THE Mortgage Coach~Fall and Taxes Life, Health & Home


SANTA ROSA, CA. ~ listen to


the constant As I thud of


the acorns pound- ing the pavement, I’m reminded of my daunting task ahead of me. It seems like a never ending cycle of raking leaves and cleaning up acorns. The tree that graces us with its shade in the summer is my curse in the fall. The problem with acorns is they want to anchor themselves into the ground and become trees. I have nothing against trees but there are just too many acorns. This is fall and I cherish the last


few warm days knowing rainy cold nights lay ahead. With this being an election year, my mail box gets cluttered with colorful cards and brochures filled with opinions and suggestions. “No on this” and “yes on that” and “please vote for me”. Mixed in amongst this collection of per- suasions and opinions you’ll find your annual property tax bill. When property values are on the rise Prop 13 keeps our taxes from rising too fast.


But when property values are in the


decline there is yet another Prop we can count on for tax relief! Prop 8 is the prop- erty tax initiative that allows our property tax assessments to go down when values are declining.


Proposition 8 was voted in and enacted into our


California


state constitution in 1978 to allow a temporary reduc- tion in property tax when property values


decline. Proposition 13, also voted in the same year, restricts our property tax increases. Under Prop 13 your property is assessed at 1% of the value whenever there is change of ownership or new construction. This is called the base year value.


Each year


your assessed value can increase with inflation but is capped at a 2% annually. When your prop- erty values drops below this base year value, Proposition 8 kicks in allowing the county assessors to re-assess your property value and reduce your property tax. This is only a temporary reduction and once values start increasing you are not capped to the 2% annual adjustment till you have reached


Sonoma County’S upbeat DoCtorS Good for You...Everyday Food! Call 1-888-699-DOCS (3627) or visit sutterpacific.org to find the doctor for you.


• Friendly Primary and Specialty Care • Offices in Santa Rosa, Healdsburg, Sebastopol and Rohnert Park


• Online Health Records, Appointments, Lab Results, Rx Renewals, Doctor E-Messaging


• Same-Day and After-Hour Appointments • Most Health Insurance Accepted


Sutter Pacific has 240+ doctors offering primary, specialty and complex medical care in more than 50 neighborhood locations.


20 • November 2012 • UPBEAT TIMES


Mediterranean California Cuisine Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner


entire bill through Nov 30th Must present ad. Not valid with any other offer.


20% OFF East West Cafe


, 2012! (In Santa Rosa, accross from Howarth Park) 557 Summerfi eld Road., Santa Rosa • 707.546.6142


UPBEAT TIMES • November 2012 • 20


by Barry O'Meara


your base year value. Once Prop 8 and been initiated and your property tax reduced, your prop- erty is subject to annual review. After the financial debacle and


the burst of the housing bubble, the County Assessors have been pretty busy re-assessing purchas- es that took place during the peak of the market. If your prop- erty was not notified of a reduc- tion, there is an appeal process. The dates for applying for an appeal are from July 2nd through November 30th each year. The form can be found online at the Sonoma County Assessor’s web site and click the “Assessment Appeals Information” banner. You need to supply 2 compa- rable sales that occurred between January 1st and March 31st. Assessments are based on prop- erty value as of January 1st of each year. There is a $30 fee for the appeal. The site can be found at http://www.sonoma-county. org/assessor/ For more information on 8


Proposition you can visit


California’s site at http://www.boe. ca.gov/proptaxes/faqs/prop8.htm


I welcome any questions or comments at barryo@stearns.com


Way Back When Continued from page 19...


This Time of Year,


she was officially divorced. Jackson accused Adams of being partial to the British who the U.S. had just fought in two wars.


misused public funds to buy a pool table and promote gam- bling. Adams in fact had used his own funds to buy the pool table and a chess board for rec- reation. Looking at politics in our history, the jabs and heated exchanges between today’s candidates seem a bit mild by comparison.


“Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always


write a book.” Ronald Reagan


REMEMBER: Respect our past for it has shaped our future.


He also said Adams JOKES & Humor # 9


A little boy was in a relative's wedding. As he was coming down the aisle, he would take two steps, stop, and turn to the crowd. While facing the crowd, he would put his hands up like claws and roar. So it went, step, step, ROAR, step, step, ROAR, all the way down the aisle. As you can imagine, the crowd was near tears from laughing so hard by the time he reached the engaged couple. The bride leaned over and asked what the boy was doing. He proudly replied, "I'm the Ring Bear!"


Weird Facts & Trivia -8 The Russian Banana potato was developed in the Baltic Region of Europe/Asia and heralded as excellent for salads, it is a favorite among chefs and gourmet markets.


Yellow, banana-shaped, waxy- type tubers with firm texture that have wonderful flavor baked, boiled and steamed.


There is a way to look at the past. Don't hide from it. It will not catch you -- if you .don't.repeat it. ~ Pearl Bailey


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24