Community Corner

Embattled Assessor Gave Douglas Emmett Big Tax Breaks

John Noguez's biggest campaign contributor was the chief executive of the Santa Monica-based real estate firm.

A Santa Monica-based commercial real estate firm which cut big checks to the election campaign for embattled Los Angeles County Assessor John Noguez received tax breaks that have caught the attention of prosecutors pursuing allegations of corruption within the official's office, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Taxable values for Douglas Emmett Inc.'s buildings were slashed by $307 million after Noguez took office, resulting in refunds of more than $4.5 million in 2011. The company's tax bills were reduced an average of 27 percent per building while the average for everyone else was 16, the newspaper's analysis found.

One of the largest commercial real estate firms in the West, Douglas Emmett owns 58 properties and nine luxury apartments across Los Angeles and Honolulu—including the office building 100 Wilshire and The Shores apartment complex in Santa Monica. Its corporate headquarters are at 808 Wilshire Blvd.

Find out what's happening in Santa Monicawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Douglas Emmett's chief executive, along with his wife—neither of whom contributed to other county candidates in the 2010 election cycle—were the assessor's biggest campaign contributor, according to The Times. 

Jordan Kaplan and his wife contributed $10,000 to Noguez, more than any other individual donors, and Jordan Kaplan's parents and company executives gave an additional $20,000, The Times reported.

Find out what's happening in Santa Monicawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Noguez, who spent 19 months on the job, is on an indefinite paid leave absence while the District Attorney's office pursues allegations of corruption in the assessor's office. A former county appraiser faces 60 felony counts related to improper assessment reductions for wealthy Westside property owners.

For the full story on Douglas Emmett's dealings with the Los Angeles County Assessor's office, click on over to the Los Angeles Times.

— City News Service contributed to this report.

Stay connected with Santa Monica Patch throughout the day on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to our free daily newsletter for email updates.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here