The Bee endorses Shannon Grove for Board of Equalization District 1. Here's what to know

The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board has endorsed Sen. Shannon Grove, a Bakersfield Republican, for the California State Board of Equalization’s District 1 seat. The little-known but powerful tax commission oversees property assessments across all 58 California counties.

FULL STORY: Read The Bee endorsement for the Board of Equalization’s District 1 | Opinion

Here are key takeaways:

• The California State Board of Equalization is the only publicly elected tax commission in the United States. It oversees about 13 million property assessments each year.
• In fiscal year 2023-24, the net statewide assessed value was $8.6 trillion, contributing $51.1 billion to schools and $44.2 billion to counties, cities and special districts.
• Grove, 61, is a U.S. Army veteran, the first woman veteran elected to the Assembly and is being termed out after a decade-plus in the Legislature. She co-founded a staffing company called Continental Labor and Staffing Resources.
• District 1 spans 34 counties and 61% of California’s landmass, running from the Oregon border to San Bernardino County. The Bee says Grove’s legislative experience and relationships with local assessors make her ready for the job’s complexity.
• Grove’s chief opponent is Fresno City Council President Nelson Esparza, who has a strong academic background in economics but appeared less certain about how the board could address key issues.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.