El Dorado County Sheriff's Office 2019 Annual Report | Page 40

Civil

Public Administrator

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Public Administrators are civil servants who are

charged with administering a decedent's affairs

when they pass away without a last will and

testament or any known relatives who are able

or willing to serve as administrator of the estate. In El Dorado County, the Sheriff has the title of

Public Administrator. The Public Administrator

investigates and administers estates of persons

who pass away with no Will or without an eligible

person able to act as administrator. The Public

Administrator's primary duties are to protect the

estate property from waste, loss or theft; make

appropriate burial arrangements; conduct

thorough investigation to discover all assets

and find heirs; use assets to pay decedent’s

taxes, bills and other encumbrances; and

distribute to estate beneficiaries.

The Sheriff's Office is currently administering 55

decedent estates which range from formal

probate to very small, summary

administrations.

One function of the Sheriff is the obligation to

enforce orders of California State Courts and

to serve process and notices delivered to him

for service. Although the Sheriff’s Office does

not serve ALL manner of documents, the Sheriff

serves process and notices required by law that

cannot be served by a civilian process server.

Evictions are one of these functions and in 2019,

this number decreased from previous years. A

formal eviction is the court ordered removal of

a tenant from a dwelling or business. It is a two-

step process for the Sheriff. The first is

notification; Notice of Eviction and a copy of the

court order is mailed and a copy is physically

posted or handed to the tenant at the property

site. The second step, or lock-out, is completed

when the tenant is removed from the premises

and the Deputy returns possession of the

property to the lawful owner.

.

This year, moving into the new building was

especially exciting for the Civil Unit. Previously,

staff was divided in two offices on opposite ends

of town. Now, all West Slope staff is in one

location, with one public window, making work,

and public contact streamlined and efficient.

Civil Services

General Fund Revenue

Sheriff's Fund Revenue

Total Funds Generated

Evictions

Levies

Restraining Orders

Miscellaneous Services

$46,259

$39,036

$85,295

460

1,253

312

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