On The Money: Unclaimed Davis Funds
DAVIS, Calif. (CBS13) - The city of Davis owes thousands of dollars to multiple organizations – but the city claims it can't locate those folks. Yet CBS 13 found several of them in a matter of minutes, including California State University, Sacramento. CSUS is well known throughout the Golden State – and with 29,000 students, it shouldn't be hard to find.
"We've been here quite a while, we've been here for 60 years," noted John Kepley, a spokesman for Sacramento State.
The campus has not moved – and yet despite being a landmark – Sacramento State is a place the city of Davis cannot seem to locate. And that's not the only spot.
Davis has been unable to tangle the web of unclaimed funds inside city coffers. Two hundred dollars of that money belongs to Alpha Phi, a sorority at UC Davis.
"Sounds good to me," said Dawn Vollmar. The Alpha Phi house corporation president told CBS 13 the sorority didn't know about the unclaimed funds – until On The Money showed the list.
Vollmar said it's not hard to find the sorority.
"No, we're right on Russell Boulevard, directly across from UC Davis," Dawn Vollmar told CBS 13. "I think we're pretty easy to find," she added.
UC Davis fraternity, Tau Kappa Epsilon is also on the list. The guys at TKE said the city of Davis never contacted them either – despite being easy to find on 1st Street.
"We're here," said Matt Hickey. The TKE alumni member told CBS 13, "Usually there's somebody always inside the house - so just ring the doorbell we'll answer. We'll be glad to take $25. It will be great," he exclaimed.
The Davis Enterprise printed a list of organizations owed money by the city – thousands of dollars in all – places the city claims it can't find, including the Davis Shambalaya Meditation Center.
We discovered it on D Street. On The Money tried asking Davis city officials why they're having so much difficulty tracking down organizations owed money. City officials didn't want to talk to CBS 13 on camera – but told us by phone, they've made multiple attempts to find organizations at their last known address.
Why then, has it been so difficult to find the Greek houses at UC Davis?
"We've never moved," noted Dawn Vollmar of Alpha Phi.
But now several of the organizations on the unclaimed property list say they'll be contacting the city of Davis to collect their unclaimed funds – thanks to the tip from CBS 13.
"We have filed a claim and we do expect to get the full $300 back," said John Kepley of Sacramento State.
The city of Davis says it will keep any claims not filed within 45 days.
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