Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Property Tax Sales topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Lake County board approves letter backing AB 418 to preserve Chapter 8 tax-sale procedures
Summary
County officials voted unanimously to send a letter supporting AB 418, which supporters say would add a hearing for parties of interest before Chapter 8 tax sales and reduce the risk of denying excess proceeds to property owners after Tyler v. Hennepin County.
The Lake County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve a letter of support for AB 418 and authorized the board chair to sign the letter.
Patrick Sullivan, Lake County treasury tax collector, summarized the bill during the board’s item on May 7 (agenda item 7.7). Sullivan said the measure responds to legal issues raised by the U.S. Supreme Court case Tyler v. Hennepin County and related concerns about California’s Chapter 8 tax sale law. "This bill ensures that everyone involved in the Chapter 8 sale, all parties of interest, including the property owner, would have an opportunity to be heard at a hearing before the board of supervisors," Sullivan said.
Sullivan told the board that AB 418 was developed initially by the California Association of Treasury Tax Collectors and later through a joint working group with several counties and organizations, including the Rural Counties Representatives of California (RCRC) and the County Supervisors’ Association of California (CSAC). He said the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association has also expressed support and that he provided testimony in Sacramento on behalf of the state association.
Supervisor Spata said he was "happy to support it" and suggested the county consider a separate letter opposing a competing Senate bill that could limit counties’ access to Chapter 8 sales. Sullivan responded that the State Association of Treasurer Tax Collectors is monitoring the competing Senate bill and that he would inform the board if that bill did not drop as AB 418 moved forward.
The board made a motion to approve the letter and authorize the chair to sign; the motion was seconded and adopted by a 5-0-0 vote.
Why it matters: County officials said AB 418 would preserve the Chapter 8 tax-sale process as a tool for addressing tax-defaulted properties while adding an opportunity for affected parties to be heard. Supporters at the meeting described AB 418 as a practical route to maintain county authority to conduct Chapter 8 sales, compared with other proposals that they said could introduce logistical hurdles.
The item’s supporting materials attached letters of support from RCRC, CSAC and the urban counties of California. The board’s action was limited to approving and authorizing the chair to sign the county’s letter of support; no change to local policy or law was made by the board itself.
