How to reach the Los Angeles County Tax Collector

If you've tried to contact the Los Angeles County Treasurer and Tax Collector recently, you've discovered something disturbing: You can't.

If you call the Treasurer and Tax Collector's number (213-974-2111), you will enter the obligatory phone tree and after selecting some combination of choices, you will always end up hearing this recording:  

"We are current experiencing a high call volume. Please call back during our non-peak hours of 8 am and 10 am and 2 o'clock to 4:30 pm."

 And then the Treasurer and Tax Collector will hang up on you. Every. Single. Time. 

I've called the office nine times and have been hung up on nine times. And each call was during the supposed "non-peak hours."

So you can't get through by phone. Can you email them? While the TTC's website does not offer an email address, it does have a contact form for submitting a message. 

Don't get your hopes up, though. I submitted queries through the TTC's official system 17 days ago and am still waiting for a response.

So if they don't answer the phone and they don't respond to messages, how do you reach our public servants at the Treasurer and Tax Collector's office?

Two words: Gardenia Guerrero.

Gardenia works for Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn and when I contacted that office looking for help it was Gardenia who stepped up, responded to me, and had somone from the Treasurer and Tax Collector call me. 

Here is Gardenia's contact info:

Gardenia B. Guerrero, MPA

Constituent Caseworker

LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn 

O: 562.256.1920 C: 213.631.8648 

E: GGuerrero@bos.lacounty.gov

Email or call her. Unlike the TTC, she actually will respond.