The five members of the Board are state constitutional officers responsible primarily for hearing and deciding state income and business tax and fee appeals, as well as certain property tax appeals. The Board collects $50 billion in annual revenues to fund vital public services, such as education, health care, natural resources and environmental protection, and public safety.

Betty believes an important aspect of her service as a Board Member is convening resources so the public may better navigate California’s tax system. To help taxpayers maximize their tax compliance burdens, Betty has instituted an extensive outreach and education program that includes:

  • Free tax seminars she sponsors throughout her district for the small business, nonprofit, construction contractor, and women’s communities.
  • Informational mailers to help individuals and businesses better understand common tax issues.
  • An occasional series of articles for newspapers and trade publications on issues of public and specific industry interest.

The First Equalization District consists of over 8.5 million Californians across 21 counties in northern and central California. It is a coastal district, and Betty has consistently championed environmental protections, including the acquisition of watersheds, wetlands, and beaches. The First District also is home to prominent industries such as biotechnology, health care, high-tech, finance, and tourism.

Counties in the First District include Alameda, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, San Benito, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, Trinity, Yolo, and a portion of Santa Barbara.

Since serving on the Board, Betty's major accomplishments include:

  • Implementing an extensive taxpayer outreach and education program throughout the First Equalization District.
  • Improving services to taxpayers by fighting to keep state funding for BOE field offices, expanding electronic services to facilitate filings and payments, and introducing a number of resource publications to help California businesses.
  • Establishing tax policies designed to:
    • Strengthen property rights for registered domestic partners.
    • Level the playing field between Main Street and online retailers.
    • Preserve open space with tax relief for conservation easement grants.
    • Ease the tax burden for victims of breast cancer.