Author Archives: Valerie Faltas

The Howard Jarvis Administration was the driving force in implementing Proposition 13 which put a cap on property taxes in the state of California. Consequently, of Proposition 13 Californians had to discover different methods to fund government community improvements in their neighborhoods like roads, schools, parks, etc. The Mello-Roos Community Facilities Act of 1982 was enacted by the California legislature, the Act enabled Community Facilities Districts (CFD\'s) to be established as a way of obtaining this critical community funding. Continue reading →

In addition to your basic property taxes, if your property tax bill seems unusually high especially during this housing crisis you may have a Special and/or Direct Assessment on your property. Depending on the area your house is located, there may be costs necessary to pay off any voter-approved general obligation bonds or other indebtedness, special assessments, or direct levies. For example, a Direct Assessment may be applied to your house if voters decide to establish a sewage system in a neighborhood that is older where most of the residences use septic tanks. The direct assessment is used to cover the cost of this improvement to the neighborhood. Continue reading →