POLITICS OUT OF TAXATION.

Fellow Residents, 

Thanks for stopping by. My name is Stephen Adamus and I am running for Los Angeles County Assessor. 

I am not a politician. I am a father, husband, and child of immigrants. Basically, I am just a regular working person with a family to feed who is tired of politicians exploiting their positions and putting themselves first. This job concerns taxes that are supposed to be levied honestly and fairly. It’s a burden we all share equally - at least we are supposed to. 

I am running for two reasons: 1) getting elected is the only way to become the Assessor; and, 2) the unscrupulousness and deceitfulness of the current administration needs to stop.  The waste and mismanagement of public money needs to stop. I’ve seen how the sausage is made and its as revolting as you’d expect. I tried to fix things, got punished, and ended up suing this Administration for whistleblower retaliation (Labor Code 1102.5). I won. The jury concluded this Administration retaliated against me for raising concerns about violations of Proposition 13, violations of the Revenue and Taxation Code, and misappropriations public funds, costing the County millions of dollars year over year. There is a different set of rules for the connected and influential. Decisions are made by this Administration based on how helpful or harmful they could be to their careers.

The County deserves better than this. I will do better than this. I have extensive subject matter experience and knowledge to get the job done. I am a licensed California  attorney. I have been with the Assessor’s Office for 14 years. During this time I worked almost exclusively on Proposition 13’s change in ownership provisions and conducted many hearings before the Los Angeles County Assessment Appeals Board as an advocate for the Assessor. I have a proven track record of integrity and ethical behavior (and success). This Office shouldn’t serve as a politician’s PR machine or springboard, it should serve the people, all the people…properly. I do not make decisions based on the connections or influence of a taxpayer. And I won’t start if I am elected. The best service I can provide this County is to ensure that all taxpayers are treated equally, with compassion and dignity, regardless of circumstance. The same goes for the Office’s employees who also deserve much better than this.  

Lastly, if elected, I will not accept a single donation or contribution during my term. I will not solicit them. I will not set myself up for favors in the future. This is not about me. I’m only concerned with doing my best for the People of this County (and employees of the Office). Los Angeles County has been my home for more than 35 years. There’s no place like it on earth. We are blessed to live here. As such, we deserve leaders that will take care of it not exploit it. If elected I will be an ethical and conscientious steward of the County and do my best to locate all taxable property, identify ownership of all taxable property, apply a value to all taxable property, apply all lawful exemptions and exclusions, and submit a timely and accurate assessment roll to the Auditor. 

Thank you for your time, 

Stephen

• If you want politics out of property taxes,  vote for me.

• If you believe all taxpayers should pay their fair share, then vote for me. 

• If you think the law should be taken seriously, then vote for me.

• If you think hold-overs from the John Noguez administration should not be making important decisions for the County, then vote for me.

• Are you tired of cronyism? Then vote for me.

• Are you tired of hearing politicians tout transparency only to  hide and  deceive? Then vote for me.

• Are you tired of frivolous  and wasteful spending? Then vote for me.

• If you believe there should be term limits for the assessor, then vote for me.

• If you think public image should be less of a concern than doing the job, then vote for me.