Official Newsletter of the Alameda County Assessor's Office

Message from Assessor Phong La

Dear Alameda County Residents,

Happy Native American Heritage Month and Veteran's Day!

We are approaching the holiday season and November is a month of many important dates.

November starts off by honoring Native American Heritage Month as we recognize the impact and resilience of the Native American community. On November 11th we celebrated Veterans Day in honor of all of our service members who valiantly served our country.

Our office celebrated Día de Los Muertos at the Unity Council's Día de Los Muertos Festival in Oakland's Fruitvale District. Thank you to all the organizers and attendees that stopped at our booth for information and freebies. I also had the opportunity to give a presentation at Keller Williams Tri-Valley in Pleasanton. If your organization is interested in having me speak, please reach out to my office at AllAssessorPRU@acgov.org.

Later this month, we celebrate Thanksgiving. I wish you all a

happy and restful Thanksgiving surrounded by loved ones.

Please remember that December 10th is the legal deadline for filing a late exemptions claim for homeowners, veterans, and disabled veterans. December 10th is also the last day to pay the first installment of property taxes without a penalty. Late payments incur a 10% penalty fee if not postmarked by December 10th. For any questions, please feel free to contact our office.

As always, we remain committed to serving the residents of Alameda County.

Sincerely,

Phong La

Alameda County Assessor

Native American Heritage Month Highlight

Over 50 years ago, the Bay Area American Indian community organized to open a health center dedicated to serving Urban Indians to meet the healthcare needs of one of the largest populations of American Indians in the country. American Indians had little access to mainstream healthcare systems motivating Indian community leaders to seek funding from the Federal Indian Health Service. The drive to establish the new health center arose as an act of cultural resilience in response to the Federal Indian Relocation policy and as a reflection of the values represented by the subsequent American Indian Movement (AIM).

Per The Indian Relocation Act of 1956, San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose were among the first cities identified as relocation centers. Because of this, the Bay Area became home to one of the largest intertribal American Indian urban populations in the United States.

The Native American Health Center (NAHC), initially known as the Urban Indian Health Board, began in San Francisco's Mission District in 1972. In the 1980s, the center of the Bay Area Indian population expanded from San Francisco to Oakland, which was a substantial turning point leading to the purchase of a building in the Fruitvale neighborhood. In 2006, NAHC purchased land to build a new facility two blocks away, at 2950 International Boulevard in Oakland. This site opened its doors in 2008 and is now the Seven Directions Healthcare Facility, a five-story, multi-use community medical and dental care clinic with 36 units of affordable family housing on the top three floors

Today, NAHC stands strong as one of the oldest and the largest Urban Indian Health programs in the United States and is in the midst of a new development project at 3050 International Blvd.

NAHC Website

Resource

The Disabled Veterans' Exemption is available to veterans rated 100% disabled by the Veterans' Administration V.A. In 2024, this exemption provides up to a $169,769 reduction on the assessed value of your real property, meaning a savings of approximately $1,710 on your Ad Valorem taxes. Currently, a veteran needs to be rated at 100% disabled due to a service-connected disability to receive the exemption or have a disability rating of less than 100% but receiving compensation at 100% due to unemployability.

Additionally, there is a low-income version of the Disabled Veterans' Exemption, which provides up to a $254,656 reduction in the property's assessed value or approximately $2,546 in annual savings on Ad Valorem taxes. To qualify for this exemption, your total household annual income cannot exceed $76,235. These programs are also available, in many cases, to the surviving spouses of qualified disabled veterans.

The Assessor's Office relies on disability documentation provided by the V.A. to decide. If your exemption claim is initially rejected by the Assessor's Office due to the disability rating, you can appeal the rating with the V.A. If your appeal with the V.A. is successful, we encourage you to re-apply for the appropriate exemption with the Assessor. If you have any questions about the Disabled Veterans' Exemption, please call our Exemptions Unit at 510-272-6587, or visit our website https://www.acassessor.org

Assessor in the Community