DATE: September 10, 2024
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Oscar J. Garcia, CPA, Auditor-Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector
SUBJECT: Unclaimed money resulted from 2018 Excess Proceeds of Sale of Tax-Defaulted Property (APN 491-173-27)
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve and adopt Resolution transferring $18,519.99 in unclaimed money previously distributed as excess proceeds from the March 2018 sale of tax-defaulted property identified by Assessor's Parcel Number (APN) 491-173-27 to the County's General Fund.
REPORT
On March 9, 2021, your Board adopted Resolution 21-048 to distribute the excess proceeds from the County's March 9-12, 2018 sale of tax-defaulted properties (2018 Tax Sale). That distribution included an order to pay a total of $92,599.97 on six granted claims for excess proceeds from the property identified by APN 491-173-27. One of those granted claims was submitted by the Fresno County Public Administrator (Public Administrator) on behalf of the Estate of Anita Hernandez, as a titleholder prior to the 2018 Tax Sale, in the amount of $18,519.99. On June 16, 2021, after the excess proceeds were distributed, the Public Administrator disclaimed the distribution of $18,519.99 in excess proceeds, on the ground that they had identified the wrong "Anita Hernandez." The Public Administrator returned the distribution check to the Auditor-Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector (Tax Collector). The Public Administrator provided contact information for a different Anita Hernandez, who was still living, but the Tax Collector's efforts to contact her and one of her relatives were not successful. As a result, the excess proceeds in the amount $18,519.99 became unclaimed as of June 16, 2021. Consequently, under California's Unclaimed Money Law (Government Code section 50050 et seq.), the $18,519.99 has become the property of the County and should be transferred to the County's General Fund.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
There is no viable alternative action. Cali...
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