I finally made it to the Tax Collector's office downtown. A helpful lady gathered the 2008 tax bill for Fox Studios. Unfortunately, that office doesn't provide any data from 1978. She said I might find that information in the archives across the street, but she still remained skeptical of my task.
For 2008-2009, Twentieth Century Fox has a current land assessed value of 121,010,138 and an improvements value of 240,377,536, which comes to a total of 361,387,674 new taxable value. The total tax of this property is 4,435,709.04. Two payments of $2,217,854.52 are due for this property.
Improvements to the property has risen since 2007, from $203 to $248 million. The land value increased from $118 to $121 million.
The substitute secured property tax bill says the total tax owed for 2008-2009 is $4,732.11 and $42,347.46, respectively. From 2007-2008, the total tax was $16,036.35. The differences are due to the improvement values that kept steadily increasing.
A tax worker explained why the studio paid $46,000 followed by a payment of $5,000. She said that may have been for a new property or someone else bought the property and it was reassessed.
I didn't have any luck asking corporate leaders at Fox about their "sweetheart" property tax deal. The info number I called was no use to me. Again, this investigation treads on...
Our first assignment is to research the tax bill of a major corporation in Los Angeles. I chose Fox Studios, so I Google'd them, of course. Their Web site (foxstudios.com) had the address of their property: 10201 W. Pico Blvd, LA, CA 90064. I searched for other properties, but the only other location that popped up was Fox Plaza. I wasn't sure if this qualified because it wasn't a building solely for the entertainment studio. From here, I went to the LA County Assessor's Web site where I find very minimal information about the property:
2009 Roll Values
Recording Date 06/14/1995
Land $123,430,340
Improvements $253,497,706
Personal Property $0
Fixtures $0
Homeowners' Exemption $0
Real Estate Exemption $0
Personal Property Exemption $0
Fixture Exemption $0
It tells me that full records of this property are located at the Headquarters Office in downtown LA at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration Building, Room 225.
I finally make it downtown on an empty gas tank. After a tiring pursuit of finding parking, I almost get hit by an ass in a Mitsubishi. Good news, I'm alive. I go the the assessor's office and the man who works there informs me I'm actually in the wrong room; I have to go downstairs to the tax office. He's not "allowed" to give me tax information because...seriously, I didn't understand anything he was saying. It sounded like shady excuses. Oh, and he said the tax office was already closed. Joy. I go back to the parking garage to find that I owe $8 for less than 15 minutes of parking. Why don't they rob me of all my money? I decide to pursue this on another day. And by another day, I mean bright and early on Monday morning before class. This is what happens when I overwhelm myself with too many other activities besides school. So I might be like, 5 minutes late.
To be continued...
Eight years after plans to renovate the Foshay Learning Center's
auditorium were introduced, the performance space sits unrepaired, and
there is no timetable for the project's completion. Now, continuing
state budget problems threaten to prolong construction even longer.
http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2009/03/no-place-to-perform-1.html
Local union members, leaders, and volunteers with bunny ears gathered at the Children's Institute International in South Los Angeles to provide Easter baskets to more than 200 underprivileged children on Friday.
"When you see a kid walk up to the bunny, walk up and grab the basket, it's amazing. They light up. They light up like a Christmas tree," said Art Aguilar, vice president of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU). Cute - and so true!
A warrant issued against actress Lindsay Lohan was dismissed on Monday after a Beverly Hills judge ruled the actress had met the terms of her probation from two drunken driving convictions in 2007.
Judge Marsha N. Revel said she received additional information from Lohan's representatives that proved she complied with the conditions of an alcohol education program. Revel said the program was unaware she had completed certain aspects of the course. Lohan was not present at the hearing.
A $50,000 warrant for Lohan's arrest was issued by the Beverly Hills Superior Court on Friday after she allegedly breached the terms of her probation from drunken driving incidents in 2007. Revel said the court received a letter from the alcohol education program indicating Lohan had failed to satisfy her sentence.
In May 2007, the 22-year-old actress was charged with drunken driving after crashing her Mercedes-Benz into a curb. After receiving treatment for alcoholism at a rehab facility in Malibu, she was arrested again in July for driving under the influence and possessing cocaine. She pleaded guilty to two counts of being under the influence of cocaine, and no contest to drunken and reckless driving. Lohan was ordered to spend 24 hours in jail, serve three years of probation, enroll in an alcohol rehabilitation program, and complete community service.
To avoid future miscommunication, Revel said Lohan must show proof to the program when she fulfills requirements for the probation. The judge also said there is no indication of "dirty" drug and alcohol tests. In addition, Lohan must prove she's enrolled in a new alcohol rehabilitation program by April 3.
At a short press conference after the hearing, Lohan's lawyer, Shawn Chapman Holley, said the situation is a "misunderstanding." Chapman Holley said confusion arose when Lohan switched from one alcohol program to another, citing "personality issues." She said Lohan has satisfied all the conditions of her probation.
"This was all much to do about nothing...I have every expectation that she'll successfully complete those terms," she said.
Vince Womack, the band director at Foshay Learning Center in South Los Angeles, struggled to hold back tears as he reflected on the historical significance of the first African-American president of the United States, one day after the nation celebrated Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy.
"It's a collision of destiny. How could you have written a script such as this? I don't think us having a black president of the United States was really what Martin Luther King Jr. had in mind. Of course, it's great," said Womack, 44, "OBAMA" appropriately written across his t-shirt.
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