ................................................................................ 12

Exemptions .................................................................................. 14

Proposition 13 .............................................................................. 15

Department Overview .................................................................. 16

Assessment Information by Property Type ................................... 18

Major New Construction .............................................................. 19

Major Changes in Ownership ....................................................... 19

Summary Bay Area Counties Roll Comparison ............................ 21

Assessment Appeals ..................................................................... 24

Performance Counts ..................................................................... 26

Frequently Asked Questions/Directions to Office ...................... 28

Explanation of Terms .................................................................. 29

Above are all the permanent employees that contributed to the closing of the 2005-2006 Assessment Roll. The picturedemployees are, clockwise, Gloria Brown, Herb Jubin, Gilbert Lee, Jackie Regala, Gumersindo Zavala, and Laura Yau.

Bien Abordo Shalini Agrawal Linda Aguilar Gene Almerido Annabelle Alquiza Oscar Amaya Medel Angel Lisa Ariente Rhonda Armstrong

Deborah Atencio Sang Au Tuan Au Anita Badger George Balster Fred Baltazar Mai Bang Patty Barber Vanessa Barkin Jeff Barlow

Denise Barry Cynthia Bartolino Michael Bautista Rudy Baya Bart Beckner David Bethel Neeraj

Bhardwaj Laura Bird Laynette Blackfield Ray Bramlette Jon Bredeson Yvette Briddell Bev

Brown Gloria Brown Linda Brown Charmaine Cabuag Carol Callahan Carlos Cansino

Celerina Celeste Jocelyn Champlin Debbie Chavez Conrad Chen Roland Child Bordon Chin

Jae Choe Michelle Chou Terry Cisneros Gary Clarke Dick Cloyd Pauline Coleman Dan Collins

Laura Colunga Craig Cooper Sean Cooper Lisa Cortez Maureen Cowan Michael Dae-Sun Ramon

DelaCruz Elizabeth Diaz Huong Dinh Jim DiTomaso Rosita Dones Tony Duong Sal Duran Indira

Ebenezer Sandy Emerson Barry Eng Judy Epstein Rocky Erfe Fe Escalante Rey Eugenio Mary

Fasching Richelle Feldon-Cayol Richard Fisher Geemin Fong Gemma Foster Marie Fuentes Lorna Gabon Nora Galvez Madan Ganti

Joseph Garcia David Ginsborg Frank Giordano Bruce Glenday Florlinda Gonzales Manuela Gonzalez Teresa Gonzalez Ken Green

Ashok Gupta Sal Gutierrez Gina Hale Ginny Hamley Murray Hartmann Jamie Hill Julius Ho Hollis Holladay Pam Hopkins Angela

Huang Chris Hughes Jenny Huynh Nora Huynh Tri Huynh Herb Jubin Judy Junaidy Michael Kang Leslie Kennedy Bob Kinderlehrer

David King Joan Kirkpatrick Melissa Kong Sue-ee Lai Fred Lam Sue Lambrecht Peter Lan Tuan Le Gilbert Lee Jack Lee Kristen Leglu

Kathy LeGrande Richard Leong Matt Leslie Annie

Leung Thida (Jen) Lim-Santos Eileen Lin Sherry Lin David Liu

Michelle Lockhart Debbie Loennquist Brian Lombard

Fraser Louie Melody Luong Trinh Luu-Nguyen John Maag

Joe Machado Bob Madalena M a n u e l

M a n d a p a n t Tracy Martinez

B e s s i e Mascardo Eric

M a t s u d a C h e r y l

M c C l o s k e y Bob McKibbin

Lyn McLain Tom McMullen

K a r e n M c P h e r s o n

M a r k McPherson Rita

Medina Rich M e n d o z a

George Miller Chuck Mirrasoul Theresa

Montenegro Greg Monteverde Matt Moore Dale Murphy Su-

san Murphy Mary Dam Nguyen Wayne Nguyen Robert

Norman Clint Nottingham Josie Olivarez Brian O'Neill Vincent

Ontiveros Richard Osborn Lesley Pak Ed Palacio Lydia

Paquiz Eleanor Parker Diane Paskert Imelda Pea Rudy

Pedraza Sylvia Pedraza Jyoti Pendse Stephanie Perez

Xuanhuong Pham Phu Phan Janene Pratt Grace Quilty

Tony Rao John Recchio Jackie Regala Marty Reinders Shan-

non Rice Carol Rivas Delia Rivas Carolyn Roberts Sylvain

Roberts Lisa Rodriguez Romeo Rodriguez Manuela

Rosalez Rebecca Ross Mohit Sabherwal Gabriel Sainz

Elizabeth Samaro Suzanne Sanchez Tony Sanchez Ford

Sandberg Patti Santillanez Maria Sarabia Selu Sataraka

Laura Scott A l f r e d o

S e m e n e Walter Senter

Naren Shah David Shank

Marian Shank C a t h y

S h e r i d a n Helen Silva

John Sleeman Bertha Soliz

Mary Solseng K i m b e r l y

Starrett Charlie Steed Marian

Stewart Larry Stone Steven Suehiro Marianne Suriaga

Michelle Swanson Donald Sweet Christine Swensen

Iwona Szatkowska Kevin Tan- ner Arika Thomas Christina

Thomas Raphael Thomas Tara Thomas Grace Tolentino

Jeanette Tonini Cristina Torio Chuong Tran Heather Tran

Khanh Tran Nicole Tran Alicia Trevino Theresa Trinadad Joy Tsai Pam Umeda Peter van der Pas Susan Vasconcellos Jackie Ventimiglia

Ben Victorino Susie Vigilante Gilbert Villareal Susie Wang Kathy Wardell Chris Watts Bob Wellner Jim White David Wierzba Barbara

Wilcox Clyde Wong Lisa Wong Andy Wu Lilia Yalong Darleen Yamaki Roger Yamat Laura Yau Will Young Michelle Zaffa Eric Zamudio

Gumer Zavala

Message from the Assessor Lawrence E. Stone

F

www.scc-assessor.org 1

ollowing three years of meager growth, theassessed value of property in Silicon Valleyappears to have turned the corner. Themajority of the increase in the County’sassessment roll is attributed to an increase inboth new construction and the number ofresidential properties that have changedownership. In contrast, the value of commer-cial and industrial properties, while stabilizing,has been relatively flat.

The Assessor’s Annual Report provides asnapshot of one component of the region’seconomy through a detailed overview of the2005-06 assessment roll for Santa ClaraCounty as of January 1, 2005, the lien date.

The annual assessment roll, delivered to theTax Collector on July 1, 2005, is a valuableresource for budgeting and financial planningby local governmental agencies.

Information in this report reflects all, locallyassessed property, both secured and unse-cured. The statistical data also distinguishesbetween business personal property and realproperty. It summarizes current assessmentsof the various cities and unincorporated areas,compared to prior years, and illustrates thetrend in assessment appeals. Assessments ofpublic utilities are the responsibility of theCalifornia State Board of Equalization, andtherefore are not included in this report.

Assessment GrowthThe assessed value of property in Santa ClaraCounty increased by $17.76 billion. The totalassessed value, net of institutional exemptions(e.g. church and welfare), was $240.14 billion, anincrease of 7.99% over the previous year. Whilefar short of the record increase of $26.91 billionjust four years ago, it is still a significantimprovement. For example, the 2005-06assessment roll growth is nearly four times as largeas last year and exceeds the combined roll growthfor the last two years (2.23% in 2004, 3.16% in2003

Current Year Roll Growth*

Assessment Roll Value Change:

Local Roll before exemptions

Less: Nonreimbursable exemptions

NET LOCAL ROLL VALUE

2005-2006

$250.65

(10.51)

$240.14

Dollar Change

$19.05

$17.76

2004-2005

$231.60

(9.22)

$222.38

% Change+

8.22%

7.99%

(Exclusive of Public Utility Valuations. Values in Billions.)

2005-2006 Valuation Changes

*Minor discrepancies may occur due to rounding calculations +Percentages based on non-rounded values

2 www.scc-assessor.org

Driven by low interest rates, liberal mortgagelending practices and a recovering local economy,assessment increases were recorded in all classes ofresidential properties including single familyhomes, condominiums, and multi-familyapartments. At the same time, commercialproperties, including shopping centers, industrialproperties, and research and developmentcampuses have stabilized for the first time in threeyears. The office building market howevercontinues to languish.

Consistent with the overall market improvement,many of the County’s high-technology businesses areonce again cautiously investing in their physicalplants and equipment. During the previous threeyears, companies have either retired or extended theuseful life of machinery, equipment, computers andfixtures. This year, the net assessed value of allbusiness personal property increased a marginal one-percent, following a 30 percent decline over theprevious three years.

Geographically, the growth in the assessment rollwas consistent throughout the county with twonotable exceptions. Eleven municipaljurisdictions experienced growth greater than thecounty average. Assessed roll growth in six citiesexceeded 10 percent, with Gilroy once againleading at 13.53 percent. This is a direct outcomeof significant new construction and the availabilityof developable land in South Santa Clara County.Two fully developed cities recorded assessment rollgrowth below the county average. They wereMountain View (5.42%) and Santa Clara(4.05%).

Continuing a four year trend, assessment rollgrowth in redevelopment agency areas (RDA) hasbeen stagnant. In the County’s ten RDA’s, the rateof growth was just under three-percent. The twoRDA’s which recorded the greatest decline wereSanta Clara (-10.32%) and Campbell (-4.06%).San Jose’s RDA, recorded assessment roll growthof one-percent, a substantial improvement overlast year’s double digit “negative” rate. Therewere three notable exceptions. The Milpitas RDA(14.55%), Morgan Hill RDA (8.79%) and the LosGatos RDA (11.65%), all outperformed theCounty average.

Assessment roll growth is also important to“basic aid” school districts. A basic aid schooldistrict is a district in which the property tax

revenue generated locally exceeds the State’sformula for school funding. Consequently,basic aid school districts have more funds attheir disposal because of direct access to localproperty tax revenue. However, the revenuethese school districts receive can fluctuateaccording to changes in the assessed value ofproperty located within each districts’ tax rateareas. The basic aid school districts in SantaClara County include: Campbell Union HighSchool District; Fremont Union High SchoolDistrict; Lakeside Joint Elementary SchoolDistrict; Los Altos Elementary School District;Los Gatos Union Elementary School District;Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High SchoolDistrict; Mountain View-Los Altos UnionHigh School District; Palo Alto Unified SchoolDistrict; Santa Clara Unified School District;Saratoga Union Elementary School District;Sunnyvale Elementary School District. Elevenof California’s 67 basic aid school districts arelocated in Santa Clara County.

Role of the County Assessor’s OfficeThe Assessor’s Office is responsible for annu-ally determining the assessed value of all realproperty and business personal property andequipment within Santa Clara County. Eachyear, the Assessor’s professional staff rendersaccurate assessments of all secured and unse-cured property. The assessment roll, whichincludes more than 500,000 roll units of realproperty and business property, is the basisupon which property taxes are levied.

Property taxes, in turn, provide an essentialsource of revenue to support basic publicservices provided by schools and local govern-ments. These public institutions form thefoundation of our region’s quality of life.

Factors in Assessment GrowthAssessment roll growth is a result of severalmajor components.

“Real property” is assessed at fair market valuewhen there is a change in ownership or newconstruction. The change in assessed value ofindividual properties reflects the net differencebetween the prior assessed value and the newmarket value resulting from the change inownership or new construction. Reappraisal asa result of new construction includes only themarket value added by the new construction.


Unless a property changes ownership or issubject to new construction, Proposition 13limits any increase in assessed value to nomore than two-percent annually or theCalifornia CPI, whichever is lower.Consequently, the assessment roll totalsignificantly less than the fair market value ofproperty in Santa Clara County.

When economic conditions cause a decline inmarket values, the Assessor is required toreduce the assessment to reflect that decline.If the market value of a property as of the liendate, January 1, 2005, was less than theassessed value, the impacted property owner isentitled to a temporary adjustment in theproperty assessment. This year, the assessedvalues for 4,442 properties represent a totalreduction of $9.48 billion from the factoredbase year assessment roll. By comparison in1995, the “bottom” of the last major declinein property values, the assessed values of98,000 properties were temporarily reduced,reflecting a $5 billion reduction in theassessment roll.

While nearly 3,000 of the 4,442 impactedproperties are single-family homes andcondominiums, these residential propertiesaccount for only 10 percent of the reductionsin assessed value. In contrast, commercialand value industrial properties account for90% of the reductions, equaling $9 billion.

At the same time, in response to an improvingresidential real estate market, the assessed valuesof nearly 20,000 properties were fully restored.The assessed value of these properties waspreviously reduced consistent with unfavorablemarket conditions which existed in prior years.In response to an improved residential market,the values of these properties have been re-stored to their original Proposition 13 factoredbase year value.

Business personal property, which includescomputers, machinery, equipment and fixtures,experienced a slight increase of one-percent, thefirst increase in several years. Assessed value ofbusiness personal property is calculated fromproperty statements filed annually by 55,000businesses in Santa Clara County.

AccomplishmentsWhile the local economy has shown signs ofmodest improvement, State and Countygovernments remain in financial crisis. Theimproving economy has created an increase inthe Assessor’s workload, at the same timebudget pressures continue to grow. Last yearthe Board of Supervisors offered a “goldenparachute” to senior employees resulting in theretirement of more than 10 percent of theAssessor’s staff. Despite the increase inworkload and corresponding decrease in staff,we did not compromise productivity orperformance.

+ Reflects those properties that did not establish a new base year value.* Net of 2% annual increase

** Changes due to Assessment Appeal Board actions, real property requiring annual reassessment, roll corrections, etc.Note: A limited portion of new construction is reflected in the change in ownership figures.

Dollar % ofChange Change

Exemptions $-1.28 55.2%Other Net changes** -1.04 44.8%Subtotal, declines in values -$2.32 100.0%

Factors Causing Change to the 2005-2006 Assessment Roll(in Billions)

Dollar % of Change Change

Change in ownership* $12.48 62.1% CPI Inflation Factor (2%) 3.90 19.4% New Construction* 2.10 10.4% Business Personal Property 0.60 3.0% Proposition 8 net change+ 1.02 5.1% Subtotal, increases in value $20.10 100.0%

Grand Total of Changes to Assessment Roll $17.78


The following are a few of our majoraccomplishments:

• Completed the annual assessment roll bythe deadline mandated by law.

• Returned $1.15 million of the Assessor’sbudget to the County general fund.

• Completed 99.1% of real property assess-ments.

• Completed 99.3% of business personalproperty assessments and audits.

• Completed 100% of eligible exemptions.• Continued to enhance the on-line prop-

erty “look-up” feature on the Assessor’sweb site (scc-assessor.org), allowingproperty owners to access property recordsany time of the day or night from aconvenient location. The site remainsamong the County’s top five most-visitedweb sites.

• Audited 100% of the 1,109 businessaccounts required by the CaliforniaRevenue and Taxation Code,

• Processed 99.98% of recorded deeds• 128,638 title documents were processed,

an increase of 15.6% over the prior year..• Prepared 47,495 title documents for value

determinations, an increase of 30.6% overthe prior year.

• Reduced the assessed values of 4,442properties and restored the factored baseyear value on 20,301 properties as man-dated by law.

• Eliminated the use of an independentcontractor to assist with mapping respon-sibilities by absorbing this responsibilitywith current County staff.

• Expanded the application of customersatisfaction surveys for all divisions.

• Progressed on the design of a new com-puter information system, to meet thechallenges of the next generation.

• Successfully defended assessed values atthe Assessment Appeals Board, retainingapproximately 90% of the value at risk.

• Successfully resisted an effort by Chair ofthe Board of Supervisor’s Finance Com-mittee to divert funds previously allocatedfor property tax administration to otherunrelated county functions.

• Commenced a new system allowing largebusinesses to electronically file BusinessProperty Statements (BPS).

• Increased the number of small businessesthat e-file their business property state-ments to nearly 5,000. Virtually all propertystatements are now managed electronically.

• Launched a major document-imagingproject to electronically image 25 millionpages of existing documents.

• Upgraded more than three quarters of alldesktop computer units.

• Installed dual computer monitors allowingthe improved functional use of scannedimages.

• Improved procedures for filing exemptionclaims.

Trends and Future Goals

The Assessor’s Office continues to focus ondeveloping and implementing creative andinnovative solutions to improve efficiency andproductivity while reducing costs.

Some of the major challenges/opportunitiesahead include:

• Replace the 25 year-old legacy computersystem with a modern, “state of the art”system that will efficiently meet bothimmediate and long-term needs.

• Reorganize and consolidate public serviceresponsibilities to improve customerservice and office security.

• Beta test a Geographic Information System(GIS) to increase efficiencies for publicagencies.

As County Assessor, I will focus attention andresources on continuous improvement initia-tives based on quality, service, innovation andaccountability. The Assessor’s Office contains agroup of employees that I believe are amongthe most talented and dedicated public servantsanywhere in government. It is our primaryobjective to treat all property owners andtaxpayers with the highest degree of courtesyand professionalism.

Lawrence E. StoneAssessor

After the County Assessor determines theassessed value of all assessable property in SantaClara County, the County Finance Agencycalculates and issues tax bills for each property.Under Proposition 13, the maximum propertytax rate is 1% of the property’s net taxablevalue. In addition, the bill will include anamount necessary to make the annual paymenton general obligation bonds or other bondedindebtedness imposed by public agencies andapproved by the voters.

The property tax revenue collected by theCounty Tax Collector supports schools (includ-ing local elementary, high school and commu-nity college districts) and local governmentagencies including cities, redevelopment agen-cies, the County, and special districts. The basic

Santa Clara County Property Tax Revenue Allocation 2004-2005

one-percent tax rate is divided among the publictaxing agencies in Santa Clara County. Duringthe past year, due to changes in State law, somelocal governments are receiving a greater, orsmaller, share of revenue from property taxes.At the same time, most increases were off-setby reductions in other revenue sources.

The accurate, consistent and fair valuation ofproperty by the Assessor’s Office every yearcreates the foundation that supports the deliveryof essential public services provided by localgovernments. The County Assessor’s Officedoes not calculate taxes, collect taxes or allocatetax revenues. For information regarding thecollection and allocation of property taxes,please contact the Tax Collector at (408) 808-7900 or the Controller at (408) 299-5200.

How Tax Bills Are Calculated

Taxpayer Taxes Paid*

1 Intel Corporation $14,995,096

2 Sobrato Development $14,881,858

3 Spieker Properties $14,730,765

4 Pacific Gas & Electric $14,272,867

5 SBC California $11,569,374

* Ten largest taxpayers on the 2003-2004 secured tax roll

Source: Santa Clara County Tax Collector, November 2004

Largest Taxpayers 2003-2004*

Taxpayer Taxes Paid*

6 Hewlett Packard $10,879,819

7 Berg & Berg Developers $10,396,445

8 Cisco Technology Systems $10,319,424

9 Arrillaga, Perry et al $8,851,054

10 Applied Materials $8,757,699


The County Assessor’s Office does notcalculate taxes, collect taxes or allocate tax revenues.

K-1

2 P

ublic

Schools

51%

Redevelo

pm

ent

Agencie

s 9

%

Co

un

ty 1

7%

Cit

ies 12%

Com

munit

y

Colleges 6

%

Specia

l

Dis

tric

ts 5

%

Over the past sixteen years, Santa ClaraCounty’s annual roll growth has ranged frommore than 15% to less than 1%. The localeconomy has a significant impact on propertytransfer transactions and building permitactivity. This year changes in property owner-ship accounted for 62% of the total increase inassessed value over last year’s assessment roll.Under Proposition 13, once a base value isestablished as a result of a change in ownershipor new construction, the assessed value of aproperty can increase by no more than 2%annually based on an inflation factor, tied tothe California Consumer Price Index (CPI).Since the implementation of Proposition 13 in1978, the CPI has been less than 2% fivetimes: in 1983, 1995, 1996, 1999 and 2004.

The Assessment RollThe assessment roll is divided into the securedroll (property subject to a lien) and the unse-cured roll (property on which the property taxesare not a lien against the real estate where theproperty is situated, including improvementslocated on leased land).

Exemption values include homeowner exemp-tions (reimbursed by the State), and otherexemptions for non-profit organizations,including churches, charitable institutions,colleges, hospitals and private and parochialschools (not reimbursed by the State).

Improvements (the value of buildings or struc-tures situated on land) reflect values assessed byboth the Real Property Division and the Busi-ness Division.

Assessment Roll Summary2005-2006 Assessment Roll Compared to 2004-2005 (Exclusive of Public Utility Valuations)

2005-2006 2004-2005 Difference ChangeLand $105,309,540,862 $94,522,243,576 $10,787,297,286 11.41%Improvements (Real Property) 119,045,760,468 111,389,342,875 7,656,417,593 6.87%Improvements (Business Div) 1,022,205,378 1,197,461,788 -175,256,410 -14.64%Subtotal $225,377,506,708 $207,109,048,239 $18,268,458,469 8.82%

Personal Property $3,443,395,510 $3,857,738,609 -$414,343,099 -10.74%Mobilehomes 528,675,572 523,520,877 5,154,695 0.98%Subtotal $3,972,071,082 $4,381,259,486 -$409,188,404 -9.34%

TOTAL Gross Secured $229,349,577,790 $211,490,307,725 $17,859,270,065 8.44%Less: Other Exemptions (sec) -8,481,982,719 -7,586,378,776 -895,603,943 11.81%

NET SECURED $220,867,595,071 $203,903,928,949 $16,963,666,122 8.32%

TOTAL Gross Unsecured $21,298,015,703 $20,109,087,003 $1,188,928,700 5.91%Less: Other Exemptions -2,023,632,631 -1,636,971,125 -386,661,506 23.62% (unsec)NET UNSECURED $19,274,383,072 $18,472,115,878 $802,267,194 4.34%TOTAL Local Roll $240,141,978,143 $222,376,044,827 $17,765,933,316 7.99%

Homeowners’ Exemption $1,956,380,186 $1,945,668,392 $10,711,794 0.55%


Ten-Year Assessment Roll SummarySanta Clara County History Summary

Year

2005-06

2004-05

2003-04

2002-03

2001-02

2000-01

1999-2000

1998-99

1997-98

1996-97

Net Local Roll

$240,141,978,143

$222,376,044,827

$217,519,142,270

$210,848,399,143

$199,825,819,628

$172,917,361,122

$157,569,966,561

$144,520,914,325

$130,817,839,833

$120,613,677,733

Percent Change

7.99%

2.23%

3.16%

5.52%

15.56%

9.74%

9.03%

10.47%

8.46%

4.60%

Change in Value

$17,765,933,316

$4,856,902,557

$6,670,743,127

$11,022,579,515

$26,908,458,506

$15,305,178,987

$13,049,052,236

$13,703,074,492

$10,204,162,100

$5,308,809,929

Inflation Factor*

2.00%

1.87%

2.00%

2.00%

2.00%

2.00%

1.85%

2.00%

2.00%

1.11%

(Exclusive of public utility valuation, and nonreimbursable exemptions)

* Proposition 13 limits the inflation factor for property values to 2% per year or the California Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower.

$260,000,000,000$240,000,000,000$220,000,000,000$200,000,000,000$180,000,000,000$160,000,000,000$140,000,000,000$120,000,000,000$100,000,000,000

Ten-Year Assessment Roll Summary

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

16.00%14.00%12.00%10.00%8.00%6.00%4.00%2.00%0.00%

Percent Change with Inflation Factor

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

PercentRollChange

InflationFactor



Following three years

of meager growth, the

assessed value of

property in Silicon

Valley appears to have

turned the corner.

Compared to last year,

this year’s roll growth

data contained fewer

geographic disparities.

Gilroy experienced the

largest percentage

increase in assessed

value, 13.53%, while

the City of Santa Clara

had the lowest

increase in assessed

value of 4.05%.

Assessment Information by City

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%

2005-2006 Percent Growth by City

Mou

ntain

View

Unicor

porat

ed

Sunnyv

ale

Los A

ltos H

ills

Campb

ell

Mon

te Se

reno

Mor

gan H

ill

Gilroy

Milp

itas

Los A

ltos

Cupert

ino

San

Jose

Sant

a Clar

a

Palo

Alto

Sarat

oga

Assessment Roll Growth by City

* Net of nonreimbursable exemptions** Percentages based on non-rounded values+ California Department of Finance, County Population Est., May 2005

(Values in Billions, Per Capita in Thousands)

Total* Total* Percent Value PerRoll 2005 Roll 2004 Growth** Capita+

Campbell $4.92 $4.57 7.59% $127.97Cupertino 10.29 9.53 8.04 192.56Gilroy 5.16 4.55 13.53 108.28Los Altos 7.05 6.37 10.55 255.15Los Altos Hills 3.78 3.44 9.89 447.75Los Gatos 6.44 5.83 10.50 222.31Milpitas 9.95 9.33 6.67 153.06Monte Sereno 1.18 1.07 10.48 337.82Morgan Hill 5.30 4.81 10.14 145.42Mountain View 11.90 11.29 5.42 165.19Palo Alto 16.29 15.02 8.47 264.10San Jose 99.69 92.16 8.17 105.51Santa Clara 18.81 18.08 4.05 172.41Saratoga 8.14 7.39 10.15 264.00Sunnyvale 19.23 17.92 7.29 144.47Unincorporated 12.01 11.02 8.97 121.95TOTALS $240.14 $222.38 7.99% $136.48

Los G

atos


$110

$100

$90

$80

$70

$60

$50

$40

$30

$20

$10

$0

2005-2006 Net Assessment Roll Distribution by City

Gilroy

Campb

ell

Los A

ltos H

ills

Mon

te Ser

eno

Sarat

oga

Los A

ltos

Los G

atos

Mor

gan H

ill

Uninco

rpor

ated

Mou

ntain

View

Cupert

ino

Milp

itas

San J

ose

Sunnyv

ale

Sant

a Clar

a

Palo

Alto

(Values in Billions)

2005-2006 Net Assessment Roll by City(Values in Billions)

Secured Roll: Property for which taxes become a lien on real property to secure payment of taxes.Unsecured Roll: Property for which taxes are not a lien on Real Property to secure payment of taxes.

*RDA: Redevelopment Agency **Net of Nonreimbursable Exemptions +Percentages based on non-rounded values- Indicates a value of 0 or less than $10 million

Secured Secured Unsecured Unsecured Total PercentCITY RDA* CITY RDA* Roll** of Roll+

Campbell $4.16 $0.50 $0.18 $0.08 $4.92 2.05%Cupertino 9.83 0.11 0.34 0.01 $10.29 4.29Gilroy 4.91 - 0.25 - $5.16 2.15Los Altos 6.97 - 0.08 - $7.05 2.93Los Altos Hills 3.78 - - - $3.78 1.58Los Gatos 5.40 0.85 0.14 0.05 $6.44 2.68Milpitas 5.24 3.06 0.72 0.93 $9.95 4.14Monte Sereno 1.18 - - - $1.18 0.49Morgan Hill 2.90 2.16 0.01 0.23 $5.30 2.21Mt. View 9.11 1.31 0.71 0.77 $11.90 4.95Palo Alto 14.89 - 1.40 - $16.29 6.78San Jose 81.14 11.21 3.52 3.82 $99.69 41.52Santa Clara 14.54 1.23 2.31 0.73 $18.81 7.83Saratoga 8.10 - 0.04 - $8.14 3.39Sunnyvale 16.16 0.34 2.70 0.03 $19.23 8.01Unincorporated 11.78 - 0.23 - $12.01 5.00

$200.09 $20.77 $12.63 $6.65 $240.14 100.00%


$100

$90

$80

$70

$60

$50

$40

$30

$20

$10

$0

2005-2006 Real Property Distribution by City

Campb

ell

Gilroy

Los A

ltos H

ills

Mon

te Se

reno

Sarat

oga

Los A

ltos

Los G

atos

Mor

gan H

ill

Uninco

rpor

ated

Mou

ntain

View

Cupert

ino

Milp

itas

San

Jose

Sunn

yvale

Sant

a Clar

a

Palo

Alto


2005-2006 Real Property Distribution by City(Values in Billions)

Note: Does not include Mobilehomes; does not include Possessory Interest assessments which arebilled as unsecured assessments.

Land Improvement Total Exemptions* Net ParcelValue Value Value Total Count

Campbell $2.29 $2.43 $4.72 $0.07 $4.65 10,846Cupertino 5.13 4.67 9.80 0.08 9.72 15,945Gilroy 2.08 2.91 4.99 0.14 4.85 12,051Los Altos 4.27 2.76 7.03 0.07 6.96 10,641Los Altos Hills 2.15 1.64 3.79 0.02 3.77 3,044Los Gatos 3.28 3.09 6.37 0.13 6.24 10,403Milpitas 3.45 4.88 8.33 0.12 8.21 15,608Monte Sereno 0.66 0.52 1.18 - 1.18 1,252Morgan Hill 2.02 3.12 5.14 0.12 5.02 10,313Mountain View 5.07 5.36 10.43 0.19 10.24 17,864Palo Alto 7.95 8.30 16.25 1.59 14.66 19,592San Jose 41.06 52.08 93.14 2.64 90.50 221,167Santa Clara 6.96 8.39 15.35 0.85 14.50 27,008Saratoga 4.69 3.54 8.23 0.13 8.10 10,960Sunnyvale 7.98 8.10 16.08 0.16 15.92 29,589Unincorporated 6.27 7.25 13.52 1.90 11.62 31,460TOTAL $105.31 $119.04 $224.35 $8.21 $216.14 447,743

- Indicates a value of 0 or less than $10 million *Nonreimbursable Exemptions


$12.0

$10.0

$8.0

$6.0

$4.0

$2.0

$0.0

2005-2006 Business Personal Property Distribution by City

Los Alto

s

Sarat

oga

Mon

te Se

reno

Uninco

rporat

ed

Campb

ell

Mor

gan H

ill

Los G

atos

Palo

Alto

Mou

ntain

View

Cupert

inoGilro

y

San

Jose

Sant

a Clar

a

Sunn

yvale

Milp

itas


Los A

ltos H

ills

2005-2006 Business Personal Property Distribution by City(Values in Billions)

- Indicates a value of 0 or less than $10 million. As a result, totals of displayed numbers may be off by up to $10 million.* Secured Roll: Property for which taxes become a lien on real property to secure payment of taxes.

** Unsecured Roll: Property for which taxes are not a lien on Real Property to secure payment of taxes.

Net of Nonreimbursable Exemptions; Includes Mobilehomes and Possessory Interest Assessments

Secured * Unsecured ** Net Percent Value %Roll Roll Total of Value Growth

Campbell $0.01 $0.26 $0.27 1.12% 8.46%Cupertino 0.23 0.35 0.58 2.42 0.10Gilroy 0.06 0.25 0.31 1.29 7.55Los Altos - 0.08 0.08 0.35 5.12Los Altos Hills - - - 0.02 -28.82Los Gatos 0.03 0.18 0.21 0.87 11.77Milpitas 0.10 1.65 1.75 7.29 10.81Monte Sereno - - - 0.01 4.03Morgan Hill 0.03 0.25 0.28 1.16 2.62Mountain View 0.17 1.49 1.66 6.90 3.65Palo Alto 0.23 1.40 1.63 6.79 -0.92San Jose 1.85 7.34 9.19 38.28 -0.71Santa Clara 1.27 3.03 4.30 17.93 -1.71Saratoga - 0.04 0.04 0.18 7.83Sunnyvale .58 2.73 3.31 13.77 4.06Unincorporated 0.16 0.23 0.39 1.62 -9.40TOTAL $4.72 $19.28 $24.00 100.00% 1.01%


2005-2006 Properties withTemporary Declines by City

* Represents decline in assessed value had the market value exceededthe proposition 13 protected factored base year value

**Percentages based on non-rounded values


Number of Values Percent ofCity Properties Declined* Decline**Campbell 47 $0.11 29.87%Cupertino 266 0.27 22.85Gilroy 59 0.02 25.74Los Altos 197 0.09 17.99Los Altos Hills 94 0.11 24.98Los Gatos 355 0.10 16.98Milpitas 214 0.84 47.34Monte Sereno 48 0.02 19.46Morgan Hill 87 0.08 27.58Mt View 288 0.93 41.55Palo Alto 357 0.47 27.20San Jose 1,115 3.73 39.99Santa Clara 245 1.22 41.32Saratoga 423 0.20 18.74Sunnyvale 364 1.21 38.06Unincorporated 283 0.08 14.99Total 4,442 $9.48 35.98%

Proposition 8The assessed values of 4,442 propertieswere reduced by the Assessor’s Office, asof the lien date January 1, 2005, to reflectchanges in market conditions for a totalreduction of $9.48 billion. This repre-sents a 35.98% decline from what wouldhave been the assessed value of theseproperties had the market value notdeclined below the Proposition 13 pro-tected assessed value.

The “temporary” reductions in assessedvalue are mandated by Proposition 8,passed by California voters in November1978. Proposition 8 provides that prop-erty owners are entitled to the “lower” ofthe fair market value of their property asof January 1, 2005, or the assessed valueas determined at the time of purchase orconstruction, and increased by no morethan 2% annually.

The overwhelming majority of reductionsare for properties that were purchased ornewly constructed at the ‘top of the

market.’ Properties where the market value exceeds the assessed value as of January 1, 2005 arenot eligible for an adjustment.

Properties

100,000

90,000

80,000

70,000

60,000

50,000

40,000

30,000

20,000

10,000

0

1992-2005: Number of properties temporarily declined to reflect changes in market value

1992-93 1993-94 1994-95 1995-96 1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-0619992000

Redevelopment Agencies--40% of allProposition 8 Reductions in Value

...the overall number ofresidential parcels withProp 8 reductions declineddramatically from 23,253 in2004 to 2,962 in 2005. Incontrast, non residentialparcels, which account for93% of all Proposition 8values reductions, remainedflat as most of thesecommercial properties onceagain received reductions...

In Santa Clara County there are 8 RDA’s. TheseRDA’s accounted for 14% of all Proposition 8reductions for a total of 625. Yet, thoseproperties accounted for a total reduction of$4.1 billion, just over 40% of the total decline.Over 90%, occurred in just 3 RDAs: San Jose($2.7 billion), Milpitas ($645 million), andSanta Clara ($345 million). The other RDA’swith reductions were Campbell ($53.7 million),Los Gatos ($5.4 million), Morgan Hill ($72.8million), Mountain View ($274.5 million), andSunnyvale ($16.5 million).


Questions?We have answers.

Go towww.scc-assessor.orgfor more information

2005-2006 Properties withTemporary Declines, Property Type


Number of Values Percent ofProperty Type Properties Declined* Decline**

Residential 2,962 $0.68 14.80%Apartments 150 0.15 16.23Commercial & Industrial 875 5.95 43.69Office 271 2.25 40.64Retail and Hotels 174 0.45 27.14Agricultural 10 - 51.01Total 4,442 $9.48 35.98%

* Represents decline in assessed value had the market valueexceeded the proposition 13 protected factored base year value

**Percentages based on non-rounded values

100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0% Citi

es

44%

14%

56%

86%

Percent of declines by Value

Percent of Declines by Parcel Count

Property Declines(Prop 8):RDA vs. City by

Value and Parcel Count

Red

evel

opm

ent A

genc

ies


...Kaiser Foundation Hospitals Inc. qualifiedfor a $562 million exemption from propertytaxes and Stanford received an exemption of $4billion in assessed value...the second largestexemption in California...

Qualifying Exemptions

% ofExemption Roll Total % Value Exempt

Units Value Increase Value+Non-Profit Colleges 322 $4.61 11.36% 37.00%Homeowners’ Exemption** 279,478 1.95 0.55 15.70Qualifying Low Income Housing 289 2.06 15.02 16.55Charitable Non-Profit Org. 1,254 1.92 32.40 15.36Religious Org. 847 0.63 -27.43 5.05Hospitals 20 0.71 19.45 5.66Cemeteries 34 0.13 8.31 1.04Private Schools 100 0.31 138.51 2.47Misc. 42 0.09 3.93 .73Veterans 604 0.05 11.10 0.42Historical Aircrafts 48 - -3.55 0.02Total 283,038 $12.46 11.58% 100.00%

Exemptions notreimbursed bythe State 3,560 $10.51


These categories include only those non profit organizations that haveapplied and qualified in accordance with the Revenue and Taxation Code.

** The State reimburses the County for the Homeowners’ Exemption.+ Percentages based on non-rounded values- Indicates a value of 0 or less than $10 million

In addition to the homeowners’exemption, there are many otherexemptions available to taxpayers.They include charitable non profitorganizations, religious institutionsand private non-profit colleges.During the last 3 years, the value ofexempt properties (non home-owner exempt) have actually in-creased 45%, more than double thetotal roll growth during the sameperiod. For example the number ofqualifying Private Schools hasincreased by over 60% and theirexempted value has nearly tripledsince 2002. Another group ofproperties in which the exemptvalue has increased significantly arenon-profit Organizations. Last yearthe value exempted increased 32%,to almost $2 billion. This accountedfor one-third of all increases invalues exempted from the assess-ment roll (excluding homeownerexemptions).

ExemptionsHomeowners’ Exemption is the exemption with which most taxpayers are familiar. Over the last yearthe number of properties receiving this exemption has increased by nearly 1%.

Passed by the voters in June, 1978, Proposition13 is an amendment to the California Constitu-tion that limits the assessment and taxation ofproperty in California. It restricts both the taxrate and the rate of increase allowed in assessingreal property as follows:• The property tax cannot exceed 1% of a

property’s taxable value, plus bonds ap-proved by the voters, service fees, improve-ment bonds, and special assessments.

• A property’s original base value is its 1975-76 market value. A new base year value isestablished by reappraisal, whenever thereis a change in ownership or new construc-tion. Except for change in ownership ornew construction, the increase in theassessed value of real property is limited tono more than 2% per year.

• Business Personal property, boats, airplanesand certain restricted properties are subjectto annual reappraisal and assessment.

• In the case of real property, the adjusted(factored) base year value is the upper limitof value for property tax purposes.

Historically, the market value of real propertyhas increased at a significantly greater rate thanthe assessed value, which is limited to no morethan 2% per year, unless there is a change inownership or new construction.

The result has been a widening disparity be-tween the market value and assessed value ofproperty in Santa Clara County. Long timeproperty owners benefit from lower assessmentswhile new, and frequently younger property

owners, are adversely impacted by assessmentsthat can be as much as ten times greater thanthat of a comparable property held by the longtime owner.

Since the passage of Proposition 13 the averageassessed value, compared to average sale prices,of single family residences in Santa ClaraCounty has ranged from 40% in 1978, to 57%in 1995; In 2004, it is 51%.

Historical trend of assessed values in Santa Clara CountyThe chart compares thecontribution by homeownersversus all other real property,such as commercial andindustrial properties, to theCounty’s total net assessedvalue. Since Proposition 13’spassage in 1978, assessedvalues of commercial andindustrial secured propertieshave declined an astounding17% in proportion to residen-tial properties, a trend consis-tent with data from otherCalifornia counties.

Proposition 13


1978 1985 1990 1995 1999 2004

$800,000

$700,000

$600,000

$500,000

$400,000

$300,000

$200,000

$100,000

0

Average Assessed ValueVs.

Average “Sales” Value

Average Assessed Value

Val

ue

(Source RE InfoLink,Bill Challas Sales Data)Annual Average “Sales” Value

70.00%

65.00%

60.00%

55.00%

50.00%

45.00%

40.00%

35.00%

30.00%

Per

cent

of

Tot

al A

sses

sed

Val

ue

Historic Trend of Assessed Values in Santa Clara County

1977-1978 1985-1986 1990-1991 1995-1996 2000-2001 2005-2006

Residential (Single Family and Condominiums) All Other Property


Assessment Standards & Services

Division DescriptionResponsible for locating and identifying ownership and reappraisability on all taxable real property.In addition, professional staff members monitor assessment appeal information; process legalappeals; maintain and update assessment maps; manage the public service center and overseequality control.

Staff CompositionA majority of the 51 staff members of the Assessment, Standards and Services Division possessexpert knowledge in cartography and/or the legal complexities of property transfers. In addition,two staff members are certified by the State Board of Equalization, one as an appraiser andanother as an advanced appraiser.

Major Accomplishments 2005/2006 2004/2005Ownership Title Documents processed 128,638 112,292Change in Ownership Reviewed (reassessable events)43,139 34,869Parcel Number Changes (split & combinations) 5,171 3,289

Real Property

Division DescriptionResponsible for valuing and enrolling all taxable real property (land and improvements). TheDivision provides assessment-related information to the public, and cooperates with other agenciesregarding assessment and property tax-related matters.

Staff CompositionSixty-two of the ninety-four staff positions are professional appraisers certified by the State Boardof Equalization. Forty-six of those appraisers hold advanced certificates issued by the SBE.

Major Accomplishments 2005/2006 2004/2005Real Property Parcels (secured; taxable) 447,743 443,706Permits Processed 26,090 24,413New Construction Appraised 13,059 11,442Proposition 8 Parcels (temporary reductions) 4,442 24,743Change in Ownership Assessed (reassessable events) 42,996 34,586

AsseAssistant

Organizational Overview of t

35%Asian

15%Hispanic

2% AfricanAmerican

44%Male

55%Female

Staff Composition

48%Caucasian

essort Assessor

the County Assessor’s Office


Office Mission. The mission of the Santa Clara County Assessor’s Office is to pro-duce an annual assessment roll including all assessable property in accordance with legalmandates in a timely, accurate, and efficient manner; and provide current assessment-relatedinformation to the public and to governmental agencies in a timely and responsive way.

Division DescriptionResponsible for locating, valuing and enrolling all taxable business personal property includingproperty (owned and leased) such as computers, supplies, machinery and equipment as well asmobilehomes, airplanes and boats. Last year the Division completed 1,109 business audits. TheDivision is responsible for administration of assessment appeals involving business personalproperty. Businesses with personal property valued in excess of $400,000 are audited once everyfour years, which accounts for over 88% of all personal property in the County.

Staff CompositionThirty-nine of the sixty-seven staff members are certified as auditor-appraisers including thirtystaff members who have advanced certification awarded by the State Board of Equalization. Thestaff is comprised of accountants and experts skilled in assessing and auditing high-tech busi-nesses.

5002/40026002/5002stnemhsilpmoccA rojaMMobilehome Parcels Assessed 9,406 9,264Business Personal Property (BPP) Assessments Processed 106,020 105,265Total Business Personal Property Appraisals Enrolled 78,673 78,664BPP Enrolled on the Secured Roll 11,529 11,707

Administration Division

Division DescriptionResponsible for providing administrativeand fiscal support services to the Assessor’sOffice; including budget, personnel, payroll,purchasing, facilities management andinternal/external communications.

Staff CompositionA staff of 10, includes the Assessor, AssistantAssessor and the Deputy to the Assessor.Two are certified appraisers and one is anadvanced appraiser certified by the SBE.

Assessor’s 2005/2006 2004/2005Budget $21,450,569 $21,389, 927Employees Inthe Assessor’s Office 242 242Staff Funded by State 58 40 Performance Grant (PTAP)

InformationSystems Division

Division DescriptionResponsible for supply-ing systems support toall other divisions in thepursuit of preparingand delivering thesecured, unsecured,and supplementalassessment rolls.

Staff CompositionThe 9 member staffhas a broad knowledgeof advanced computersystems and includes anSBE certified advancedappraiser.

ExemptionDivision

Division DescriptionResponsible for approvingand enrolling all legalproperty tax exemptions.Homeowner exemptionsand other constitutionalexemptions are compiledand applied to the supple-mental and the securedand unsecured assessmentrolls.

Staff CompositionThe 11 staff members areskilled in property taxexemptions law.


Although nearly nine out often parcels of real propertyin Santa Clara County aresingle family residences,those parcels represent justover two-thirds of the totalassessed value of all realproperty. Non-residentialreal property, includingcommercial, industrial andagricultural properties,account for nearly one-thirdof the assessed values whileconstituting less than 12%of all parcels.

+ Percentages based on non-rounded values* Net of Nonreimbursable Exemptions; Does not include Mobilehomes; Does not include Possessory Interest

assessments which are billed as unsecured assessments.

2005-2006 Real Property Distribution of Value by Property Type

Single Family Detached $128.33 10.83% 59.37% 325,776 72.76%Condominiums 20.11 15.39 9.30 68,228 15.24Office 11.03 -1.82 5.10 4,457 1.00Apartments 5+ units 11.50 6.19 5.32 4,799 1.07R&D Industrial 6.89 -0.37 3.19 688 0.15Other IndustrialNon-Manufacturing 8.06 0.35 3.73 3,885 0.87Specialty Retail & Hotels 7.30 4.56 3.38 6,087 1.36Other Urban 4.27 11.04 1.97 7,760 1.73Electronic & Machinery Mfg. 3.93 0.23 1.82 461 0.10Single Family 2-4 units 5.12 12.79 2.37 15,266 3.41Major Shopping Centers 4.32 7.53 2.00 827 0.18Other IndustrialManufacturing 2.88 0.34 1.33 1,729 0.39Agricultural 1.55 9.97 0.72 6,310 1.41Public & Quasi-Public 0.79 5.93 0.37 1,261 0.28Residential Misc. 0.06 5.16 0.03 209 0.05Totals $216.14 8.82% 100.00% 447,743 100.00%

Property Type Value* Value Value % Parcel Parcel(In Billions) Growth Percentage Count Percentage+

100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

Sing

le Fa

mily

/Con

do R

esid

entia

l

Mul

ti-Fa

mily

Res

iden

tial

Non

-Res

iden

tial

68.7%

88.0%

7.7%

4.5%

23.6%

7.5%

2005-2006 Real Property Types byValue and Parcel Count

Percent of Real Property by Value Percent of Real Property by Parcel


...the largesthome inSanta ClaraCounty is18,133square feetand the netasse s sedvalue is$12 million.In contrast,the homewith thehighest netas s e s s edvalue is$28 millionand is14,855squarefeet...

Appraising and Assessing:Is There a Difference?

Yes. An appraisal is the process of estimatingvalue. Most taxpayers assume the marketplace exclusively determines a property’sassessment. However, the market value maybe only one component in the process ofdetermining the property’s assessed value.While at least one of the three approaches tovalue, (1) market, (2) income, and (3) cost, isalways considered in the appraisal of a

property, the Assessor is required to incor-porate additional factors when determiningwhen and how to assess property under Statelaw. Frequently, court decisions, laws, andrules promulgated by the State Legislatureand State Board of Equalization amend theassessment process, and redefine what, whenand/or how the Assessor must determinethe assessed value of a property.

Fr Westgate Mall LLC Regional Shopping Center San Jose $95.95Vallco Intl. Shopping Center LLC. Regional Shopping Center Cupertino $70.30Carramerica Realty High Rise Office Santa Clara $60.06Global Lafayette St LLC R & D Santa Clara $60.00Newport Beach N LLC Apartments San Jose $60.00Prudential Insurance Co R & D Milpitas $59.34Westcore Vasona LLC R & D Campbell $52.83160 West Santa Clara Office Inc High Rise Office San Jose $52.80CDC Sunnyvale LP R & D / Office Sunnyvale $51.00

Major New Construction* 2005-2006

Company (Assessee)

* Income Generating Properties only, includes partial or completed construction+ Assessed Value of New Construction only (Net Change in Assessed Value)

Net Value+CityProperty Type

Stanford University Residential Care Facility Palo Alto $100.27Irvine Community Devel. Co Apartments San Jose $70.17Odd Fellows Home of Calif. Apartments Saratoga $43.90Avignon Apartments LLC Apartments San Jose $32.57Evans Lane Apts LP Apartments San Jose $32.33Branham Lane Apt Assocs LP Apartments San Jose $28.68Mansion Grove South Apartments Santa Clara $26.09Lenzen Associates LLC Apartments San Jose $21.77Flora Vista Residential Apartments Santa Clara $19.18Sobrato Interests II Apartments Sunnyvale $17.58

Company (Assessee)

* Income Generating Properties only.Includes only properties with 100% change in ownership.

Total ValueCityProperty Type(Assessed Values in Millions)

Major Changes in Ownership* 2005-2006

(Assessed Values in Millions)


Assessed values of business personal property are determined from the business property statementsfiled with the Assessor annually by almost 55,000 businesses in Silicon Valley. Consistent with theoverall improvement in the marketplace, many of the County’s high-technology businesses areonce again cautiously investing in their physical plants. For the first time in 3 years the assessedvalue of business property actually increased, albeit by only 1%. In Santa Clara County, theassessed value of business property represents 10% of the entire assessment roll. Statewide,unsecured business property accounts for approximately 6% of the total assessment roll. WhileSanta Clara County ranks sixth in population, and has historically ranked fourth in total assessedvalue, it is second only to Los Angeles in the assessed value of business personal property.

Business Personal Property

Below are the top 25 companies in Santa Clara County as of the lien date, January 1, 2005, rankedby the gross assessed taxable value of their “business property” which includes personal property,machinery, equipment and fixtures. Ranging in size from over $100 million to just over $1.5 billiondollars, the “business property” of the top 25 companies is assessed annually. [Note: The rankingdoes not include the assessed value of real property.]

1 Cisco Systems (1)2 Intel (2)3 Applied Materials (3)4 Lockheed Martin (5)5 Hewlett Packard (4)6 Hitachi Global Storage (6)7 Sun Microsystems (7)8 Spansion9 KLA Tencor (9)

10 IBM (8)11 Legacy Partners Commercial (18)12 Agilent Technologies (13)13 American Airlines (10)14 Novellus Systems (11)15 Maxim Integrated Products (12)16 Alza (15)17 Southwest Airline Co.18 EeBay (24)

19 Comcast of California II (21)20 Headway Technologies (20)21 Google22 Seagate Technology (16)23 Microsoft (19)24 Space Systems Loral (17)25 Apple Computer

2005-2006 Top 25 Companies* (last year’s ranking)

* Ranked by the gross assessed taxable value of their “business personal property”

2005-2006 Business Personal PropertyDistribution of Value by Type

* Secured Roll: Property for which taxes become a lien on real property to secure payment of taxes.** Unsecured Roll: Property for which taxes are not a lien on Real Property to secure payment of taxes.*** Net of Nonreimbursable Exemptions, includes Possessory Interest Assessments valued by Real Property Division.+ Percentages based on non-rounded values.- Indicates a value of 0 or less than $10 million. As a result, totals of displayed numbers may be off by up to $10 million.

% of Value %Property Type Secured* Unsecured** Total*** Value+ GrowthProfessional Services $0.46 $5.03 $5.49 22.88% 3.36%Electronic Manufacturing 1.07 4.16 5.23 21.76 -2.10Other Manufacturing 0.60 2.09 2.69 11.21 1.99Computer Manufacturing 0.76 1.83 2.59 10.78 -1.94Semiconductor Manufacturing 1.21 0.98 2.19 9.13 2.39Retail 0.05 1.52 1.57 6.54 9.02Other 0.02 1.30 1.32 5.50 2.80Audit Escapes - 0.95 0.95 3.97 15.35Leased Equipment - 0.81 0.81 3.37 -15.42Mobilehomes 0.53 - 0.53 2.20 0.98Aircraft - 0.42 0.42 1.76 -6.92Financial Institutions - 0.09 0.09 0.39 0.15Boats - 0.06 0.06 0.26 -2.21Apartments 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.25 5.25TOTAL $4.72 $19.28 $24.00 100.00% 1.01%


Although Santa Clara County is the sixth most populous, and hasthe fourth highest assessment roll, it consistently ranks second inthe State in the assessed value of business personal property.

County Unsecured roll Secured roll Total gross roll Percent increase

over prior year

Alameda $10,871,919,072 $156,137,122,098 $167,009,041,170 9.22%

Contra Costa 4,432,258,484 126,468,984,000 130,901,242,484 10.66

Marin 1,488,336,855 45,046,451,147 46,534,788,002 8.78

Monterey 1,859,927,888 41,255,110,545 43,115,038,433 10.96

Napa 805,664,982 20,769,444,001 21,575,108,983 11.04

San Benito 198,438,872 5,605,314,689 5,803,753,561 9.10

San Francisco 7,240,353,035 106,729,794,172 113,970,147,207 6.89

San Mateo 8,525,498,505 107,159,410,026 115,684,908,531 7.86

Santa Clara 21,298,015,703 229,349,577,790 250,647,593,493 8.22

Santa Cruz 792,922,366 27,574,308,871 28,367,231,237 9.76

Solano 1,560,714,346 36,326,234,480 37,886,948,826 12.32

Sonoma $2,350,816,447 $55,278,042,041 $57,628,858,488 9.66%

Most Populous 15 California Counties (ranked by population)2005-2006 Gross Secured, Unsecured and Total Assessment Roll

County Unsecured roll Secured roll Total gross roll Percent increaseover 2004-2005

1 Los Angeles $43,964,996,986 $811,839,995,302 $855,804,992,288 9.58%2 Orange 18,192,327,854 337,402,997,865 355,595,325,719 9.663 San Diego 12,841,438,371 306,582,036,524 319,423,474,895 13.344 San Bernardino 7,636,099,056 122,130,379,998 129,766,479,054 14.525 Riverside 6,316,569,081 161,287,718,795 167,604,287,876 19.596 Santa Clara 21,298,015,703 229,349,577,790 250,647,593,493 8.227 Alameda 10,871,919,072 156,137,122,098 167,009,041,170 9.228 Sacramento 4,479,275,816 104,848,949,177 109,328,224,993 14.729 Contra Costa 4,432,258,484 126,468,984,000 130,901,242,484 10.6610 Fresno 2,415,695,898 44,166,488,175 46,582,184,073 10.1611 Ventura 3,739,290,302 83,734,806,106 87,474,096,408 10.4012 San Francisco 7,240,353,035 106,729,794,172 113,970,147,207 6.8913 Kern 2,411,094,850 53,029,946,386 55,441,041,236 16.3014 San Mateo 8,525,498,505 107,159,410,026 115,684,908,531 7.8615 San Joaquin $2,728,567,545 $47,986,436,693 $50,715,004,238 15.08%

Bay Area Counties2005-2006 Secured, Unsecured and Total Assessment Roll


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$1,1

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2,86

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384,

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65A

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* In

clud

es O

ther

Exe

mpt

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, Exc

lude

s H

omeo

wne

r E

xem

ptio

n

...virtually half of all appeals are withdrawn by Applicants...

Assessment Appeals ProcessIn Santa Clara County, a Notification of Assessed Value indicating the taxable value of eachproperty is mailed in May to all property owners. A taxpayer who disagrees with the Assessor’sassessed value may request areview by presenting to theAssessor’s Office before June 15,any pertinent factual informa-tion important to the determina-tion of the property’s marketvalue. If the Assessor agrees thata reduction is appropriate, anadjustment will be made.

If a difference of opinion stillexists after July 1, the taxpayermay file an application forreduction in the assessed value.The matter will then be set forhearing before the local Assess-ment Appeals Board. In SantaClara County, appeal applica-tions must be filed between July2, and September 15, with the Clerk of the Assessment Appeals Board (Clerk of the County Boardof Supervisors). To appeal a roll correction or supplemental assessment, typically triggered by achange in ownership or completed new construction, the application must be filed within 60 daysof the date of the notice.

If the Assessment Appeals Board renders a decision for a proposition 8 temporary reduction invalue resulting in a decline in value below the property’s factored base year value (its upper limit), thereduction in value, and corresponding reduction in taxes, applies only to the property tax due for theyear for which the application was filed.

If the Assessment Appeals Board orders a change in the base year value set by the Assessor for newconstruction or changes in ownership, the reduction in value applies to the tax bill(s) for the year theapplication was filed, and establishes a new base year value for the future. The appeal application forsupplemental or corrected tax bills must be filed within 60 days of the notice of supplementalassessment or notice of roll correction.

When a taxpayer appeals the Assessor’s determination of the re-assessability of a change in owner-ship, the matter is heard and adjudicated by an independently appointed legal hearing officer.

Assessment Appeals Filed

Year Total Local Value at Percent ofAppeals Roll ** Risk * Roll at Risk+

2004 3,736 $222.38 $17.75 8.0%

2003 3,337 217.52 18.43 8.5

2002 2,382 210.85 20.50 9.7

2001 2,080 199.83 14.48 7.2

2000 1,751 172.92 8.84 5.1


* Value at Risk: The difference of value between the assessed roll valueand applicants’ opinion of value compiled at the end of the filing year.

** Local Roll Value: Net of nonreimbursable exemptions+ Percentages based on non-rounded valuesNote: For roll year 2004, 11 appeal applications are pending and have not

been validated. Value at risk may change as Applications are validated.


Starting in 2001, the economy has continued to slow through 2004 and the Assessor’s Office onceagain saw an increase in the number of appeals filed by property owners. While the number ofappeals filed by homeowners declined 4%, appeals filed by business property owners jumped 18%

The more complex assessment appeals, filed by business and commercial/industrial property ownersand major corporations, increased significantly from 2,658 to 3,131. The complexity of valuationissues and the amount of taxes indispute (or at risk) is much greater inassessment appeals filed by commer-cial/industrial property owners or bycompanies with expensive businessmachinery, equipment and computers.

Overall, during the July 1, 2004 throughJune 30, 2005, the Appeals Boardreviewed 924 appeals. Of those ap-peals, the Board provided an adjust-ment--an increase or decrease in as-sessed value--to 878 applicants andheard 86 appeals. Additionally, theBoard retained 89% of the Assessor’soriginally enrolled assessed valuedisputed by applicants.


Homeowners contest fewer Assessments,Appeals by business property owners jump

Q. Can I transfer my current assessed value to my newhome to avoid paying higher property taxes?

A. Yes, under Proposition 60, if you are age 55or older and qualify. When a senior citizen sellsan existing residence and purchases or con-structs a replacement residence valued thesame or less than the residence sold, theAssessor can transfer the assessment (factoredbase year value) of the original residence, to thereplacement residence anywhere in Santa ClaraCounty. Additionally, Santa Clara and 7 othercounties currently participate in Prop 90, andwill accept base year transfers from any othercounty throughout California. Propositions 60/90 require timely filing, are subject to approvalby the Assessor, and can be granted only once.To receive more information or an application,contact the Assessor’s Office at (408) 299-5500.

Q. I plan to transfer my home to my child; can he/sheretain my same assessment?

A. Yes, upon qualification. The voters ofCalifornia modified the California Constitution(Propositions 58 and 193) to allow parents andin some cases grandparents who want to keeptheir home “in the family” to transfer theirassessed value to their children or even grand-children in certain circumstances. Tax relief isprovided when real property transfers occurbetween parents and their children (Proposition58) or from grandparents to grandchildren(Proposition 193) if the parents are no longerliving. Interested taxpayers should contact theAssessor to receive more information and anapplication. All claims must be filed timely andare subject to final approval by the Assessor.Visit Assessor’s website for more information.

Frequently Asked Questions

4,000

3,500

3,000

2,500

2,000

1,500

1000

500

02000 2001 2002 2003 2004

1,751

3,736

Total Appeals (sum of below)

2,080

2,382

Appeals by all othertaxpayers

Appeals by owners ofresidential properties

3,337

Appeals Comparison

Led by County Assessor LarryStone, the Assessor’s Office hasembarked on an ambitiousperformance based budgetingand management initiative.Based on the simple idea thatwhat gets measured gets done,the new system establishes a clearmission statement, measurableperformance indicators designedto quantify improvement overtime, all tied to the budget.

Performance Counts


Improved performance can only occur whenmanagers and staff approach their work with apositive attitude and accept continuous improve-ment as “job one”. The culture of measurableaccountability and customer service are pervasivein the Assessor’s office. The innovative use oftechnology is essential to improving productivityand performance.

During the past two years, the office has em-barked on an ambitious plan to move from apaper driven organization to a modern paperlessenvironment. When completed, documents willno longer be passed manually from one in-box toanother. Instead, documents will be accessedelectronically and available simultaneously tomultiple staff members.

The results have been phenomenal. In prioryears, 65 working days on average were required

to process documents received from theCounty Recorder and ready for appraisal.Today, that average has dropped to eightworking days.

Similarly, the 55,000 business propertystatements and homeowner exemptionclaims, which five years ago were processedin paper form requiring manual data entry,are now exclusively managed electronicallysaving staff time and increasing accuracy.

These technological enhancements are justthe beginning. This year, we began to imageall 25 million documents and records as wemove to a real paperless work environment.

When completed the project will open-upvaluable office space and create significantoperating efficiencies and cost savings.

What our Customers

80%

82%

84%

86%

88%

90%

92%

94%

96%

98%

100%

Courtesy Knowledge Helpfulness Overall

2002 2003 2004 2005

Customer Feedback

The County Assessor's Office has a simple customer feedback card at the front counter and customers are encouraged to fill them out and rate our performance. Above is a summary of the Customer Feedback cards.

Each year scores of customers respond to our customer surveys with

New Technologies Create Improved Efficiencies

“Got the job done much quicker than expected.”

“I am always treated with courtesy & professionalism. Provided excellent customer service, went

“The staff amazed me with their willingness to help.”


1. 98.9% of assessments were completed byJuly 1, 2004.

Why is this important?: The assessment roll isthe basis by which property taxes are levied. Thecompleteness of the assessment roll assures thosepublic agencies dependent upon property taxrevenue that the roll accurately reflects currentmarket activity.

2. 161 is the average number of days to deliversupplemental assessments to the TaxCollector.

Why is this important?: Supplemental assess-ments occur upon a ‘change in ownership’ or ‘newconstruction’ of real property. This performancemeasure insures timely notification to thoseproperty owners who acquire or complete newconstruction of their property.

3. 100% of assigned mandatory audits werecompleted by June 30, 2005.

Why is this important?: State statute requires theAssessor to audit, every four years, all businesseswith assets valued at $400,000 or more located inSanta Clara County. This performance measuredetermines the timeliness of conducting thesemandatory audits.

4. 329 is the average number of days to closean assessment appeal.

Why is this important?: By statute, assessmentappeals must be resolved within two years offiling, unless a waiver is executed by the taxpayer.This performance measure insures a timely

2005 Performance Measures

The following are the Assessor’s comprehensive performance measures. By reporting high levelquantitative and qualitative data that tracks levels of customer satisfaction, timeliness of productdelivery, accuracy of assessments and overall financial efficiency, these measures will allow the Assessorto identify and record service levels from year to year which are designed to achieve specific continu-ous improvement objectives. The data will be compiled from the results of similar, more detailedmeasures in each Division of the Assessor’s office. The performance measures in each division weredeveloped in collaboration with both line staff and managers.

equalization of assessments for propertyowners.5. Department’s customer satisfaction

rating from surveys is 85%Why is this important?: This outcome measurerates the satisfaction level of both our internaland external customers who rely on the Assessorfor timely service and accurate information.

6. The Cost Efficiency Index.*Why is this important?: The Cost EfficiencyIndex determines the cost efficiency of pro-ducing a product and/or work item comparedto the base year cost. This information isextremely valuable to policy and decisionmakers charged with meeting performanceobjectives and implementing streamliningprograms.

7. Total expenditures were 99% of thebudget in FY 2004-05.

Why is this important?: The Budget/CostRatio compares the department’s actual bottomline expenditures at the end of the fiscal year tothe budget to insure that costs do not exceedanticipated resources.

8. The Department’s aggregate perfor-mance indicator of all Divisions *

Why is this important?: This measure takeseach of the divisional performance indicators,assigns a weight, and produces an aggregatedivisional performance index.

* Data to be collected in subsequent year

comments about the office and the staff, below is just a small sample.

above & beyond the call of duty. I’ve been in twice. Each visit was successful.”

“Was a great help & answered many questions.” “Great staff.”

“Wonderful customer service!”

are saying

Q. My house was destroyed by fire, is property taxrelief available until it’s rebuilt?

A. Yes, assuming you qualify. Owners of realproperty who incur significant damages (atleast ten-thousand dollars or more) as theresult of a natural disaster, such as a fire, floodor earthquake, can file for temporary propertytax relief (reassessment) with the Assessor’sOffice. Applicants must file a written applica-tion within 60 days of the disaster. Items suchas home furnishings, personal effects andbusiness inventories are not assessable.

Q. What can I do if I think my assessment is toohigh? (i.e., higher than market value)

A. Request an informal review by submitting aone-page “assessment review” form which isavailable on-line for printing or downloading atwww.scc-assessor.org. Any supporting data

(appraisals, comparables, multiple listings, etc.)will be helpful in expediting a reduction if anadjustment is warranted. To file a formal appealwith the Assessment Appeals Board, contactthe Clerk of the Board at www.sccgov.org or(408) 299-5001.

Q. How many properties are still protected byProposition 13, passed by the voters in 1978?

A. All properties in Santa Clara County, andthroughout California, receive the full benefitof Proposition 13. Whether a property waspurchased last year or in 1975, every propertyowner receives the same protections andbenefits. The base year value is established atthe time of purchase or new construction, andincreases in the assessed value are limited to aninflation factor of no more than 2% annually.

Frequently Asked Questions

Directions to the Office


Explanation of Terms*

*Explanation of terms are provided to simplify assessment terminology, but do not replace legal definitions. 29

Taxes imposed on the basis of the property’s value.

The taxable value of a property against which the tax rate is applied.

The person to whom the property is being assessed.

The assessee may file an appeal for reduction of the assessed value on the current local rollduring the regular filing period for that year, between July 2 and September 15 with theClerk of the Board. For supplemental or escape assessments, appeals must be filed within60 days of the mailing of the tax bill or receipt of the notice, whichever is earlier.

A three member panel appointed by the Board of Supervisors, operating under State law,to review and adjust assessments upon request of a taxpayer or his or her agent. (See “as-sessment appeal”)

The official list of all property within the County assessed by the Assessor.

The year following the annual lien date and the regular assessment of property, beginningon July 1.

The discovery of escape property resulting from an audit of the books and records of aprofession, trade or business, for which an assessment is levied outside of the normal as-sessment period for the lien date in question.

The 1975-76 regular roll value serves as the original base value. Thereafter, changes to theassessment on real property value, or a portion thereof, caused by new construction orchanges in ownership create the base year value used in establishing the full cash value ofsuch real property.

“Basic aid” school districts rely principally on locally derived property tax revenues to fundschool operations, rather than on Statewide reallocation formulas based on average dailyattendance and other factors. School districts become “basic aid” when the projected levelof revenues provided by local property taxes exceeds the state formula.

Business personal property is assessable, and includes computers, supplies, office furnitureand equipment, tooling, machinery and equipment. Most business inventory is exempt.(See personal property)

When a transfer of ownership in Real Property occurs, the Assessor determines if a reap-praisal is required under State law. If required, the reappraised value becomes the new basevalue of the property transferred, and a supplemental assessment is enrolled.

Consumer Price Index as determined annually by the California Bureau of LaborStatistics.

Some changes in ownership may be excluded from reappraisal if a timely claim is filed withthe Assessor’s Office that meets the qualifications. Examples include the transfer of realproperty between parents and children or senior citizens over age 55 who replace theirprincipal residence.

Allowance of a deduction from the taxable assessed value of the property as prescribed bylaw.

Ad Valorem Property Tax

Assessed Value

Assessee

Assessment Appeal

Assessment Appeals Board

Assessment Roll

Assessment Roll Year

Audit Escape

Base Year (Value)

Basic Aid

Business Personal Property

Change in Ownership

CPI

Exclusions from Reappraisal

Exemption

Exemptions: Homeowners

Exemptions: Other

Factored Base Year Value

Fiscal Year

Fixture

Full Cash Value (FCV)

Improvements

Lien

Lien Date

Mobilehomes

New Base Year (Value)

New Construction

Parcel

Personal Property

Possessory Interest (PI)


People who own and occupy a dwelling on the lien date as their principal place ofresidence are eligible to receive an exemption of up to $7,000 of the dwelling’s taxablevalue. The tax dollars reduced by the (HOX) homeowner’s exemption are reimbursed tothe County by the State of California.

Charitable, hospital, religious or scientific organizations, colleges, cemeteries, museums,and disabled Veterans (for 100%, service-connected disabled Veterans) are eligible forexemption.

A property’s base value is adjusted each year by the change in the California ConsumerPrice Index (CPI), not to exceed 2%. The factored base value is the upper limit of taxablevalue each year.

The period beginning July 1 and ending June 30.

An improvement to real property whose purpose directly applies to or augments the pro-cess or function of a trade, industry or profession.

The amount of cash or its equivalent value which property would bring if exposed for salein the open market and as further defined in Revenue and Taxation Code 110.1.

Buildings or structures generally attached to the land. Improvements may also includecertain business fixtures.

The amount owed and created by the assessment of the property, or the amount leviedagainst property by a taxing agency or revenue district.

The time when taxes for any fiscal year become a lien on property; and the time as of whichproperty is valued for tax purposes. The lien date for California property is 12:01 a.m. onJanuary 1 (effective January 1, 1997) preceding the fiscal year for which the taxes arecollected. The lien date for prior years was March 1.

On July 1, 1980, the Department of Motor Vehicles transferred all mobilehome licensingand registration to the California Department of Housing and Community Development(HCD). The law requires that mobilehomes be classified as personal property and enrolledon the secured roll.

The full cash value of property on the date it changes ownership or when new constructionis completed.

The construction of new buildings, additions to existing buildings, or alterations whichconvert the property to another use or extends the economic life of the improvement, isreassessed, establishing a new base year value for only that portion of the property.

Real property assessment unit. Land that is segregated into units by boundary lines forassessment purposes.

Any property except real estate, including airplanes, boats, and business property such ascomputers, supplies, furniture, machinery and equipment. (Most business inventory, house-hold furnishings, personal effects, and pets are exempt from taxation.)

The possession or the right to possession of real estate whose fee title is held by a taxexempt public agency. Examples of a PI include the exclusive right to use publicproperty at an airport such as a car rental company’s service counter or a concessionstand at the County Fair. In both cases, the vendors are subject to property taxes.Regardless of the type of document evidencing the right to possession, a taxable PI existswhenever a private party has the exclusive right to a beneficial use of tax exempt publiclyowned real property.

Proposition 13

Proposition 8

Real Property

Roll

Roll Unit

Roll Year

SBE

Secured Roll

Special Assessments

State Board of Equalization

Supplemental Assessment

Supplemental Roll

Tax Rates

Tax Roll

TRA

Transfer

Unsecured Roll


Passed by California voters in June, 1978, Proposition 13 is a Constitutional amendmentthat limits the taxation of property and creates a procedure for establishing the currenttaxable value of locally assessed real property, referencing a base year full cash value.

Passed by California voters in November 1978, Proposition 8 requires for the temporaryreduction in the assessed value when there is a decline in market value below the property’sfactored base year value.

Land and improvements to the land, which permits the possession of, claim to, ownershipof, or right to possess.

A listing of all assessed property within the county. It identifies property, the owner, and theassessed value of the property.

A parcel of property or a business personal property account that is assessed for annualvaluation.

See “Assessment Roll Year.”

See “State Board of Equalization.”

Property on which the property taxes are a lien against the real estate.

Direct charges, or flat fees against property which are included in the total tax bill but arenot based upon the Assessor’s valuation of the property. Examples are a sewer charge or aschool parcel tax.

The State Board consists of four members elected by California voters by district, and theState Controller whose duties in the field of taxation are imposed by the State Constitutionand the Legislature. The State Board regulates county assessment practices and administersa variety of State and local business tax programs.

When property is assessed due to a change in ownership or completed new construction, asupplemental assessment is issued. This is separate and in addition to the annual regularassessment roll. It is based on the net difference between the previous assessed values and thenew value for the remainder of the assessment year(s).

The roll, prepared or amended, contains properties in which a change in ownership orcompleted new construction occurred.

The maximum ad valorem (on the value) basic property tax rate is 1% of the net taxablevalue of the property. The total tax rate may be higher for various properties because ofvoter-approved general obligation bonds that are secured by property taxes for the annualpayment of principle and interest.

The official list of property subject to property tax, together with the amount of assessedvalue and the amount of taxes due, as applied and extended by the Auditor/Controller.

The tax rate area (TRA) is a specific geographic area all of which is within the jurisdiction ofthe same combination of local agencies for the current fiscal year. For the 2004-05 FYthere are 821 TRAs in Santa Clara County, each one identified by a unique number.

Change in the ownership of, or change in the manner which, property is held. Dependingon the specific situation, a transfer may trigger a reassessment of the property.

Property on which the property taxes are not a lien against the real estate (real property)where they are situated, including personal property or improvements located on leasedland.

Lien Date for next assessment roll year. This is the time when taxes for thenext fiscal year become a lien on the property.

Deadline to file all exemption claims.

Due date for filing statements for business personal property, aircraft andboats. Business property owners must file a property statement each yeardetailing the cost of all supplies, machinery, equipment, leasehold improve-ments, fixtures and land owned at each location within Santa Clara County.

Last day to pay second installment of secured property taxes without penalty.This tax payment is based on property values determined for the January liendate 15 months earlier.

Annual mailing of assessment notices to all Santa Clara County real propertyowners stating the taxable value of the property. Owners who disagree with theAssessor’s valuation are encouraged to contact us prior to June 15 to request areview. Please provide any pertinent factual information concerning the marketvalue of the property with the request. If the Assessor agrees that a reductionis appropriate, a new assessed value will be enrolled.

Last day to file a business personal property statement without incurring a10% penalty.

Close of assessment roll and the start of the new assessment roll year. Theassessment roll is the official list of all assessable property within the County.

First day to file assessment appeal application with the Clerk of the Board ofSupervisors.

Regular roll unsecured taxes due.

Last day to file an assessment appeal application for reduced assessment withthe Clerk of the Board of Supervisors.

Last day to pay first installment of secured property taxes without penalty.

Lien Date for next assessment roll year.

January 1

February 15

April 1

April 10

Mid-May

May 7

July 1

July 2

August 31

September 15

December 10

January 1

Property Assessment Calendar

If date falls on Saturday, Sunday or Legal Holiday, mail postmarked on the nextbusiness day shall be deemed on time


The Assessor has the responsibility to locate all taxable

property in the County, identify ownership, establish avalue for all property subject to local property taxation,list the value of all property on the assessment roll, and

apply all legal exemptions. The Santa Clara CountyAssessor does not compute property tax bills, collectproperty taxes, establish property tax laws, establish rules

by which property is assessed, or set property tax rates.

Santa Clara County contains more than 447,000 separate

real property parcels. There were over 5,000 changes inparcel numbers, and there were over 128,000 changes inproperty ownership as reflected by deeds and maps filed

in the County Recorder’s Office. The Assessor’s profes-sional staff maintains a comprehensive set of 212Assessor’s parcel map books. The office appraised

more than 12,000 new construction activities, andprocessed more than 106,000 business personalproperty assessments.

The assessments allow the County of Santa Clara and204 local government taxing authorities to set tax rates(as limited by Proposition 13 and other laws), collect

and allocate property tax revenue which supportsessential public services provided by the County, localschools, cities, and special districts.

For information regarding general County financialinformation including taxes by tax rate areas andmethods of property tax revenue allocation contact:Santa Clara County Finance Agency (408) 299-5200

For information about Santa Clara County Assessments:

Public Information and Ownership (408) 299-5500

Real Property (land and improvements) (408) 299-5300

Personal Property, including Business,

Mobilehomes, Boats and Airplanes (408) 299-5400

Property Tax Exemptions (408) 299-6460

Change in Ownership Issues (408) 299-5540

Mapping (408) 299-5550

Administration (408) 299-5570

Administration Fax (408) 297-9526

Assessor Web Site www.scc-assessor.org

County Web Site www.sccgov.org

For information about a tax bill, payments, delinquency, orthe phone number of the appropriate agency to contactabout a special assessment, contact:Santa Clara County Tax Collector (408) 808-7900

For information about filing assessment appeals, call:Santa Clara County Assessment Appeals Board Clerk(Clerk of the Board of Supervisors) (408) 299-5001

For information about Recording documents, call:Santa Clara County Clerk/Recorder (408) 299-2481

California State Board of EqualizationThe State Board of Equalization is responsible for assuringthat county property tax assessment practices are equal anduniform throughout the State. For more information,contact the State Board at:

450 N StreetPO Box 942879Sacramento, CA 94279-0001

For general tax information call (800) 400-7115 orwww.boe.ca.gov

AcknowledgmentsEditor: David K. Ginsborg, Deputy to the AssessorAssistant Editor: Antonio Guerra Assistance provided by the staff of the Santa Clara County Assessor’s OfficeLayout Production: KurigraphicsPrinted by GSA Printing Services

Disclaimer: This document presents a distribution of the 2005-2006 Santa Clara County property tax local assessment roll by City/RedevelopmentAgency and major property types. It does not include State-assessed property (unitary roll). It is not the source document for deriving the propertytax revenues to be received by any public entity. For example, the Controller’s AB8 calculations do not include aircraft assessed valuation, which isincorporated into this report. Additionally, supplemental assessments are not depicted in the report. Numbers reported in tables and charts reflect upto 0.01 units. Items less than 0.01 units have been reported as a dash. Minor discrepancies may occur due to rounding calculations and/or clarification

in definition of terms.

Published August, 2005.

Responsibility of theAssessor’s Office

299-5500

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