LA County Assessor briefs Temple City on rising property values, Prop 19 effects and homeowner assistance programs

Jeff Prang, Los Angeles County Assessor, told the Temple City City Council on May 7 that his office — which manages about 1,400 staff and the county’s assessment roll — recorded roughly 5.91% property-value growth last year and expects continued positive growth this year. “We are not the guy who collects taxes,” Prang said, explaining the assessor’s role in setting assessed value separate from tax billing.

Prang gave a city-specific snapshot: the 2023 total assessed value for Temple City is approximately $6.3 billion, supported by nearly 9,000 single‑family homes and roughly 10,000 taxable parcels. He said the median sale price for a single‑family home in the city is “just over a million dollars,” about 12% higher than a year earlier.

Prang also explained Proposition 19’s practical effects: it makes property‑tax bases portable for some older and disabled homeowners and natural‑disaster victims, but it narrowed parent‑to‑child reassessment benefits. “The downside…the way they paid for these benefits is they slashed and burned inheritance benefits,” Prang said, describing the tighter rules and caps that can trigger reassessment when an inherited property exceeds exemption limits.

To help residents reduce taxes, the assessor’s office promotes several programs. Prang highlighted the homeowner exemption (which he said reduces assessed value by $7,000 and typically saves about $70–$80 per year) and a disabled‑veteran program he said is underused. He told residents that roughly one third of eligible Temple City homeowners may not claim the homeowner exemption and encouraged sign-up via the office website.

Prang described a new Assessor eService account and homeowner alert that registers an owner’s email and sends notifications within 48 hours when documents (deeds, liens) are recorded against a property; he framed that service as a way to detect title fraud faster than traditional mailed notices. “Anytime something’s recorded against your property…you’ll be notified by email within 48 hours,” he said.

Following the presentation, Mayor Chavez and council members thanked Prang and invited questions. Prang offered to answer additional questions and noted the assessor’s office maintains guidance and forms online for exemptions and Proposition 19 processing.

Next steps: Council members encouraged residents to check the assessor’s website for exemptions and to enroll in the eService account; no action was required or taken by the city as a result of the presentation.