How Much Do Country Clubs Pay on Property Tax?
The Brentwood Country Club in Los Angeles sits on 127 acres worth more than $7 billion by recent market measures, but the assessed value of the land for the purposes of property taxes is just a bit more than $9 million. So the plush playground for the wealthy of the Westside pays approximately $120,000 in annual property taxes, according to recent data—barely enough to keep one cop on the street or house one inmate at the Twin Towers jail facility downtown for a year.
The private club in Brentwood isn’t alone—similar facilities around town also get a big break on property taxes because the rates are based on pre-Prop 13 levels, with strict limits on annual increases. The pre-Prop 13 deal can only be broken with a change of ownership and, even though the roll of members who take an equity interest in the club has changed over the course of the past 30 years, the country club is considered an entity unto itself, and has maintained its pre-Prop 13 status.
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This story will examine the property-tax rates at various country clubs in Los Angeles as well as the potential to challenge the pre-Prop 13 status based on the legal circumstances of ownership. The story will also look at whether the benefits that country clubs derive add fuel to a nascent movement to re-think Prop 13, which has long been considered a third-rail of California politics. The piece will also examine what it means to economic development in Los Angeles when some of the largest chunks of land in the city are off limits for any uses other than golf and good times for members.
