S.F. Eviction Drama Has a Happy Ending

A 67-year-old widow can keep the roof over her head after sympathetic San Francisco officials intervened and bought back the home she had unwittingly allowed to be sold to new owners who then tried to evict her.

“We had the potential of a tragedy here and we worked very hard to correct it,” said Mayor Art Agnos at a press conference Wednesday where he announced that the city had purchased the home and returned it to its original owner.

The elderly woman, whose name was withheld because of her age and poor health, has lived in her Ocean View district home for 30 years. Without her knowledge, the house was auctioned after she failed to pay $5,900 in city property taxes dating back to 1978.

Agnos said a settlement was reached with the purchasers, Michael and David Yancey and their attorney Wednesday morning. The Yanceys, employees of a real estate firm, agreed to sell back the house for $171,000, the same price they paid for it.

“The Yanceys have made absolutely no profit from the deal,” Agnos said. “Once they found out who was involved, they willingly canceled their claim to the property.”

Agnos said the city will also pick up the tab for the Yanceys’ out-of-pocket expenses that included legal and property transfer fees adding up to almost $35,000.

“We’re not opening shop for everyone to use the city’s checkbook,” Agnos said. “But this was an isolated case that needed immediate remedies.”

To prevent repeat incidents, the mayor proposed that the tax collector inform occupants of properties about to be sold at tax lien auctions.

“Human intervention has to be brought in during these legal affairs to know who’s involved before a sale is made,” Agnos said. By notifying occupants, he said, “we will be able to ensure that this incident is the last in this city.”

At present, the tax collector issues notices asking owners to sign documents acknowledging that they understand that the city is about to dispose of their property. In this case, the widow signed such a notice, but apparently was not competent to understand what she was signing, the mayor said.

The widow’s attorney, Penelope Seator, said her client remains unclear about the transactions. Seator also said that, before the city stepped in, the Yanceys were intent on seeing the woman removed from the premises.

“They (the Yanceys) were at the house last Wednesday waiting for deputies to evict her,” Seator said. Deputies had approached the home with an eviction demand, but refused to carry it out when they observed the circumstances of an elderly person not realizing what was about to happen to her.