Exemptions are creatures of statute, and no property is exempt unless made so by express provisions of law. (Estate of Brown, 123 C 399 – cite available through CMB Ops) Whether or not property is exempt and in what amount shall be determined by the exemption statute in effect when the lien was created, or if there has been a series of overlapping liens, when the earliest lien was created. If there is a levy of execution, then the law in effect at the time of the levy governs, regardless of prior liens. (CCP 703.050)