BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — A Bakersfield Marine Corps veteran says a Kern County paperwork error is now costing him thousands of dollars in back property taxes, and he is still being told to pay despite the county acknowledging the mistake.
Eric Hansen said the situation has been triggering for his PTSD as he works through it on his own, and he worries other people could be facing the same issue without the time or resources to challenge it.
“The most frustrating thing to me has been that Kern County, who’s prided itself on treating veterans properly and being a veteran community, has treated one of their own veterans so poorly,” Hansen said.
Hansen was deemed a 100% disabled veteran in 2021 by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs due to PTSD, meaning he qualified for a property tax exemption on his home.
He said he believed the exemption had been handled correctly at the time.
“We were told that everything was fine, and that we received our exemption of the paperwork done properly,” Hansen said.
Hansen said that changed in late 2025, when he began receiving notices of an “escaped assessment” stating he owed more than $3,000 in back property taxes.
Marine Corps veteran Eric Hansen is speaking out, sitting down with Eyewitness News to share his frustration with the Kern County Assessor’s Office after being hit with more than $3,000 in back property taxes. KBAK/KBFX
He said the issue stemmed from how the county processed ownership related to his wife.
“Basically what it is, is that they misfiled our return. Due to my wife being the cosigner of her parents, and being on one third of it. And so their logic was that we should only then be receiving one third of the veteran exemption, even though we pay 100% of the property taxes,” Hansen said.
The Kern County Assessor’s Office said it initially processed the exemption as if Hansen owned 100% of the property, which the office said he does not.
The notices stated Hansen must pay by June 2026 or face penalties.
Hansen said the billing delay added to the confusion because he did not receive a clear bill until 2026, even though the assessment dates go back to 2025.
“Expecting somebody to just come up with $3000, you know, $3,361. In a short amount of time is, I think, a pretty ridiculous situation,” Hansen said.
Hansen said he feels he has no choice but to pay, even as he questions how the error was handled.
“Generally when the government makes an error like this that affects the taxpayer citizens, my experience has been to either, they waive it. They don’t put the burden on the taxpayer way that the county of Kern has been doing to me,” Hansen said.
In an email, the Kern County Assessor’s Office confirmed “an error occurred on the Assessor’s side in processing this property owner’s exemption.”
House in Bakersfield.
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The office said state law requires assessments to be corrected, even if it results in a bill to the property owner, as long as it falls within the statute of limitations.
“The Assessor does not have the authority to waive or adjust these charges. However, the Tax Collector does have discretion to grant penalty relief in certain circumstances. In this case, we understand the Tax Collector has provided the taxpayer with an extension through June 30, 2027, to allow for payment of the escape assessments,” the email stated.
The Assessor’s Office said escaped assessments are handled in accordance with state law regardless of how an error occurred, and said the error in this case was identified through an internal audit.
The office said the extension gives the homeowner time to work with the Tax Collector’s Office to review available payment options.