Official Wants Time Off to Run Against Boss

A deputy Orange County assessor who was denied a two-month unpaid leave of absence so he could run against his boss in the June 3 election will get a second chance to appeal his case next Monday.

The issue surfaced on March 12, when David J. Holbert, 40, submitted his request for a leave and addressed it to the county assessor, Bradley L. Jacobs.

“I will be runing for public office and hereby request a leave of absence,” Holbert said in his request. “I feel this leave will be beneficial both to the taxpayers of Orange County and to myself and would eliminate any possible conflict of interest.”

On March 25, Jacobs said no. Holbert appealed Jacobs’ denial but was turned down by the county director of employee relations.

He subsequently turned to the Orange County Board of Supervisors, who agreed Tuesday to set up a special panel of five supervisors’ aides to hold a hearing on the matter next Monday.

Holbert said he mentioned to Jacobs that he might run for assessor several months ago, when he heard rumors that Jacobs would be running for the State Board of Equalization.

Denial Came as Surprise

When it turned out that Jacobs would run for reelection, “I asked him more or less casually if he would take it personally if I ran against him,” Holbert said. “I think he said yes, and walked away.”

Jacobs was unavailable for comment.

Despite Jacobs’ action, Holbert said he was surprised when his request for a leave was rejected. He explained that two other department employees had previously been given six-month leaves.

Holbert, a 14-year veteran of the assessor’s office who specializes in appraising real estate for the tax rolls, conceded that neither of his two colleagues requested the leaves to run for office--much less to run against the boss.

Still, Holbert thought that Jacobs would not only grant his approval, but “I thought he would write down at the bottom, ‘Good luck.’ ”

Holbert and Jacobs are the only two candidates for assessor in the June 3 election.