november 2022 VOTER GUIDE

ASSESSOR-RECORDER

What is the Assessor-Recorder?

  • Responsible for maintaining databases with all of the City’s property records, including deeds of sale, land transactions, mortgages, births, deaths, and marriages 

  • Responsible for identifying all taxable property in the City, establishing a taxable value for this property, and applying any legal exemptions, such as religious or homeowner’s exemptions

  • Maintains a cumulative record of all official documents for the county

  • The salary and benefits of this full-time position total $289,000 per year

Why You Should Care

The Assessor-Recorder is responsible, in effect, for maintaining City coffers. If there is a backlog in assessments, the City lags behind in generating revenue for its workforce and programs. This office must be well-managed and run smoothly. 

Our Vision for the Office 

Because this office is a core function of the City, we hope that this office remains one for experienced and talented individuals, not people who want to make political statements.

A Note About Our Candidate Choices

San Francisco uses ranked-choice voting, which allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference. This election, we've only endorsed one candidate per office, since we believe in them so wholeheartedly that we do not recommend you rank any additional candidates.

Joaquin Torres


Why vote for him: Torres was appointed by Mayor Breed in February 2021 and has done a fine job since. He is the only one running after winning his first election with 99 percent of the vote in February. Torres also has a strong track record as a department leader. He worked as the Director of the City’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development between 2018 and 2021. He increased support for small businesses, oversaw a community-driven departmental budget process, and focused on racial equity in the department’s mission and operations.

Paid for by TogetherSF Action. Not authorized by any candidate or a committee controlled by a candidate. Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org.

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