Coalinga Municipal Code Ch. 8 Unclaimed Personal Property

It is hereby made the duty of all officers and employees of the City, whenever they find within the City any personal property which they have reason to believe may have been stolen, lost, or abandoned, to take possession of such personal property and deliver it to the Police Chief.

(§ 1, Ord. 264)

It shall be the duty of the Police Chief to take charge of and keep in his possession such found property and, within a reasonable time, to inform the owner thereof, if known, and to make restitution to the owner of such property upon demand, without compensation. If the owner is not known to the Police Chief, he shall, within five (5) days, file an affidavit with the Judge of the Justice Court describing the property and the time, place, and circumstances under which such property was found. The Police Chief shall cause the verified list thereof, as prepared by the appraiser appointed by the Judge of the Justice Court, to be recorded in the office of the County Recorder within five (5) days after such property list is delivered to him and to pay, or in good faith offer to pay, all charges thereon.

(§ 2, Ord. 264)

If no owner appears within six (6) months after the finding of any personal property by any officer or employee of the City and if no owner offers reasonable proof of his ownership and compensates, or in good faith offers to compensate, the City for the expenses necessarily incurred by the City, such property shall vest in the City, unless it is of greater value than twenty dollars ($20.00). If such property is of greater value than twenty dollars ($20.00), the City Clerk shall publish a copy of such verified list for three (3) successive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation published in the City. If the owner does not, within one (1) year after the completion of such publication, prove ownership thereto, the title to such property shall vest in the City. ;hn0;(§ 3, Ord. 264)

The Police Chief shall, at least once each year, sell all of the property to which the City then has title at public auction. In conducting such sale, the Police Chief shall post a notice conspicuously in three (3) public places in the City, setting forth therein that the City has acquired title to the property to be sold by and under the provisions of this chapter by referring to its title, describing briefly the property to be sold, and fixing the date and place at which such property will be offered for sale at public auction. Such sales shall be conducted in the same manner as sales of pledged property, and the date of such sales shall not be less than five (5) days, nor more than ten (10) days after the posting of the notices.

(§ 4, Ord. 264)

Such articles as have not been returned to their owners, or to persons entitled to their possession, at the time set for such sale shall be sold by the Police Chief to the highest bidder for cash. Such articles shall be sold singly or in combinations at the option of the Police Chief. The money received from such sales shall be placed in the General Fund of the City. All property offered for sale for which no bids have been received may be destroyed by the Police Chief or may be retained by him and again offered for sale. The Police Chief shall execute and file in his office a certificate of sale. Such certificate shall be prima facie evidence of the time and place of the sale, the particular description of the property sold, to whom the property was sold, for what price, and the fact of the purchase money being paid.

(§ 5, Ord. 264)

At any time prior to the time fixed for the sale provided for in Section 3-8.04 of this chapter, the owner, or any person entitled to the possession of any of such property, may secure the possession thereof by paying all the charges incurred by the City to the time of such redemption.

(§ 5, Ord. 264)