Amid an investigation into corruption, the Los Angeles County Assessor John Noguez is stepping aside – taking a leave of absence to help with “restoring public confidence in the professionalism, integrity, and impartiality of the Assessor’s Office.”

The letter announcing his intent to temporarily step-down move comes after weeks of calls for his outright resignation. However, the 27-year veteran of the Office is hoping that by enabling an open and honest investigation – free from the taint of influence – trust will be restored.

During his absence, the Chief Deputy Assessor would take over the department. However, that position is currently vacant, prompting Noguez to ask the Board to appoint someone to that position without his input. His leave of absence would become effective upon that appointment.

From the Long Beach Post:

Los Angeles County Assessor John Noguez informed the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors late last week that he intends to take a leave of absence from his position as County Assessor. The leave follows the call for him to step down two weeks ago from District Attorney Steve Cooley after a corruption probe against Noguez ensued.

Last year, Supervising Appraiser Owen Harris noticed a strange case: a Beverly Hills home lost millions of dollars in value by a recent appraiser. Even worse, no work backing up the lowered values was provided and more cases began to show up with the same issue; all these appraisals were done by Scott Schenter. 

Read the full article here.