CANDIDATES FOR ASSESSOR DESCRIBE GOALS; 7 HOPEFULS VYING FOR POSITION.

Byline: David Greenberg Daily News Staff Writer

Simi Valley Mayor Greg Stratton believes he stands out from his opponents in the race to replace retiring Ventura County Assessor Glenn Gray in the June 2 primary.

The other six candidates agree - he's the only politician running for the office.

``Anybody who holds that post has to have experience in the valuation of property,'' said Roy Villa, a Camarillo real estate appraiser, voicing the general opinion of Stratton's six opponents. ``He's never done an appraisal.''

Stratton says that he will use his three decades of experience in the aerospace industry to computerize the highly sought-after office, but opponent Larry Matheney, an assistant county counsel, says, ``If an assessor gets down to the details of writing the software, he's not doing his job.''

But Stratton, 51, is unshaken.

``All the rest of them - maybe they've used a few computers in their life,'' he said. ``But they've never developed or installed a big system.''

Stratton adds that his six opponents for the office ``all seem to be former or current county bureaucrats and they want a raise.''

Stratton, a Simi Valley City Council member for 19 years, including the last 12 as mayor, does share his rivals' belief that the Assessor's Office is behind the times.

Each one wants to computerize the office, but has a slightly different vision as to what the project would accomplish.

A new system, Stratton said, would save cities money they now spend in purchasing maps and other records from the county Public Works Department.

``If you just remove the duplication between what (assessors) do and what Public Works does, that would be a savings right there,'' he said.

As of May 21, Stratton has spent $25,836 of the $36,095 he raised for his campaign.

The assessor's race is not expected to produce a victor until November, because it is unlikely that any candidate will garner more than 50 percent of the vote, which is required to win the seat in the primary.

Vying for the $111,000-a-year position with Stratton are:

Des Kester, 54, is a Los Angeles County appraiser specialist who claims to have more assessor experience than any of his opponents.

He said his office employs 10 times more people than Ventura County's staff of 132 and it attaches assessments to 2.2 million parcels each year - far more than the county's 227,000 parcels.

``I know the full functions of the Assessor's Office,'' said Kester, a Thousand Oaks resident. ``I'm in it for working life.''

If elected, he pledged to ensure both the market and Proposition 13 values of properties would appear on tax bills.

A lot of assessment appeals would be avoided by allowing property owners to pay the lower of the two fees, Kester said.

``Appeals are a costly system for both the taxpayers and the Assessor's Office,'' he said.

Kester has spent $1,449 of the $2,925 he raised.

Charles Taylor, 54, was a bookkeeper and controller in the aerospace industry for 25 years before becoming a tax consultant five years ago.

The Thousand Oaks resident says that if elected he will establish Internet access so residents' frequently asked questions - such as possible tax breaks on homes damaged by El Nino - could be answered efficiently.

Taylor, who has criticized Gray for increasing the personnel budget from $4 million to $5 million over the last three years, said he would consider staff cuts through attrition.

``It's difficult to tell what's really going on because there isn't any increase in service to the community,'' Taylor said.

He has filed a short campaign finance form with the county, meaning he will raise less than $1,000 for his campaign.

Dan Goodwin, 46, of Ventura, worked in the county Assessor's Office from 1969-77 and is currently an appraiser in Oxnard.

He boasted of earning Member Appraisal Institute status, which he said is given to only 15 percent of all certified appraisers.

Goodwin said he is running to give something back to the community.

``The county of Ventura gave me my training as an appraiser,'' he said. ``It got me off to a great career that's allowed my family to live very comfortably.''

Goodwin promised to make the office more public-service oriented.

His plans include opening a satellite office in the county sheriff's station in between Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley, as well as hosting public seminars to keep residents abreast of new tax laws and changes in real estate trends.

``I want the assessor to be visible so people will have a higher level of trust,'' Goodwin said.

He has spent $34,835 of the $48,387 he has raised for the campaign.

James Dodd, 44, of Ventura, bills himself as the only candidate currently working in the Ventura County Assessor's Office - where he has been employed for 18 years.

``Everyone in this race claims to be the best qualified,'' he said. ``But I understand the problems better than anyone else.''

Unlike Villa and Goodwin, Dodd stressed that his assessor's experience comes in the age of Proposition 13, which passed in 1978. The measure set the property tax rate at 1 percent of the assessed value, plus any voter approved debt.

``The whole system has evolved,'' Dodd said. ``The legal basis for assessments has become technical and complex. You would have to almost work in the Assessor's Office on the daily basis to understand how it operates.''

He said he would push for a tax exemption of properties - such as small boats - valued at less than $5,000.

Dodd has spent $17,101 of the $21,804 he has raised for the campaign.

Villa, 49, of Camarillo, worked in the county Assessor's Office from 1974-78. His current job as a real estate appraiser include handling assessment appeals for Santa Barbara County on a contract basis.

``My 24 years as an appraiser of all types of properties exceeds any candidate in this race,'' he said. ``Some of them have never appraised property in their lives.''

Villa managed 27 people during his four years as an appraisal manager for American Savings. If elected to the post, he vows to keep supervisors better informed about the office's needs, such as a new computer system.

``The leadership in the last eight years has not sold the importance of the office,'' Villa said.

He has spent $11,202 of the $11,686 he accumulated for the race.

Matheney, 51, of Ventura, said that after 13 years offering legal assistance to several county departments, including the Assessor's Office, he understands the problems.

He said he already has his personal Web site linked to the state Board of Equalization so residents can keep informed about new tax laws.

The focus of the office's Web site, which Matheney pledged to fund, would educate property owners on exemptions for which they might qualify.

Computers, he said, would offer a more comfortable working environment, he said.

``The office is like a rat's maze because of the filing cabinets that are needed to hold all of the documentation,'' Matheney said. ``The employees have not been given the tools they need in order to have pride in productivity.''

He has spent $31,585 of the $37,764 raised during the campaign.

CAPTION(S):

7 Photos

PHOTO (1) STRATTON

(2) VILLA

(3) MATHENEY

(4) TAYLOR

(5) KESTER

(6) GOODWIN

(7) DODD