Brentwood Property Allegedly Undervalued, Investigation Prompted

Los Angeles County CEO William Fujioka on Tuesday recommended that the director of the county Department of Beaches and Harbors, Santos Kreimann, be appointed acting county assessor.

The former director, John Noguez, took a leave of absence amid a corruption probe of his office's alleged slashing of property values in Brentwood, Pacific Palisades and Beverly Hills in exchange for campaign contributions.

District Attorney Steve Cooley is investigating the allegations. Scott Schenter, 49, an appraiser who worked in the Assessor's Office from 1988 to 2011, was arrested May 21 and charged with 60 felony counts of falsifying accounts and records.

Schenter allegedly undervalued area properties by about $172 million to lower tax bills for owners of multimillion-dollar homes, condominiums and businesses. Noguez, an elected official, announced June 1 he would take a leave from his post, giving the board the authority to temporarily replace him.

Fujioka cited Kreimann's "exceptional management skills" as one reason for his recommendation.

The Board of Supervisors deferred a vote on the matter to next week, "so that the public has an opportunity to react," said Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky.

Fujioka said he wanted someone who would not be "just a gatekeeper" but able to conduct a broad review of the department's processes and procedures. Kreimann previously worked in the CEO's office as part of a group focused on real estate issues.

Yaroslavsky expressed concern about how the Department of Beaches and Harbors would manage without Kreimann, noting that he could be acting assessor "for a few months or three years."

Fujioka cited a strong bench of other officials at Beaches and Harbors and added that his own office would take a stronger supervisory role than Noguez' office did.