San Bernardino County history – Welcome to San Bernardino County

For this week’s history column, we conclude our series of highlighting the many great county residents who have served as the auditor-controller/treasurer/tax collector (ATC) since 1853 by recognizing our current ATC, Ensen Mason.

Mason was elected to his position in June 2018. He has brought over 30 years of experience in tax preparation and investment advising. In addition, he is both a Certified Public Accountant and a Chartered Financial Analyst. He holds a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in finance from the University of Redlands.

In his role as ATC, Mason oversees 320 employees, directing the financial affairs of the county and managing an investment pool exceeding $15 billion. He also serves as an Ex Officio Member of the San Bernardino County Employees’ Retirement Association Board of Retirement, assisting in the management of their investment portfolio, which has reached almost $16 billion.

Mason is the fiscal watchdog for the county, ensuring taxpayer dollars are protected and spent properly and efficiently. He advocates for both taxpayers and county employees by maximizing their investment dollars. He also ensures fair tax collection by providing full due process to taxpayers, while offering them convenient and accessible ways to fulfill their tax obligations.

His efforts to foster innovation have earned him 27 Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties since 2019. He provides government transparency by reporting the actual results of the county’s comprehensive financial operations, which have resulted in major awards for financial reporting.

Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Mason is the eldest of three boys raised by a military veteran father. He and his family moved to a New Jersey suburb of New York City when he was 5 years old.

At the age of 17, his father, Thomas Mason, was laid off during a major corporate restructuring at JCPenney. As a result, the family relocated to his father’s native California. Mason’s strong mathematical abilities and his father’s expanding accounting practice inspired him to learn from his dad, eventually joining the practice before starting his own career.

At 19, Mason began his accounting practice in a small office shared with a private mailbox business he owned, The Mail Centre, located in the desert town of Phelan. By the age of 21, he had become an enrolled agent with the IRS, working long hours for modest pay. Despite the challenges, Mason Financial Services gradually grew into a respected accounting office in the city of Victorville.

In 2012, Mason relocated both his home and accounting practice to Redlands, drawn by the small-town charm and quality of life. By the time he was elected to oversee the county’s tax system in 2018, Mason had completed over 15,000 tax returns and earned a reputation as a Taxpayer Advocate, frequently battling and winning against the IRS and the state Franchise Tax Board on behalf of his clients. Expanding into wealth management at the request of his clients, Mason earned his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and several securities licenses, complementing his CPA and an MBA from the University of Redlands.

Additional County Update News – November 14, 2024