Official Newsletter of the Alameda County Assessor's Office | December 2020

Message from Assessor La Dear Residents of Alameda County, What a year this has been. As it comes to a close, I would like to share my gratitude with you. With all the challenges 2020 brought us, I am proud of the work the Assessor's Office staff has done and thankful to the public for your partnership. There are some upcoming issues that may affect your property taxes that you should all be aware of. Important Changes to Parent/Child Transfers of Property: The election results from November 3, 2020, brought many changes to Alameda County. At the top of the list is Proposition 19 (Home Protection for Seniors, Severely Disabled, Families and Victims of Wildfire or Natural Disasters Act) which does two things: (1) expands the portability of a property owner's tax base and (2) requires re-assessment of certain parent to child transfers of property. Prop. 19 implementation for the new parent/child transfer rules starts on February 16, 2021, less than two months from now. Prop. 19 restricts the inheritance of a property's assessed value to the primary residence with a maximum transfer value of $1 million, depending on the circumstances. Prior to a transfer, the home must be the parent's principal residence and it must become the primary residence of the child(ren) within one year after the transfer to qualify. Prop. 19 also expands benefits allowed for seniors, the disabled and victims of disasters to transfer their property's assessed value to another home anywhere in California. This aspect of Prop. 19 is effective April 1, 2021. As the sale of property frequently triggers unintended consequences on federal and state taxes, such as capital gains, property owners are encouraged to seek professional advice before taking any action. The Alameda County Assessor's Office has already begun to plan for the implementation of Prop. 19 and enhance community education on the topic. Although we know some of the major impacts of Prop 19, there are significant issues in the language of the measure that are still unknown and we await further guidance from the California State Board of Equalization and/or the Legislature before implementation. I recently held a webinar on Tuesday, December 22, 2020 to help share what information we have and don't have in order to educate residents of the upcoming changes. You can find the video and slides HERE. I've also been appointed to the California Assessors' Association Legislative Committee. In that capacity, I look forward to continuing to work on the Prop. 19 implementation and clarification on behalf of the residents of Alameda County. Reducing Taxes for Small Businesses: I would also like to inform you that at the December 8, 2020 Alameda County Board of Supervisors meeting, the Board unanimously adopted a resolution introduced by the Assessor's Office and the Treasurer-Tax Collector's Office. Treasurer Levy and I want to eliminate property taxes for very small business accounts such as those paid by vendors at our County Fair, Farmer's Markets, and other very small businesses. We included in the resolution an exemption of property taxes for all assessments that are less than $10,000. This is even more important during COVID-19, when so many small businesses are hurting and in need of support. Our Office is thankful for the partnership of the Hayward Chamber of Commerce, Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce, Livermore Valley Chamber of Commerce, and the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, as well as many small businesses who understand firsthand COVID's impact. Free Legal Clinic to Help Answer Questions: When I was elected to be your County Assessor just over two years ago, one of my top goals was to develop a community engagement program. I wanted to educate our property/business owners and constituents about the services and programs offered by the Assessor's Office. In that spirit, I worked with the Alameda County Law Library, Alameda County Bar Association, Legal Access Alameda, and the Alameda County Library to establish the Property Transfer Clinic. This program was developed in order to help residents of our County who do not have access to an attorney to receive legal advice. Often property/business owners ask legal questions of the Assessor's staff, who cannot provide legal advice. This is an ongoing monthly clinic, on the 3rd Thursday and Friday of each month. You can find more information below. I look forward to bringing more community engagement programs to you in 2021. I hope you and your family have a safe and happy close to 2020. As always, we remain committed to serving the residents of Alameda County. Sincerely, Phong La Alameda County Assessor Assessor's Office in The Community The Property Transfer Clinic will take place on January 21st and 22nd. Please visit the link here to make an appointment with a volunteer attorney for a free 30-minute consultation. City Profile: Pleasanton In each Newsletter, the Assessor's Office will profile a different city or unincorporated area in our County. The City of Pleasanton has a population of 70,285 residents with 44 community and neighborhood parks, with more than 24 miles of trails. Pleasanton has three sister cities: Blairgowrie and Rattray, Scotland, UK; Canada Fergus, Canada; and Mexico Tulancingo, Mexico. "Sister cities" is an actual political and diplomatic designation. The town was originally meant to be named after Union army cavalry Major General Alfred Pleasonton, with two O's, but a U.S. Postal Service employee made a typo and Pleasanton was born! Pleasanton was preceded by a town called Alisal by Spaniards, known as "The Most Desperate Town in the West." In 1894, it became part of Pleasanton and was ruled by bandits and desperados, including Joaquin Murrieta, the inspiration behind Johnston McCulley's Zorro. The Alameda County Fairgrounds is a 270-acre facility located in Pleasanton. It is home to the annual Alameda County Fair, held since 1912, and the Pleasanton Fairgrounds Racetrack, which is one of oldest horse racing tracks in the United States, dating back to 1858. Since 1994, the Fairgrounds have hosted the Scottish Highland Gathering and Games, which celebrates the sports and spirit of Scotland. In 2015 on Labor Day weekend, the games attracted a record-breaking crowd of 50,000 attendees, the largest Scottish gathering in the entire United States. This 2-day event features Heavy Events Championships, the US Drum Major Championships, the Western U.S. Open Highland Dancing Championships and various grades of Pipe Band Competitions. Pleasanton is also home to the Good Guys West Coast Nationals Car Show. Known as the "bucket list" destination of hot rodders across the country, the West Coast Nationals features 3,000 of America's finest 1972 & older show-quality hot rods, customs, muscle cars, trucks, and classics on display. The 3-day event features many fun attractions for motor enthusiasts including a burn out competition, AutoCross racing competition, Nitro Thunderfest Dragster Exhibition, and Pinstripers Brush Bash, and much more. The Downtown Pleasanton Association coordinates over 45 special events throughout the year for its visitors and residents, varying from kid-centric family fun to adult-friendly brew crawls and wine strolls. The city's locally-grown hops were sought after by many of the largest domestic and foreign beer producers, making Pleasanton internationally famous. For a list of current businesses that are open in Pleasanton and need local support, please visit https://open.bludot.io/cities/pleasanton/businesses for more information. Speaking of famous, Pleasanton was once home to Phoebe Apperson Hearst, mother of William Randolph Hearst, the media magnate who was spoofed in Orson Welles' famous classic "Citizen Kane." Pleasanton has also been called home by many famous faces including former Oakland Raiders head coach-turned sportscaster John Madden and Hollywood actress Gabrielle Union among others. Pleasanton also has a collection of creative works located at its various public art spaces for local residents and visitors to enjoy as they walk the streets of the city. Project Paint Box is the latest beautification program in which city officials select various artists to paint utility boxes located all around Pleasanton. Any selected artist will receive a stipend of $750 for any projects they participate in. The Firehouse Arts Center, opened in 2010, is a center of culture and art for Pleasanton. It features a 221-seat theater, the Harrington art gallery, and classrooms for art and drama. CONTACT WEBSITE: www.cityofpleasantonca.gov  CITY ADDRESS: City of Pleasanton  P.O. Box 520  Pleasanton, CA 94566 CITY OF PLEASANTON COVID-19 TESTING & OTHER RESOURCES TESTING Located at the Alameda County Fairgrounds and currently open from 9:00am-12:00pm (or while supplies last), Monday-Friday, testing is available for asymptomatic residents age 10 years and above. No appointment is needed. LOCAL FOOD AND SHELTER RESOURCES CityServe of the Tri-Valley offers connections to a number of resources, such as food banks and shelters, for those in need. Tri-Valley Haven food pantry hours are Monday through Wednesday from 1-5 pm, Thursdays from 1-7 pm and Fridays from 12-4 pm. Alameda County Fairgrounds Drive-Thru Pantry, is open weekly, Tuesday & Thursday from 9 am – 3 pm. In Memoriam We at the Assessor's Office were saddened to hear about the passing of former Assessor Donald L. Kroeger, who served the residents of Alameda County from 1983-1991. We would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the former Assessor's staff members who passed away this year: Jasmine Barga Betty Crawford Constante Frias Wil Gex Van Tu Lam Stephen R. Sara Velma Simmons Joseph Suta Abimbola Thompson Luz Zamboanga Elmer Zimmer We thank them for their dedication and service to the residents of Alameda County. Our thoughts and prayers go out to their families. Resources California Rebuilding Fund is Aimed at Small Businesses to 'Adapt, Reopen Safely, Recover' The California Rebuilding Fund that launched Friday is a public/private loan program to support California's small businesses, especially those located in economically disadvantaged and historically under-banked areas of the state. Businesses who employed 50 or less full-time equivalent employees and had gross revenues of less than $2.5 million or below in 2019 are eligible to apply. The fund includes an anchor commitment from the state's Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank ("IBank") and will offer loans that are flexible and designed to help sustain small businesses. To fill out a pre-application and match with a participating community lender, click here. The program is not associated with the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) or any other SBA program. The loans are not forgivable in part or whole. The loans will need to be paid back over a 3- or 5-year term with a fixed annual interest rate that is currently 4.25%. If matched, applicants will be connected with a local community lender, which will be a certified Community Development Financial Institution. The community lender will work on the full loan application. If approved, the loan will be made through that lender. For more information go HERE. HOUSING ASSISTANCE OAKLAND - click here EMERYVILLE - click here LIVERMORE - click here   Deferred Rent Programs ALAMEDA POINT - click here   Child Care  For Child Care in Alameda County - click here   Covid-19 Testing Interactive map to find testing sites and schedule appointments - click here   Food Distribution Interactive map to find food, testing, and services in Alameda County - click here   Immigrants Covid-19 Disaster Relief Assistance for immigrants - click here   Employment Alameda County Workforce Development Board - click here   BUSINESS RESOURCES Agencies Alameda County Small Business Development Center - click here Small Business Administration Loans - click here California Small Business Development Center - click here California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development - click here Alameda County Workforce Development - click here U.S. Small Business Administration - click here (NOTE: Paycheck Protection Program loan application extended until August 8, 2020)   Business Resources by City ALBANY - click here ALAMEDA - click here BERKELEY - click here DUBLIN - click here EMERYVILLE - click here FREMONT - click here HAYWARD - click here LIVERMORE - click here NEWARK - click here OAKLAND - click here PIEDMONT - click here PLEASANTON - click here SAN LEANDRO - click here UNION CITY - click here   Available Grants for Businesses Pleasanton Business Assistance Program - click here ‌ ‌