School district releases parcel-tax forms School district releases parcel-tax forms (March 18, 2005)

Some property owners' info made public

Mountain View-Whisman officials were ordered to turn over dozens of parcel-tax exemption forms to a man who is claiming the district's 2004 tax election was run illegally.

But in a statement released by the district Tuesday, officials promised that no driver's license numbers, birth certificates or social security numbers of those who filed for senior and contiguous parcel exemptions were given to Aaron Katz.

Katz is the Saratoga resident who is suing Mountain View-Whisman over the way it ran its Measure J election. He who owns 10 condos in Mountain View and maintains that the election was illegal because not all property owners were allowed to cast a vote.

A Santa Clara County Superior Court judge is scheduled to rule on the matter next month. The trial date is set for April 4, and lawyers for the school district anticipate it will take about three days.

"Upon receiving the request for the (exemption) forms, the district fully considered the privacy interests of the persons making the request but determined that the documents were likely to be considered subject to disclosure under applicable law," the district said in a statement.

Homeowners who are 65 or older may apply to be exempted from the Measure J tax, which costs most homeowners $75 a year. Wright said the district has received more than 550 applications from seniors. A handful of property owners who own adjacent parcels also applied to have their parcels considered as one, which would reduce their tax bill.

The forms released to Katz include the applicants' names, addresses and telephone numbers. The district warned that these people may be contacted by Katz in connection to the lawsuit. Katz, who is representing himself in the case, has declined to comment.

Any questions can be directed to Rebecca Wright, the district's finance chief. She can be reached at 526-3548.

-- Julie O'Shea

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