California voters to decide on Board of Equalization members. Here's what to know.
Among the candidates for statewide office being considered by California voters in the upcoming election are members of the State Board of Equalization, which oversees the state's property tax system and other taxes.
The panel, which consists of the California State Controller and four members representing certain geographical areas of the state, is the nation's only elected tax commission.
California is divided into four Board of Equalization Districts. District 1 covers 33 interior counties, from Siskiyou County to the north to San Bernardino County in the south, while District 2 covers coastal areas from Del Norte to Ventura County, along with eight counties in the San Francisco Bay Area.
District 3 solely consists of Los Angeles County. Meanwhile, District 4 covers Imperial, Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties, along with a small portion of San Bernardino County.
The District 1 race is a contest between Democratic nominee Nelson Esparza and state Sen. Shannon Grove, a Republican who previously served as the chamber's minority leader. Esparza is a member of the Fresno City Council, while Grove represents Fresno, Tulare and Kern counties in the state Senate.
The District 2 race is a contest between two Democrats. Incumbent Sally Lieber, who currently chairs the Board of Equalization, is facing off against John Pimentel, a clean energy executive who has served as California's deputy secretary of transportation and a trustee for the San Mateo County Community College District.
Two Democrats are also competing for the District 3 seat. Assemblymember Mike Gipson, who represents Carson, Compton, and parts of Long Beach and Los Angeles, is running after serving six terms in the Legislature. Gipson is facing Sam Sukaton, a union organizer and a director of Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign for Inland Southern California.
The District 4 race consists of Democratic nominee Tom Umberg, who represents portions of Orange and Los Angeles counties in the state Senate and Republican nominee Denis Bilodeau, who is mayor pro tem of the city of Orange and president of the Orange County Water District Board of Directors.
