But didn’t we just do that election in November?
Yes and No.

In November we voted for a replacement for the retiring County Assessor, selecting one from a field of four candidates. Unfortunately, none of the candidates gained over 50% of the votes cast. That forced a 2-person run-off that had to be held within 60 days.

The two December candidates are Neysa Fligor and Rishi Kumar - the two candidates who got the most votes in the November election.

Ballots will be mailed on December 8th to all registered voters in Santa Clara County.
They must be returned by 8:00 PM Tuesday, December 30th.   
In the case of US Mail they must be Postmarked by 8:00 PM Tuesday, so mail early! (see point 7 in our article "Don't Be Rejected")

We recommend completing and returning your ballot ASAP (As Soon As Possible), since none of us want any more items on our to-do lists at this time of year.  It won’t take long - the ballot only has one question.

Return your ballot at any Drop Box, or by US Mail, or in-person at a vote center.  Go to https://rovservices.sccgov.org to find the locations of drop-boxes and vote centers near you.

• Drop boxes and US Mail are available as soon as you receive your ballot
• Some in-person Vote Centers will be open December 20-30th
• more Vote Centers open December 27-30th

What does the County Assessor Do?

The Assessor’s role is unique—it’s an elected position, but the state-mandated work itself is technical and primarily focused on administrative operations, not policymaking like many other elected offices. 

The Assessor has the responsibility to lead a team of about 250 people who: 

• locate all taxable property in the County
• identify property ownership
• establish a value for all property subject to local property taxation
• list the value of all property on the assessment roll
• apply all legal exemptions.

Contrary to popular opinion, the Santa Clara County Assessor does not:

´ set property tax rates

´ establish property tax laws

´ set rules by which property is appraised

´ compute property tax bills

´ collect property taxes

 

If you need more information about the Assessor’s role or about the candidates, please refer to these non-partisan resources*:

• LWV Candidate Forum Video – LWV Santa Clara County hosted a candidate forum for County Assessor for the Nov 4 election
  link: https://youtu.be/oYkp_GGLdCc?si=RBxg4ZxW1jOZ9wFN
• County Assessor Office Overview – Summary of the Responsibilities of the County Assessor
  link: https://www.sccassessor.org/about-us/office-information/office-overview
  
  
• County Assessment Information Booklet – Additional information about the role of the County Assessor
  link: https://www.sccassessor.org/edocman/Assessment%20Information%20Booklet.pdf
  
  
• County Registrar of Voters (ROV) Special Election Info Site

*Note: VOTE411 is not available for this runoff election