The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-06-05
A RIGHTEOUS LAW.
Delinquent Tax Brokers Lose
Their Occupation.

The amendment to the Political Code
made by the late Legislature, regulating
the issuance of deeds to the purchasers OF
delinquent tax titles, has proven quite a
protection to the unfortunate property
owners in more ways than one.
The law has always been, and in that re-
spect still is, that the delinquent who was
unable to pay his taxes has the right of re-
demptoD within one year. But the old law
gives the purchaser the right to rush inl-
mediately to the owner. serve notice of pur-
chase and recover SO fee. This proved in
many respects a vicious privilege. and made
the delinquent tax sale a IefariOus business.
Hundreds of Brokers have swarmed around
the Tax Collectors office on the day of sale
for no other purpose than to buy up titles
only few cents delinquent, so they cOu Id
collect the So fee upon service Of notice. OF
course, II the pr0perty-0Wner had no notion
of redemption it made little difference, but
if he had the SO had TO be paid, and in 70
per cent of the cases the fee was greater
than the delinquency. 1t can be readily
seen what a profitable business, under the
law as it then stood, this purchase of titles
Was. Suppose one man bought 100 cheap
titles and rushed right out the same day to
serve notices at So EACH A little rake-doWn
OF $500 III one day. or even three or four
days, was not to be sneezed at. 1t requires
no elaborate demonstration to show how
burdensome this monStrous law made 1t Tor
the taxpayer, who, it might have been, was
forced into delinquency by some untoward
combination of circumstances.
The law as amended by the last LegiSld-
ture leaves untouched the one year right of
redemption, but expressly provides that ''if
redemption is made within eleven months OF
the date of sale the purchaser shall not be
entitled to the So Fee"
The delinquent tax title broker has at last
been Overtaken. Like Othello his Occupa-
ton is gone, or al least SO nampered that it
is no longer profitable.
The amendment contains other m0dlca-
lions Of the old law very much in favor of
the delinquent, but the above mentioned is
chief. In addition TO the years redemption
this clause appears: The purchaser must,
thirty days previous to the expiration of the
time for redemption, or thirty days before
he applies for deed, serve upon the owner,
or upon the occupant, written notice
stating that such property, or a portion
thereof, has been sold for delinquent taxes,
giving the date of sale, the amount sold,
the amount for which it was sold, the
amount then due, and the time when the
right of redemption will expire, or when the
purchaser will apply for deed, duplicate
OF which notice shall at the same time be
filed in the Office of the County Recorder,
and the owner of the property shall have
the right of redemption indefinitely. until
such notice shall have expired and said deed
been applied for. upon the payment OF the
fees. etc, required by law"
So little was said and published about
this amendment when it was passed that its
existence was known to almost no one. Tax
Collector 0'Brien himself did not know of it
until long after the delinquent tax sale;
consequently the usual brokerage was
pTacticed to the last degree. The brokers
will have their trouble for their pains, how
ever, as the proceedings under the old law
are wholly void, and the owner can escape
the So fee extra charge by redeeming inside
of eleven months