Berkeley, a Look Back: Automobile tax bills were in works 100 years ago

A century ago, Berkeley residents owned 15,000 automobiles, “according to Chief Assessor Harry J. Squires,” the Berkeley Daily Gazette reported. “This is an increase of more than 3,000 cars over last year and based on the percentage of valuations meant that Berkeleyans have spent more than $11,000,000 on automobiles in the last five years.”

Squires was, on March 4, 1926, planning to mail out assessment cards and tax bills to “13,054 motor car owners” giving them the estimated taxable value of their vehicles...