Official Newsletter of the Alameda County Assessor's Office | February 2025

Message from Assessor Phong La Dear Alameda County Residents, Happy Black History Month! Black History Month, celebrated every February in honor of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln's birthday month, celebrates the significant contributions, accomplishments, and resilience of the African American community. The Assessor's Office is proud to celebrate and recognize Black History Month, honoring the rich contributions and enduring legacy of the Black community. There will be many great events celebrating Black History Month throughout Alameda County like Oakland's Black Joy Parade happening on February 23rd. This month, I attended the Asian Pacific Islander Community Collaborative and Supervisor Lena Tam's Lunar New Year Celebration at Lincoln Square Recreational Center in Oakland. I had a great time celebrating with the community! Later this month, the Assessor's Office will participate in Oakland Chinatown's Lunar New Year Parade. We hope to see you there! Thank you to all the organizers for making these celebrations possible. I had a great time meeting and sharing information with the Alameda Veterans Commission and the Newark Rotary Club. If you're interested in having me speak to your organization, please reach out to my staff at AllAssessorPRU@acgov.org. As always, we remain committed to serving the residents of Alameda County.   Sincerely, Phong La Alameda County Assessor Assessor in the Community Assessor Phong La with District 5 Supervisor Nikki Bas (far left), District 4 Supervisor Lena Tam (left), retired East Bay Regional Park District Director Dee Rosario (right), and County Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez (far right) at Supervisor Tam's Lunar New Year Celebration in Oakland's Lincoln Square Recreational Center Assessor's staff Maggy Chan and COO James Glover at the Bionova Scientific Inc. ribbon cutting in Fremont Assessor's staff Nam Tran at the Oakland Chinatown Lunar New Year Bazaar Assessor's staff Maggy Chan at Tacos Livermore's ribbon cutting in Livermore Assessor's staff Emilia Ordaz-Salto and Nam Tran at the Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce Lunar New Year Celebration in Oakland Assessor Resources What is an exemption?   According to the California Constitution, specific qualified properties are exempt from paying property taxes. These exemptions include properties owned by eligible nonprofit organizations that are exclusively used for religious, scientific, hospital, or charitable purposes. Other full or partial property tax exemptions are available to certain individuals, such as the Homeowners' Exemption or the Disabled Veterans Exemption. Each year, eligible individuals or organizations may receive only one type of exemption. The Homeowners' Exemption and the Regular Disabled Veterans Exemption require a one-time filing, and claimants are responsible for notifying the assessor if they are no longer eligible for the exemption. It is important to understand that property tax exemptions provided by law only apply to taxes based on assessed value ("ad valorem"); these exemptions do not cover interest, penalties, direct levies, or special taxes. For instance, annual property tax bills may include special assessments, special taxes, direct levies, delinquent county utility billings, or charges for weed and hazard abatement. These items are not defined as property taxes under the law since they are not based on the assessed value of the property. Homeowner's Exemptions Homeowners who own and occupy a dwelling on January 1st as their principal place of residence are eligible to receive a reduction of up to $7,000 off the dwelling's full cash value. The law provides that once you file a homeowners' exemption and receive the exemption it is not necessary to file each year as long as you continue to occupy the residence on which the exemption is claimed. "Dwelling" means a building, structure or other shelter (including boats) constituting a place of abode, whether real or personal property. You can find the Homeowner's Exemption form here. Church, Religious & Welfare Exemptions for Religious Organizations   Based on ownership and property usage, religious organizations can apply for three different exemptions: Church, Religious, and Welfare. To qualify for an exemption, the correct claim must be filed promptly, and the property's usage (or intended usage if the property is under construction or newly acquired) must meet the specific exemption criteria. The Assessor's office will conduct a field inspection to verify the exempt use.    If you have additional questions about the Church, Religious and Welfare Exemption, please call our Exemptions Unit at (510) 272-6587 or email Exemptions@acgov.org for assistance. Church Exemption: A Church Exemption may be claimed on property that is owned, leased, or rented and used exclusively for religious worship services. An exemption on the land is limited to the land that is necessary for congregational parking. This determination is made by the Assessor after they have completed a field inspection of the church premises. Religious Exemption: A Religious Exemption may be claimed for property owned by a church where the church owner conducts worship services and/or operates a school (preschool, kindergarten, or school less than collegiate level). Welfare Exemption: Religious organizations that own and use property for religious related activities, or charitable purposes may qualify for the Welfare Exemption. This exemption is co-administered by the Board of Equalization (BOE) and the Assessor. The religious organization must be a qualified non-profit as specified in Section 214 of the California Revenue and Taxation Code and obtain an Organizational Clearance Certificate (OCC) from the BOE. If the property is leased to another organization, the lessee's organization must also qualify under the same BOE requirements. The Assessor cannot approve a claim for a Welfare Exemption without the OCC and verification that the property is used for exempt purposes.  Welfare Exemptions for Non-Profit Organizations Properties owned by qualified non-profit organizations and used exclusively for religious, hospital, charitable, or scientific purposes may qualify for a property tax exemption known as the Welfare Exemption. An organization seeking the Welfare Exemption for the first time must: Obtain a valid Organizational Clearance Certificate from the BOE. In the case of some low-income housing property, a supplemental clearance certificate may be required. File a timely Claim for Welfare Exemption (First Filing) with our office. To receive the full exemption, the claim must be received by the Assessor's Office by February 15, or within 90 days from the 1st day of the month following the month of purchase whichever occurs earlier. If you have additional questions about the Welfare Exemption for non-profit organizations, please call our Exemptions Unit at (510) 272-6587 or email Exemptions@acgov.org for assistance. Most recent revision of Exemption claim forms can be downloaded from our Website  Exemption Forms Support Resources The next Property Transfer Legal Clinic will take place on Friday, February 21st. Please click below to make an appointment with a volunteer attorney for a free 30-minute consultation. Property Legal Clinic Appointment East Bay Community Foundation (EBCF) is proud to launch the Oakland Small Business Resiliency Fund, a grant fund supporting diverse small businesses with a physical presence in Oakland. The Fund will provide a one-time infusion of grant capital to Oakland small businesses to boost their resiliency and ability to withstand and recover from the economic and community safety challenges they face or to build their capacity and readiness to take on other forms of capital and investments.  Eligibility criteria: Small businesses with at least $50,000 in gross annual revenue. Provide goods and/or services at a storefront, pop-up, or other physical location in a priority neighborhood in Oakland for 2 years or more. Priority neighborhoods include commercial districts in East Oakland, Eastlake, Fruitvale, West Oakland, and parts of Downtown. These areas were selected based on OaklandDOT's Geographic Equity Toolbox. Ownership represents the diversity of Oakland, including Black, Indigenous, Latine, Asian & Pacific Islander, South Asian, Southwest Asian, and North African (SSWANA), women, transgender, and non-binary Experiencing financial hardship due to community violence, such as vandalism, difficulty accessing financing or repaying debt, increased costs of doing business, or other economic challenges Must not have previously received funding from the Oakland Small Business Resiliency Fund Ineligible businesses: Businesses whose primary purpose is to sell alcohol, tobacco, pharmaceutical products, cannabis, or firearms. Real estate and rideshare and transportation businesses. Grant size: During the first round of funding, administered from November 2024-April 2025, businesses may apply for grants ranging from $5,000-$25,000. We will update this page with information about subsequent funding rounds in Spring 2025. Application and review process Please review the eligibility requirements.  If eligible, please complete the online application form. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis during Phase 1 of funding (November 2024-April 2025). All applications received by the 1st of each month will be reviewed by a Community Advisory Committee within one week of the deadline. Applications will be assessed based on eligibility (see above), funding available, and equity considerations.  If approved, the grantee will be sent and required to return a signed Grant Agreement Form. Upon receipt of the form, we will verify banking information, and payment will be issued via ACH, wire, or check, typically within 10-15 business days.  The total process from submission of application to receipt of funds takes approximately 6-8 weeks if documents are signed and information is verified in a timely manner. Apply Here!