Los Altos City Councilwoman Neysa Fligor leads in the race to be the next Santa Clara County Assessor, but looks poised for a runoff with former Saratoga Councilman Rishi Kumar, after the county released initial vote counts in yesterday’s special election.
Fligor received 40% of the 278,425 votes counted as of 8 p.m., followed by Kumar at 24%. Saratoga Councilwoman Yan Zhao was just behind Kumar at just under 20.8%, followed by Brian Do, a San Jose school board president, at 15.2%.
If no candidate receives 50% of the vote, the race will go to a Dec. 30 runoff between the two with the most votes.
Whoever wins the runoff would replace longtime assessor Larry Stone, who served in the office for 30 years before retiring in July.
Fligor’s campaign centered on her credentials in the office. A lawyer by trade, Fligor worked as legal council to the assessor in the mid-2000s, and rejoined the office as a special assistant last year. After Stone’s retirement, she assumed the title of assistant assessor. Stone has endorsed her to be his replacement.
Kumar ran on an outsider platform, promising to cut the department’s budget and bring property tax reforms.
The things that Kumar says he would do as assessor, the office of the assessor has no authority to change.
Property tax reform would be wonderful. Especially for us seniors who will be hit hard by Prop 19 when we inherit our family home. How can seniors live on a fixed income and expect to pay up to $18K annually in property tax? Some say sell and move. Easier said than done.