Assessor candidate Zhao raises half a million for campaign
Yan Zhao, Santa Clara County Assessor candidate and current Saratoga City Council member, announced Sept. 4 that her campaign had reached the voluntary expenditure limit of $500,000 in her run for the assessor’s seat.
Zhao has been fundraising for the county assessor election since she started her campaign committee at the end of 2023. Candidates for the Santa Clara County Assessor’s seat are allowed to have a campaign maxed at $500,000.
“This is an extraordinary show of support from all over Santa Clara County,” Zhao stated in an email to newsletter subscribers. “It’s not just about the dollars raised – it’s about the growing support for an assessor’s office that works better, serves people faster and uses modern tools to deliver real results and outreach for our community on everything from public safety to public schools.”
The assessor’s office is responsible for the assessment of real and business properties across the county, including those that are secured and unsecured, according to the Santa Clara County Assessor’s Office website. Property taxes – which support public services provided by local governments and public schools – are levied by the assessment.
The assessor also does not collect property taxes, compute property tax bills, establish property tax laws, or set rules related to property tax rates or which property is appraised, according to the website.
Zhao has emphasized the need for better accessibility and customer service in the assessor’s office, including a technology revamp. While the assessor’s office is already in the process of putting a new information system in place, Zhao was disappointed with how long it took the county to upgrade compared to other nearby county assessor’s offices.
“I thought this office could use some fresh perspective and (I want to) bring this office into 21st century technology,” Zhao told the Town Crier previously. “I have an engineering background. I think we can make this office better.”
Other candidates include Neysa Fligor, deputy Assessor and Los Altos City Council member, Rishi Kumar, former Saratoga City Council member, and Bryan Do, board president of the Eastside Union High School District in San Jose.
