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Endorsement: In complex L.A. County assessor race, John Morris is the better choice

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Sweeping turnover is coming to Los Angeles County government, with voters soon to replace the sheriff, the assessor and the second of two supervisors (Hilda Solis was elected in June and will take office with the other newcomers in December). It’s a time for new blood and new beginnings.

There’s a hitch with any government full of newcomers, though. Without some guidance or perspective from those who have been around for a while, and without some experience with the government’s problems and internal culture, new leaders are liable to spend their first year or two making rookie mistakes and failing to take advantage of lessons learned by their predecessors. So how do voters decide between innocence and experience? Between outsiders and insiders?

It’s not so difficult a predicament in the sheriff’s race, in which the “outsider” candidate — Long Beach Police Chief Jim McDonnell — has a solid record in the reform of law enforcement agencies, and the “insider” — former Undersheriff Paul Tanaka — is closely linked with the very problems that require fixing.

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Things are a little more complex in the race for county assessor.

One of the best things about the Nov. 4 election is that the county will soon cut its ties with disgraced Assessor John Noguez, who is on leave but retains his title and continues to draw his $201,392 salary as he awaits trial on corruption charges. A large field of candidates to replace him was whittled down in the June primary to two: John Morris, a deputy district attorney, and Jeffrey Prang, a longtime elected official, political aide and government administrator whom Noguez hired as his special assistant several months before Noguez left.

Morris, the newcomer, is the better choice. He is not the perfect candidate, and he bears some of the naivete of the first-timer. For example, he is campaigning to sweep out corruption that, frankly, already has been swept out. But he is a man of intelligence and integrity and should be expected to perform well in the job.

The job of the assessor is to run the office that appraises homes, business property and other real estate, plus taxable personal property, so that other county officials can collect property taxes. Noguez, instead of or in addition to managing the office, is accused of having lowered appraisals in gratitude for, or expectation of, political contributions.

Although Morris is a deputy district attorney, he has no connection with the prosecution of Noguez and should not be seen as part of the official scrutiny of the office.

But Morris is a fit candidate for running the office because of his steadily increasing responsibilities as a manager in the district attorney’s office, heading the healthcare fraud and parole divisions and the Antelope Valley Branch. He knows how to get the best from county employees who are often overworked and underappreciated. He has experience in setting goals and measuring results.

It’s also worth noting that he has some real estate background, having worked at a law firm dealing with construction matters. He is not a licensed appraiser, but he can be expected to pass his exams within the six-month period allotted after his election.

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The decision to endorse Morris may seem unfair to Prang, who argues that it was he who cleaned up after Noguez and has earned the right to move to the top job. He’s a known quantity and a comforting presence to the many appraisers in the office who ran for assessor but fell short, and the many other elected officials — mostly Democrats — who have endorsed him. Noguez hired Prang as a special assistant a few months before taking his permanent paid leave, and in the primary that fact led some candidates to depict Prang as part of a corrupt Noguez continuum. But there is no evidence that Prang participated in any of the alleged corruption, and in fact he argues that he was one of the key parties who worked out the arrangement to get Noguez out.

Still, Prang, although capable, did not lead the office through the Noguez chaos; that was a task performed ably by veteran county managers outside the political arena. Some continuity is needed; but Prang need not be the one to provide it. It will come from the many competent managers and appraisers who have never been associated with Noguez’s alleged wrongdoing. That makes the situation in the assessor’s office unlike the one in the Sheriff’s Department, where the problems are long-standing and encompass more than a few managers and deputies.

Prang’s campaign has demonstrated some of the talent that made him a shrewd pick to be Noguez’s assistant in charge of public affairs. For example, he tried to designate himself a “deputy assessor” on the June ballot but had to choose a different title after a judge upheld a challenge by another candidate. And in election materials he claims to have “won” the primary. But while he may have received the most votes, he didn’t win; he and Morris both won and that’s why there is a runoff in November.

Prang isn’t the first or only candidate to finesse a first-place but inconclusive finish into “winning” a primary, and his assertion is hardly dishonest or disqualifying. There is a place for that kind of political marketing. The assessor’s office isn’t that place, though, especially after the Noguez experience. Prang has some experience in the office, but that doesn’t warrant making him its chief. Morris will have a steep learning curve — but he can handle it. The Times recommends a vote for Morris.

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