One is Helping Wildfire Victims Right Now With Disaster Relief
LOS ANGELES, CA — The Los Angeles County Assessor’s Office was awarded three top national achievement awards that spotlighted innovation in government programs, resulting in improved access, transparency, and maximum service to the public, especially in times of crisis.
The awards by the National Association of Counties (NACo) serve as a model for best practices in public service nationwide that strengthen communities and enhance the lives of residents.
The Assessor’s Office NACo Achievement Awards for 2025 are:
The Assessor’s Office successfully transitioned to a new and improved $120 million cloud-based technology system – a major milestone in the department’s decade-long mission to modernize its technology infrastructure. The new system – known internally as the Assessor’s Modernization Project (or AMP) – is the product of a transformative initiative that replaced a network of outdated legacy programs with an integrated state-of-the-art digital platform.
The new system replaced a decades-old DOS-based mainframe that still featured green screens. The County’s 2.5 million property files were kept in paper files which have since been digitized.
In the short time since full implementation, the system has enhanced cybersecurity and real-time data access, and has already made significant contributions to the efforts to improve internal operations as well as public engagement.
Historically, property owners were required to submit involved paper applications for disaster-related tax relief, a time-consuming and antiquated process made prohibitive in the aftermath of an emergency.
The Eaton and Palisades Fires in January 2025 affected thousands of property owners and highlighted the inefficiencies of this existing system. Given the urgent need for immediate relief, the Assessor’s Office launched a secure digital process whereby property owners could submit disaster relief claims through a user-friendly online portal from a computer, smartphone, or other mobile device and monitor the status of their claim as it moved through the system.
The Assessor’s Public Affairs and Information Technology divisions collaborated to build the online submission system that has resulted in thousands of property owners receiving property tax relief in major reductions as well as cash refunds in a timely manner.
The Assessor’s Data Science Program is a groundbreaking, data-driven initiative aimed at improving transparency, equity, and accuracy in property assessments across Los Angeles County. By analyzing trends in property ownership, the program equips policymakers with insights to make fairer and more informed decisions.
Real estate data in Los Angeles County down through the years has lacked the depth required to uncover ownership disparities shaped by socio-economic factors. Traditional assessment tools failed to capture these complexities, prompting the Assessor’s Office to pursue a more sophisticated, data-informed solution.
The program has revealed key trends in the housing market. These insights are now guiding policy discussions around equitable access to homeownership. Internally, the program has improved efficiency, streamlined data management, and modernized property assessments to reflect real-world conditions more accurately.
Los Angeles County is among the first in California to integrate socio-economic research with property data at this scale and offering a template for other jurisdictions to follow nationwide.
“These awards are a testament not just to innovation, but to the dedication of public servants working every day to deliver smarter, more responsive government,” said Assessor Jeff Prang. “It is a tribute to the hard-working men and women of the Assessor’s Office. We’re honored to receive the recognition and will continue to find more efficient ways to provide excellent public service to the residents of Los Angeles County.”
From civic engagement to cutting-edge technology, this year’s NACo Awards reaffirm the Los Angeles County Assessor’s Office as a national leader in public service.
