Bits 'n' Pieces

LA County Property Values Top $1.57 Trillion

Los Angeles County Assessor Jeff Prang has certified the annual Assessment Roll for 2018, which indicates growth in real estate and business property values, as well as in tax-saving programs. The roll’s gross value of $1.57 trillion, the $1.51 trillion net value, and the $80 billion in business property have set new highs for the county, as have tax-saving exemptions, which topped $59.8 billion.

The leading indicators in this year’s Assessment Roll are sales and other transfers of real estate, which added $47.6 billion to the roll as compared to 2017, and new construction, which added another $11 billion. The combination of these and other factors yielded a net increase of 6.62 percent over the prior year – the greatest growth in values since prior to the 2008 recession.

However, the assessor also emphasized that the average growth in assessed values across the county does not mean property owners will be subject to a corresponding increase of 6.62 percent in their property tax bills. Existing homeowners will see only the standard 2 percent annual adjustment for inflation, pursuant to protections set out by Proposition 13.

In addition, Assessor Prang’s proactive efforts to promote savings for seniors, veterans, disaster victims and homeowners has resulted in tax reductions for over 1 million homeowners. This year alone, the Homeowners’ and Disabled Veteran exemptions will exempt $7.74 billion from taxation, saving taxpayers $77 million. Savings by non-profit, community service, and faith-based institutions, schools, museums, libraries and hospitals will see a record $52 billion in exemptions, producing $521 million in savings.

Another indicator of the growing economy and business optimism is the record-setting $4.53 billion (or, 5.9%) increase in business personal property. This reflects investment growth in equipment, machinery, and technology, as well as marine vessels and aircraft. Business property totals $80 billion in assessed value for 2018 and is therefore another new high for the county.

The 2018 Assessment Roll comprises 2.57 million real estate parcels and business assessments, including 1,874,588 single-family residences (including condominiums), 249,660 residential-income properties (e.g., apartment buildings), 248,198 commercial/industrial properties, and 205,204 business properties.

LBPD Crime Lab Accredited

The Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) announced ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB) renewed its crime laboratory accreditation in the Field of Forensic Science Testing.

Of the 459 accredited forensic laboratories worldwide, the LBPD’s Crime Laboratory is the first to meet the International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO) new requirements. Based in Wisconsin, the ANAB is the largest multi-disciplinary accreditation body in North America, that sets international standards for all testing and calibration laboratories across scientific disciplines worldwide.

This new level of ANAB accreditation demonstrates the high caliber of the LBPD’s crime laboratory. The ISO’s newest standards put a focus on “Management Requirements,” which relate to the operation and effectiveness of the laboratory’s quality management system, and “Technical Requirements,” which include factors that determine the correctness and reliability of the tests and calibrations performed by the laboratory.

“This achievement is the highest level of accreditation a crime laboratory can attain, and a major milestone for our department,” said Police Chief Robert Luna. “Forensic analysis supports our ability to further investigate crimes, and is a vital law enforcement tool. This accomplishment is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our crime lab employees, and demonstrates their commitment to the residents of our community.”

In the spring of 2018, ANAB released the updated version of their additional “forensic-specific” standards, called AR3125, and announced that starting June 1, 2018 they would begin accepting applications for accreditation based on the new standards. All ANAB accredited forensic laboratories, worldwide, will be required to meet these new standards by June 1, 2019.

Aetna Collaborates With MemorialCare

Aetna has introduced the regional Aetna Whole Health – Southern California plan to employers with employees in Orange County, Los Angeles County, San Diego County and select portions of the Inland Empire.

The new, regional health care solution includes the networks of four existing accountable care collaborations that will continue to be available on an individual basis for local employers that don’t have need for a network that covers a broader geography. 

Aetna Whole Health-Southern California members will have access to approximately 1,400 primary care doctors, 8,300 specialists, 51 hospitals and 122 urgent care facilities across five counties. The new plan is currently available for self-insured employers and will be available to fully insured employers pending regulatory approval.

Aetna Whole Health gives employers better health care options for their employees, and will feature a new model of health care delivery designed to offer:

• Cost savings to employees who use providers in their selected network;
• A more coordinated, personalized experience for patients; and
• Better health care outcomes.
• New payment agreements reward improvements in quality and costs of care
• The agreement features a new payment model to reward providers for meeting quality, efficiency and patient satisfaction measures including:
• The percentage of Aetna members who get recommended preventive care and screenings;
• Better management of patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart failure;
• Reductions in avoidable hospital readmission rates; and
• Reductions in emergency room visits.

Windes Announces Merger

Windes and Allen, Haight & Monaghan (AH&M), two leading California accounting and advisory firms, announced that they have merged. The combined firms will practice under the moniker of Windes.

AH&M is a well-respected Orange County firm that has been in business for more than 32 years. Its practice includes a wide range of services: from audit and assurance, tax, accounting, and consulting services to closely held and middle-market businesses and their owners, very similar to Windes. AH&M has one office in Irvine. The combined firm is comprised of more than 165 people with offices in Irvine, Long Beach, and Los Angeles.

“We have successfully grown our Orange County practice, and we now have an opportunity to further improve our competitive position, to offer new options for younger employees to develop and improve their careers, and to increase the breadth of technical resources by expanding our practice,” says John Di Carlo, managing partner of Windes. “Our goal has been to combine with firms that have built quality practices – a solid client base, a great staff, a well-managed organization, high-quality work, and a culture based upon strong values. AH&M meets this goal,” Di Carlo added.

Cybersecurity

Long Beach State University cybersecurity expert Mehrdad Aliasgari, assistant professor of computer engineering and computer science, wants people to understand that keeping data and electronic devices safe from criminals is not only a job for technology experts.

“To me, cybersecurity is as general education as it gets. Everyone needs to know the basics of this,” Aliasgari said.

Technology users don’t need a deep understanding of how devices and software function in order to improve their ability to protect digital assets. Critical thinking skills and a healthy sense of caution can also function as bulwarks against criminals seeking to compromise information technology systems through such means as “spear phishing” attacks or loading malware onto a USB drive.

Cybercrime is a big problem for American society. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, founded in 2000 when the Internet was still a relatively new part of life for millions of Americans, received its four millionth consumer complaint alleging a cybercrime in October 2017. The bureau received nearly 302,000 complaints of cybercrime in 2017. Known cyber offenses caused more than $1.4 billion worth of economic losses last year.

Cal State Long Beach is doing its part for cybersecurity by introducing a new cybersecurity minor – open to students who are not majoring in computer-related studies – to help fill the market demand for cybersecurity knowledge in the workforce. Aliasgari is serving as the program’s faculty advisor.

Long Beach State University also has a dedicated team of information technology professionals working to keep the campus community safe and provide alerts to potential scams.

Innovation Grant

The City of Long Beach has been selected by the Citi Foundation and Living Cities as one of five cities in the nation to participate in the City Accelerator program’s fifth cohort. The other four cities include: Atlanta, El Paso, Newark, and Rochester. In addition to a $100,000 grant, each city will receive a combination of coaching, technical assistance and implementation resources in the coming year. Long Beach’s focus will be on entrepreneurship and job growth.

Cities were selected based on their innovative approaches to fostering greater entrepreneurship among underrepresented groups, and their ability to bring together the resources to help small businesses flourish. Long Beach proposed a project that builds on its Economic Blueprint to further invest in economic equity efforts, and connect the city’s rich cultural diversity to entrepreneurial programs and business assistance. This work will be tied to local workforce development programs to ensure that residents are connected to jobs created by this new generation of Long Beach entrepreneurs.

Leading this work are some of the region’s most recognized entrepreneurial leaders, including:

• John Molina, founding partner of Pacific6 Enterprises.
• Tunua Thrash-Ntuk, executive director of Los Angeles Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC).
• Dr. Wade Martin, director of the Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Cal State University Long Beach.
• John Keisler, economic development director for the City of Long Beach.
• Nick Schultz, Executive Director of Pacific Gateway Workforce Innovation Network.

City Accelerator, developed in partnership with the Citi Foundation, is aimed at working within and across cities to support the growth of local minority-owned businesses and to advance and promote the spread of promising innovations that have a significant impact in the lives of residents. Now in its fifth year, the City Accelerator has brought together 17 municipalities to test new approaches that improve the lives of residents, especially those with low incomes.

Digital Inclusion Survey

Long Beach residents are encouraged to participate in a community-based digital inclusion survey that the city’s Technology and Innovation Commission (TIC) is conducting to assess how residents are currently accessing the internet and the barriers they face to connect to internet services.

The survey is currently available online, in community centers and at all Long Beach Public Libraries until Friday, August 17. More information about the survey and the city’s digital inclusion efforts can be found at www.longbeach.gov/ti/digital-inclusion/.

On January 23, 2018, City Council voted unanimously to approve the creation of a Digital Inclusion Master Plan that addresses the “Digital Divide” communities in Long Beach, at the request of Councilwoman Lena Gonzalez as well as Vice Mayor Dee Andrews and Councilmember Roberto Uranga. City staff have since established the Digital Inclusion planning initiative, which includes a community-based survey as a component.

The city has also hired a project manager who will help lead the city’s digital inclusion efforts. In addition, yesterday local stakeholders convened for the first time at a Digital Inclusion Roundtable hosted by Councilwoman Lena Gonzalez, which started the process for the stakeholders to provide essential input on current and future technology initiatives to support the efforts.

The survey has been translated into multiple languages, and distributed at community hubs, community-based organizations, and was distributed at the Digital Inclusion Community Forum, which took place on July 26 of this year.

The Digital Inclusion Forum provided a community-friendly space for Long Beach residents to learn more about the city’s digital inclusion efforts. During the forum, the TIC and city staff facilitated an open dialogue where they co-developed solutions with residents that would address the digital divide and advance digital equity in Long Beach.

Residents can stay engaged and informed on social media by using the following hashtag: #LBdigitalinclusion.