Board rescinds tax sale after owner says he did not receive notices for 33% interest

The Fresno County Board of Supervisors voted on July 8 to rescind a tax sale of a 33.3% undivided interest in a 14.81-acre parcel after a petitioner said he had not been personally notified of the notice of sale.

Oscar Garcia, the county treasurer-tax collector, presented the office's record of statutory notifications, including certified mailings, a recorded notice of power to sell, and published notices. Garcia said the office used skip-tracing techniques and third‑party services to locate parties of interest and that one of several notices was signed at a Manning Avenue address.

Petitioner Juan Sandoval told the board he had deeded two-thirds of the property to co-owners under an informal arrangement in which those co-owners paid property taxes while he paid water assessments. Sandoval said he never received direct notice that the tax bill had been split and that the owners who received the mailed notices did not forward them to him. "I feel that I've been robbed out of my property," he said.

A representative for the purchaser acknowledged that her family received the mailed notices and said they had assumed the owner would receive notices as well. The purchaser's representative apologized to Sandoval in open session.

Board members discussed the county's statutory process and the difficulty ordinary property owners have of monitoring published notices. Several supervisors said the treasurer's office followed the statutory steps but expressed concern that the petitioner did not receive actual notice and that family members had received and not forwarded the mail.

After discussion, a majority concluded the petitioner presented credible evidence he had not received notice and that the purchasers had received mailings and failed to inform the petitioner. A motion to rescind the sale passed unanimously.

The staff presentation set out the statutory framework the county followed, including California Revenue and Taxation Code provisions addressing notice and the right to inspect and redeem. The county had recorded the deed to the purchaser on April 29, 2025; the board's rescission reopens that status to allow further remedial steps.

The treasurer's office said it will follow up on the administrative steps required after rescission and indicated the purchaser may have recourse through civil litigation if they dispute the board's action.