This is Keith Taylor

Early Days

 

Keith Taylor’s family moved to the Conejo Valley when he was four years old. He attended elementary and middle school in Thousand Oaks and was a member of the second graduating class from Westlake High School.

 

His high GPA helped him attend the University of California, Santa Barbara where he graduated with a business economics degree.

 

Property Assessment Career

 

After college, Keith worked in the accounting field for several months before beginning his career with the Santa Barbara County Assessor’s Office. During 31 years working for the County of Santa Barbara, Keith rose through the ranks and developed an impressive knowledge base of all property types, including residential, industrial, commercial, personal property, and specialty properties like oil and gas, manufactured homes, and agriculture. In July 2013, Keith was promoted to Chief Deputy Assessor. During his tenure, he was instrumental in helping property owners affected by the Thomas Fire and Montecito debris flow incident. 

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Serving the People of Ventura County

Transition to Ventura

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In November 2018, Keith became the Ventura County Chief Deputy Assessor of Valuation and in June 2022 the citizens of Ventura County elected Keith Taylor County Assessor.

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Supporting Property Owners

 

In the face of numerous disasters, including the Thomas, Woolsey, Hill fires, and the Mountain Fire in 2024, Keith's leadership in the Ventura County Assessor’s Office has been pivotal. He mobilized key staff members to proactively connect with affected residents, ensuring they received the support they needed during these challenging times. Keith played a crucial role in coordinating County resources, guiding property owners through the recovery process and facilitating essential property value relief. 

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Technical Innovator

 

Some of his career accomplishments include involvement in developing several property tax databases. One of the initial programs he instituted allowed accurate calculations of assessments on business personal property. He helped in the development of the first e-filing system for business property statements in the state of California. As his career progressed, he was a program manager on a database that tracked and assessed agricultural properties in a government program called the Williamson Act.

 

After coming to Ventura County, Keith helped with the implementation of the new Property Tax System in the Assessor's Office which went live in October 2021. The Assessor's system, Oasis, is a modern platform that is a tremendous improvement over the old mainframe system. Rest assured that Oasis is working properly as we wait for the Auditor-Controller and Treasurer Tax Collector to complete their piece of the Property Tax System. Keith has also brought Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the office with a program that helps read transfer documents and determines the change in ownership and re-assessable events. This innovative idea was recognized by the Center for Digital Government helping Ventura County receive a sixth-place award as a Digital County and has saved the County over $225,000.

 

Certifications and Affiliations

 

Keith holds an Advanced Certified Property Tax Appraiser certificate from the California Board of Equalization and is a past 3-term President of the Southern Chapter of the Society of Auditor-Appraisers. He is also a member of the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO) and works closely with all 57 California Assessors in the California Assessors Association to bring uniformity and accuracy to the assessment field. In addition, he has been a subject matter expert in developing several programs for property tax assessments.

 

Personal Life

 

Keith and his wife, Tanny, who is a registered nurse, live in Camarillo. When he finds a moment of spare time, Keith enjoys pickleball, golf, hiking, backpacking and other Ventura County experiences.

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