In the hotly contested Santa Clara County Assessor election, former Saratoga City Councilor and tech entrepreneur Rishi Kumar recently sat down for an interview with Dajiyuan, outlining his campaign platform. He advocates for technological reforms, strengthened financial audits, waste reduction, and saving taxpayers’ money.
Rishi Kumar, originally from India, has worked at tech companies like IBM and Cisco in senior technical management roles. During his time at IBM, he spearheaded the modernization transformation of the company’s hardware and software, gaining valuable experience in system upgrades. He emphasized that these capabilities are urgently needed in the County Assessor’s Office.
In public affairs, Kumar served two terms as a Saratoga City Councilor, successfully reducing local home burglaries by 50% and challenging rate hike proposals by the San Jose Water Company ten times, effectively preventing any increases. He stressed that he has never supported any tax increase measures and is the only candidate in this election with a proven track record of anti-tax policies.
Kumar stated that he is running for office because the Assessor’s role directly impacts the interests of every homeowner, tenant, and small business in Santa Clara County. He aims to establish an efficient, transparent, and modernized Assessor’s Office to protect homeowners’ rights and ensure social equity.
One of Kumar’s key proposals is to exempt elderly individuals over 60 from property taxes, stating that “no one should lose their home due to property taxes.” He noted that 16 states, including Virginia, Washington, and Colorado, have implemented similar policies. If elected, he will advocate for property tax exemptions for primary residential homeowners aged 60 and above, while offsetting any potential revenue gaps through government waste reduction.
He criticized the county’s healthcare and transportation departments for years of uncontrolled spending without proper audit oversight, with healthcare expenditures ballooning from $15 billion to $70 billion over the past decade and the VTA light rail system accumulating annual losses of $1 billion with only 8% revenue from fares. Kumar estimated that by conducting comprehensive audits and efficiency improvements, the county could save $4-5 billion, which could fund the senior tax exemption plan.
Kumar pledged to uphold Prop 13’s property tax protection provisions to prevent government expansion of taxation through “split-roll taxation.” He warned that the former Assessor Larry Stone had proposed a comprehensive reassessment of commercial real estate for tax purposes, stating that once businesses are subjected to split-roll taxation, residential properties could be next. He emphasized the importance of government learning to save rather than constantly seeking more taxes.
His plan includes digitizing the county’s assessment system to enhance transparency and efficiency. He highlighted the outdated COBOL system still in use in the Assessor’s Office, leading to substantial backlogs and delays in processing thousands of appeals every year. He advocated for the implementation of AI and automation software for valuation and auditing, stating that numerous counties across the U.S. have embraced AI-assisted assessments while they are still stuck with paper-based operations, a disgrace for Silicon Valley.
He projected saving approximately $10 million for the county within five years, with the saved funds allocated to road repairs, public safety, and essential services. In the future, residents will be able to access property valuations online, and the system will proactively provide the latest information, eliminating the hassle of manual searches.
As the Chair of the “Against Measure A Committee,” Kumar openly criticized Measure A as poorly conceived and bordering on corruption. He accused the county of using taxpayer funds to mail promotional materials, insinuating in the pamphlets that if Measure A fails, medical services will be impacted, essentially using public funds for campaigning. He called this behavior a violation of transparency and accountability principles and announced plans to sue the county to reclaim ten times the wasted public funds.
He also spearheaded the drafting of the opposition arguments for the ballot, personally writing and submitting the official statement against Measure A, ensuring voters see the full reasoning in the voter pamphlet. Kumar pointed out that the county has not undergone financial audits for years and is pushing new taxes amid widening deficits, stating that people are tired of such tactics and Measure A is destined for rejection.
Former County Assessor Larry Stone, considered the third most powerful figure in Santa Clara County, announced his retirement on June 23 this year, despite his term ending in 2026. Therefore, a special election will be held by the county on November 4, with election costs amounting to $13 million. If no candidate obtains a majority, the top two vote-getters will compete in a runoff on December 30, incurring another $13 million in public funds. In November 2026, the county will hold the regular general election to appoint a new County Assessor for a four-year term. ◇