{"id":7682,"date":"2026-05-18T23:31:49","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T23:31:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=7682"},"modified":"2026-05-18T23:31:49","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T23:31:49","slug":"2026-board-of-equalization-district-4-candidates-discuss-californias-property-taxes-and-how-to-best-use-those-funds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=7682","title":{"rendered":"2026 Board of Equalization District 4 candidates discuss California\u2019s property taxes and how to best use those funds"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Five people this year are vying to represent a portion of Southern California residents on a board responsible for overseeing the state\u2019s property tax system.<\/p>\n

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California\u2019s Board of Equalization is a small statewide team \u2014 comprised of four people elected to represent districts encompassing some 10 million constituents each, plus the state controller \u2014 supervising property taxes and the Alcoholic Beverage Tax and Tax on Insurers programs.<\/p>\n

These members hear appeals from taxpayers regarding state-assessed property values, oversee all of the 58 county assessors and set the taxable value of property owned by the state\u2019s public utilities and railroads, among other things.<\/p>\n

Voters in Orange, Riverside, San Diego and Imperial counties \u2014 as well as some voters in San Bernardino County \u2014 get to choose someone new to represent them on the Board of Equalization for the District 4 seat. Mike Schaefer, who has served in the seat since 2019, is prevented from running again due to term limits.<\/p>\n

Democrats Mart\u00edn Arias, Cody Petterson and Tom Umberg are vying for the District 4 spot, as is Republican Denis Bilodeau and Libertarian Gardner Osborne.<\/p>\n

When asked how the BOE could be a better steward of California\u2019s property tax system, Arias suggested the office should hold bilingual events to educate homeowners on various exemptions, particularly for seniors and veterans. He also wants to see a public dashboard so taxpayers could compare how the various county assessors are performing.<\/p>\n

Arias suggested the board should hold more bilingual townhalls across the state for those who cannot travel to Sacramento.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

And Bilodeau also floated replacing the BOE\u2019s annual \u201cTaxpayers\u2019 Bill of Rights Hearing,\u201d which allows people to share comments, concerns or suggestions about the state\u2019s property tax system, with more frequent hearings around the state, including in the evenings when people are off work.<\/p>\n

Osborne, too, said there needs to be more \u201cexposure\u201d and communication related to what the office does. He would like to \u201cimplement franking privileges to communicate to the district\u2019s taxpayers as to how the system functions and where revenue is spent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Petterson, meanwhile, wants to work with the California Legislature to implement process and technological changes that can help county assessors be more efficient and transparent, from adding programs that help smaller counties pool assessment appeals resources and staff to transition to an electronic signature system for certain filings.<\/p>\n

And Umberg wants to ensure the board will push back \u201cwhen powerful and wealthy interests contest their assessments\u201d and also make certain members are not beholden to special interests.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cWhen there are credible allegations that an assessment was influenced by a donor relationship or political pressure, there must be a clear and aggressive process for investigation and referral to law enforcement,\u201d Umberg suggested.<\/p>\n

Umberg, 70, has served in the state legislature for several years, now representing northern Orange County communities and parts of Los Angeles County in the state Senate. He is a retired U.S. Army Colonel, former federal criminal prosecutor, former deputy drug czar for President Bill Clinton and a small business owner. He is leaning into his background prosecuting public corruption as he runs for the seat.<\/p>\n

Umberg would like to strengthen the board\u2019s oversight of assessment practices at the county level, rather than waiting for appeals.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe BOE already collects significant data, but it should be used more proactively and consistently to identify disparities, flag outliers and ensure similar properties are treated regardless of location,\u201d said Umberg, adding he would use \u201cthe board\u2019s authority to provide clear guidance\u201d to county assessors.<\/p>\n

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A San Diego Unified school board trustee, Petterson, 50, serves as chief deputy for District 4 and has already \u201cfocused on reducing overhead; maintaining close, constructive relationships with stakeholders; and fulfilling the BOE\u2019s commitment to fairness, effectiveness and transparency,\u201d his campaign website said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn general, the properties we assess belong to powerful, profitable corporations and investor-owned utilities,\u201d Petterson said. \u201cIf we do not fairly assess these property owners and \u2014 in particular, push back against the tax-avoidance strategies of large corporations \u2014 children will not get the education they deserve, frontline workers will not get the wages and benefits they deserve, working families will increasingly bear the burden of taxation, and California will not get the services and workforce it needs to prosper and compete globally.\u201d<\/p>\n

Osborne, 59, is a tax accountant and investment advisor who said he has not heard from an elected BOE official before \u2014 and the San Diego resident wants the office to do better at showing the inner workings of how tax collection works in California. And when it comes to how the board can better oversee the county assessors, Osborne said it\u2019s all about reviewing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe key is to review and audit the methodology of each county from partial property transfers, property classification, comps and historical valuations,\u201d said Osborne, adding he\u2019d like to see BOE staff rotate around counties \u201cto avoid familiarity with county staff and records.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNew faces in new counties get better open reviews,\u201d Osbone said.<\/p>\n

President of the Orange Taxpayers Association, Bilodeau is a licensed civil engineer and a member of the Orange City Council as well as the Orange County Water District. A UC Irvine alumnus, Bilodeau, 58, said he\u2019s signed pledges to oppose tax increases and is adept at reading government budgets and spotting wasteful spending.<\/p>\n

The tax appeals process, Bilodeau said, needs to be more inclusive and accessible to every resident.<\/p>\n

\u201cReal taxpayers can\u2019t afford well-connected lobbyists and top-shelf law firms. And you shouldn\u2019t need one to appeal your tax bill,\u201d said Bilodeau.<\/p>\n

\u201cCorporate appeals should receive the same level of scrutiny as any homeowner\u2019s appeal,\u201d he said. \u201cThere should be no special treatment in either direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Arias, a San Ysidro school board trustee, already works as a taxpayer advocate in the San Diego assessor\/recorder\/county clerk office. He has also worked in the San Diego County District Attorney\u2019s Office, where he oversaw resource fairs that helped unhoused people.<\/p>\n

Describing the role on the board as a \u201creferee of California\u2019s property tax system,\u201d Arias, 33, wants to implement a digital calculator tool for taxpayers to input their information and see exactly how their property assessment is calculated, what exemptions they might be eligible for and how to appeal if they believe there is an error. He also said the BOE should communicate in \u201cplain language\u201d and in multiple languages.<\/p>\n

\u201cKnowledge is power, and when people understand their taxes, they can advocate for themselves,\u201d Arias said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy philosophy is simple: accurate assessments, fully collected, with every lawful exemption applied, ensuring no one, especially big corporations, games the system to pay less than their fair share. When assessments are accurate and uniform, the revenue picture takes care of itself,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Election Day is June 2 \u2014 but registered voters should have already received their ballots in the mail and can already return their ballots through the mail or drop boxes.<\/p>\n

Read more Orange County baseball Top 25:\u00a0Santa Margarita rises after big win in playoffs<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Meet the five people running for a position described as ‘the referee of California’s property tax system.’<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7681,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-facts","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n2026 Board of Equalization District 4 candidates discuss California\u2019s property taxes and how to best use those funds - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=7682\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"2026 Board of Equalization District 4 candidates discuss California\u2019s property taxes and how to best use those funds - 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