ROB NEWLAND FOR ASSESSOR
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Candidate for Los Angeles County Assessor

Transparency Modernization Fairness

Rob Newland is a real estate appraiser and housing economist running for Los Angeles County Assessor to make property valuations easier to understand, more transparent to the public, and more consistent under California law.

The Assessor’s office affects every homeowner, renter, business, school district, city, and local service in the county. It is one of the most important offices most voters rarely hear about until they receive a tax bill they do not understand.

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Property Tax Transparency Modern Technology Fair Assessments

Meet Rob Newland

Rob Newland is a real estate appraiser and housing economist who has spent his career studying property values and how they affect homeowners, businesses, and local government.

Portrait of Rob Newland in a suit and tie

Real Estate Appraiser and Housing Economist

Qualifications

The assessor’s job is fundamentally about valuation: determining the taxable value of millions of properties fairly and consistently under California law. Rob’s professional background is directly aligned with that responsibility.

Working with property owners navigating the assessment system has also shown him how confusing and opaque it can be for ordinary taxpayers. He is not running as a career government insider. He is running because the assessor’s office should operate with greater transparency, modern technology, and stronger public service.

How Rob explains the office

“The assessor determines the taxable value of every property in Los Angeles County. Those valuations affect how property taxes are distributed to schools, cities, and local services across the county.”

Property owners deserve to understand how their property was assessed and why. Rob believes government should not be a mystery when it comes to something as important as property taxes.

What residents can expect

  • An assessor’s office that is easier to interact with
  • Clearer communication with the public
  • Professionalism and modern technology
  • An office that works for the public, not the other way around

Top priorities

Fairness, transparency, and modernization would be the guiding principles of a Newland administration.

Transparency in property valuations

Taxpayers should be able to clearly see how their property value was determined. If taxpayers cannot understand how their property was valued, the system is not transparent enough.

Modernizing the assessor’s office

Government systems should not be decades behind the private sector. Updated technology can improve accuracy, efficiency, and public access to information.

Fairness and consistency

The same rules should apply to everyone. Property owners need confidence that assessments are applied evenly across the county.

Rob’s view of the office today

The assessor’s office performs an essential function and many dedicated public employees work hard there. However, like many large government agencies, it struggles with outdated systems, complicated procedures, and a lack of transparency that can frustrate taxpayers.

Rob believes the office can be run more efficiently and more openly.

View of Proposition 13

Proposition 13 is a foundational part of California’s property tax system and provides important stability for homeowners and businesses.

Rob’s view is that the assessor’s job is not to rewrite Proposition 13, but to administer it fairly and accurately according to the law and ensure taxpayers understand their rights under it.

Using assessor data to help solve bigger problems

Rob believes government data should serve the public, not remain hidden. He wants the assessor’s office to be more proactive in helping policymakers understand where housing opportunities exist and where the system is breaking down.

1. Launch a countywide vacant property and land transparency map

Rob wants to use assessor data, including land-use codes and improvement-to-land value ratios, to help identify vacant or underdeveloped land that could potentially support housing development, redevelopment opportunities, or community land trust strategies.

2. Use assessor data to identify illegal short-term rentals

Rob believes ownership patterns, homeowner exemption data, and parcel analysis can help enforcement agencies more effectively identify possible illegal short-term rental activity.

3. Support housing and homelessness solutions with better data

Assessor records can help policymakers identify underutilized office buildings, declining retail space, struggling motels, vacant properties, and ownership patterns that may reveal new housing opportunities or market concentration trends.

4. Improve transparency about land use and ownership patterns

Rob wants the assessor’s parcel data used more effectively so communities and policymakers can better understand where land is underutilized and where housing opportunities may exist.

5. Modernize the office with open data and public transparency

The Assessor manages one of the largest property datasets in the country. Rob wants to modernize the office’s systems and publish aggregated data that helps planners, researchers, policymakers, and the public understand vacancy patterns, land use, and ownership trends.

Frequently asked questions

One promise Rob says his opponents would not make

Rob has committed to dramatically expanding public access to assessment data and valuation methodology.

“Property taxes should not be determined through a process the public cannot see.”

Why leadership renewal matters

Rob believes it is healthy for democratic institutions to have leadership renewal. In the long run, voters should consider whether reasonable term limits for this office would help ensure continued innovation and accountability.

Campaign information

Paid for by Rob Newland for Los Angeles County Assessor 2026.

FPPC Committee ID: 1486815

Mailing Address: PO Box 10502, Burbank, CA 91510

Contributions are not tax deductible.