Taxing the Cable TV Companies

I note that the cable TV industry is indulging in what appears to be an expensive campaign to influence the vote for Orange County assessor.

It would appear from their ads that the incumbent, Bradley L. Jacobs, has some sort of personal vendetta against the cable TV folks because he is, in their opinion, assessing their cable TV property too high. Two things bother me about this concept.

The first is that there are laws in this state requiring any assessor to value property according to its full cash value. I submit that Jacobs is following that law and that he has come to an accurate fair-market value of each cable TV company’s property.

In fact, I suggest that he has taken great pains to make sure his appraisal of these properties is as accurate as possible. After all, as I believe Will Rogers said, you should never argue with anyone who buys ink by the barrel.

The second thing that bothers me is the patently political objective of these ads. The laws of this state allow the cable TV folks the right to appeal Jacobs’ valuation if they do not like it.

Why not follow that avenue instead of going to the news media? The answer is because they have not been successful in other areas of the state where other assessors have applied the same value techniques Jacobs has used.

I am not writing this letter to influence anyone’s vote in Orange County. I am simply galled by the audacity of a particular industry because it cannot get its way.

DUANE K. WELLS

Assessor, Mendocino County