Alhambra : Tax Case Judge to Be Named
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert O’Brien is expected to be appointed to hear legal challenges by the city of Alhambra and Marin and San Diego counties to the state’s transfer of property tax dollars from local governments to schools.
Alhambra City Atty. Leland C. Dolley said a hearing on Alhambra’s challenge was postponed Friday because the Judicial Council, the body that oversees the state’s judiciary, was considering appointing O’Brien to hear all three cases.
Dolley said the judge would not be consolidating the cases into one, but would hear some arguments from all three cases together. He is expected to issue three separate rulings.
He said Alhambra, the only city to challenge the state’s legal power to divert property tax, has arguments that differ from the counties’. Dozens of cities have filed briefs supporting Alhambra’s arguments.
Early this summer another Los Angeles Superior Court Judge rejected a lawsuit by Los Angeles County challenging the legality of the property tax shift. The county has appealed.
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