If small landowners can't afford their property taxes, then the land goes on the market and it is just gobbled up by gigantic real estate firms... which is obviously not desirable, particularly because that was already occurring en masse after the Great Recession.
Actually, that's exactly how the system should work.
As property appreciates, property taxes should rise accordingly. Nobody should have any problem generating enough revenue to pay them unless property isn't being allocated towards its highest and best use. Because a strip mall isn't the highest and best use of a corner lot in LA (a 200 unit apartment building is), people either need to develop it, take the loss, or cash out and become quite wealthy while a developer takes care of the rest. Property values reflect unmet housing demand and the fact that underbuilt lots are worth so much indicates that they aren't being used the way they should.
