Marc Tonnesen Assessor/Recorder

Marc C Tonnesen, Solano County Assessor Recorder

Marc Tonnesen was first elected in June 2006, and is currently serving his fourth term as Solano County Assessor/Recorder.  His primarily duty as Assessor is to annually determine the taxable value of over 148,000 parcels located in the county’s seven cities and the unincorporated area.  In 2019, the assessed value of all property in the County exceeded $60.8 billion.  His primary duty as Recorder is facilitating the recording of approximately 100,000 documents annually and holding the County’s birth, death, and marriage records into perpetuity.  Marc works to create an office that best serves the people of Solano County by providing fair and accurate assessments, prompt recordings, and quality customer service.

 When the real estate market crashed in 2008, Marc took a proactive approach by adjusting the values of tens of thousands of properties throughout the County assuring each property owner of paying the correct amount of property tax.  He continues to work one-on-one with business owners to assure their property taxes are fair and reflect the correct value.  Recently he implemented Electronic Recording which allows approved submitters to record documents through secure online channels, thus eliminating the need to physically deliver documents to the Recorder’s office for recordation.

Marc is always looking to increase accessibility and efficiency while maintaining the security of your identity.  To help combat identity theft, he implemented a Social Security redaction program, removing social security numbers from thousands of public documents.  He also works with the District Attorney’s Real Estate Fraud Unit in its efforts to combat real estate fraud.

In 2016, with a mind toward maintaining the history of Solano County, he embarked on a program to restore over 1300 volumes of historic official records dating back to 1850 that will preserve those records for decades to come.

Marc is a former President of the California Assessors’ Association, a statewide association whose members include all 58 County Assessors.  He continues to serve as a member of the association’s Governing Board and serve on various committees including Statewide Standards, Surveys and Bylaws.  He also is a member of the County Recorders' Association of California and the International Association of Assessing Officers.  In February 2020, State Controller Betty Yee appointed him a member of the statewide Committee on County Tax Collecting Procedures.

In the early 1980s, Marc began his professional career in Solano County as a private real estate appraiser.  In 1986, he accepted an appraisal position with the State Department of Savings & Loan where he investigated appraisal abuses in Northern and Central California.  In 1988, he transferred to the State Department of General Services where he negotiated real estate leases throughout California.  In 2001, he was promoted to Senior Real Estate Officer where his focus was expanded to include large and politically sensitive real estate transactions throughout California.  In 2003, he returned to Solano County where he was recruited to be the Assistant Assessor/Recorder.

Professionally, Marc holds an advanced Property Tax Appraiser certificate from the State Board of Equalization and a General Appraiser certificate from State Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers.  In March 1994, he earned the SRA designation from the Appraisal Institute.  He has bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from National University.

 Born and raised in Fairfield, Marc is a proud member of a fifth-generation family that has been part of Solano County since 1852.  He has two adult children and three grandchildren.