Article 1.9. Hearings Before Assessment Hearing Officers For Unitary Property Located In More Than One County of California Revenue And Taxation Code >> Division 1. >> Part 3. >> Chapter 1. >> Article 1.9.

(a) An assessee of mining or mineral property located in more than one county and alleged to be unitary property, may, within the time specified in Sections 1603 and 1605, request a hearing before a panel comprising one assessment hearing officer from each county in which that unitary property is located by filing in each county concerned a multicounty application for reduction of assessment. The board of supervisors of each county in which the unitary property is located shall appoint one assessment hearing officer pursuant to Section 1636. In the event that the unitary property is located in an even number of counties, the assessment hearing officers shall designate one additional assessment hearing officer who shall be included in the panel. If the assessment hearing officers fail to designate the additional hearing officer within 60 days after the application is filed, the Office of Administrative Hearings shall designate the additional assessment hearing officer.
  (b) Hearings before the panel of assessment hearing officers shall be conducted pursuant to Article 1 (commencing with Section 1601) governing equalization proceedings by county boards of equalization. All counties in which the unitary property is located shall be parties to the hearing. Hearings shall be held at the place or places as a majority of the panel shall designate.
  (c) Section 1638 shall apply to the hearings by the panel.
  (d) The presence of all members of the panel shall be necessary to constitute a quorum.

(a) The panel of hearing officers shall conduct the hearing and receive evidence to determine (1) if the property concerned is unitary and (2) if it is unitary, the value of the unitary property as a whole and the portion thereof allocable to each county. The panel shall prepare a summary report of the proceedings, and make a recommendation concerning the total value of the entire unitary property and the apportionment of that value among the counties concerned. Any determination by a majority of the hearing officers shall constitute a determination by the panel.
  (b) If the panel determines that the property concerned is not unitary, the application shall be referred back to each of the counties concerned to be treated as an application for reduction of assessment filed in each county.

The report and recommendation of the panel of hearing officers shall be transmitted to the county clerk of each of the counties concerned. Each county clerk shall transmit a copy of the report and recommendation to the protesting party, the assessor, and to the board of equalization or the assessment appeals board of the county concerned within 14 days of the receipt thereof.

(a) If, within 30 days following receipt of the report and recommendation of the panel of hearing officers by the county board of equalization or assessment appeals board of a concerned county, the assessor of that county or the assessee submits a written request to the board to reject the recommendation of the panel of hearing officers with respect to property located in that county, the board shall, without further testimony, do either of the following:
  (1) Accept the recommendation of the panel and change the assessed values for that county in accordance with that recommendation.
  (2) Reject the recommendation of the panel and set the request for hearing before the board as an application for reduction of assessment.
  (b) In the event that neither the assessor nor the assessee makes a request in accordance with subdivision (a) within the prescribed 30-day period, the board shall, not later than 60 days following its receipt of the report and recommendation of the panel of hearing officers, without further testimony, take the action specified in paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (a).
  (c) In any hearing set by the board pursuant to this section, there shall be a rebuttable presumption that the recommendation of the panel of hearing officers is correct.

For purposes of this article, the term "unitary property" shall mean one or more parcels of real property that are contiguous and are operated as an economic unit.