{"id":415,"date":"2026-05-25T12:30:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T12:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/californiamovingreport.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/25\/lawmakers-stripped-the-board-of-equalization-of-power-now-theyre-fighting-to-join-it\/"},"modified":"2026-05-25T12:30:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T12:30:22","slug":"lawmakers-stripped-the-board-of-equalization-of-power-now-theyre-fighting-to-join-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/californiamovingreport.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/25\/lawmakers-stripped-the-board-of-equalization-of-power-now-theyre-fighting-to-join-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawmakers stripped the Board of Equalization of power. Now they\u2019re fighting to join it"},"content":{"rendered":"
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California\u2019s Board of Equalization is a coveted spot once again for state lawmakers looking for a new gig almost a decade after then-Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law gutting the organization of any serious governing responsibility.<\/p>\n

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This year, three current state lawmakers are competing for seats on the nation\u2019s only elected tax board. They\u2019re among some two dozen candidates on the ballot for its four elected positions, which are divided by geographic districts.<\/p>\n

The board has long been a launching pad to higher offices in California politics \u2014 Fiona Ma served on it before becoming state treasurer, as did Betty Yee and Malia Cohen before each being elected state controller.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The agency itself is a throwback to the 19th Century. It\u2019s rooted in an 1879 constitutional amendment that created it and charged it with \u201cequalizing\u201d county property tax assessments statewide.<\/p>\n

From that narrow mandate, it swelled to become a juggernaut that collected a third of the state\u2019s tax revenue and provided a venue for people and businesses to contest their tax bills in front of the elected board. It survived numerous efforts by governors to kill it outright, including attempts by Pete Wilson and Arnold Schwarzenegger.<\/p>\n

That is until 2017, when a cascade of allegations about board members misusing the office to promote themselves led to an authoritative state audit that lawmakers could not ignore.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Brown signed a law stripping the agency of any powers beyond what voters gave it in 1879 and created two new departments that report to the governor instead of the elected board: one to collect sales and use taxes and another to hear taxpayer appeals.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After that, Board of Equalization elections tended to be lower profile contests. Ted Gaines, a former Republican state lawmaker from the Sacramento area, won a seat. Former Democratic Assemblymember Sally Lieber is up for reelection on the board this year. The other members had experience in local politics instead of inside the Capitol.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re lean but we\u2019re not mean,\u201d said Lieber, the incumbent for District 2, which includes 19 counties centered on the Bay Area. \u201cI think the Board of Equalization is the right size in the system right now\u2026I do really believe that the board has a role to play in being a forum for taxpayers to come forward to.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year voters will see more contentious elections for the tax board:<\/p>\n