Unlike the sheriff or the district attorney, people often ask me: "What exactly does the assessor do?" My answer surprises them. "The assessor is not a political position." Their reaction is almost always the same: "But you get elected, don't you?" Yes, the law requires election, but after the ballots are counted, there is nothing political about managing the Assessor's Office. In fact, it would be unethical - or even illegal - for politics to influence the appraisal or assessment of property.
In a sign of ongoing weakness within the Bay Area hotel market, a San Jose hotel has been bought by a local real estate investment group for far less than the property's prior value. Sonesta Select San Jose Airport was purchased for $14 million, according to documents filed on Aug. 29 with the Santa Clara County Recorder's Office. A San Mateo-based group headed up by Jayesh Keshav, Leena Keshav, Neeraj Keshav, Jai Jalaram, and Krishna Keshav Patel bought the hotel through an affiliate,