REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
August 18, 2026
FROM
SHARON NEVINS, Director, Department of Aging and Adult Services
SUBJECT
Title
Amendments to Contracts for Public Guardian-Conservator Real Estate Broker Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Amendment No. 1 to contracts with the following agencies, to provide real estate broker services for Public Guardian conservatees, updating standard language, and extending the term for two additional years, for a total contract period of October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2028.
1. S.H. Spectrum, Inc. dba Spectrum Realty Services, Contract No. 23-1057
2. Trusted Realty Advisors, Contract No. 23-1058
(Presenter: Sharon Nevins, Director, 891-3917)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Promote and Fulfill the Countywide Vision.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). Real estate broker services are paid on a fee-for-service basis (commission) from the proceeds of the sale of an estate’s real property. All commissions to the real estate broker must be approved by the Probate Court. The conservatee’s share of the sale will be deposited in a bank account administered by the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG).
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The OPG is appointed by the Superior Court of California to administer conservatorships for a person and/or an estate. Sworn personnel with OPG arrange for custodial care and administer estates of gravely disabled or other incompetent persons by appointment of the courts, serve as guardians of conservatees' property and financial assets, and coordinate legal or social services on behalf of conservatees. OPG maintains an accurate and detailed accounting of assets, income received, and disbursements made for each conservatee. The goal of OPG is to ensure the physical and financial safety of incompetent and mentally disabled persons who meet the criteria for conservatorship, as required by law, when there is no viable alternative to public conservatorship. It often becomes necessary to liquidate the estates of conservatees who are residents of San Bernardino County (County). As prescribed by California Probate Code sections 10150 and 10300, a conservatee may have real property that may need to be sold to provide for their personal needs and care.
Real property that is sold on behalf of a conservatee must be handled by a real estate broker who is authorized to act as an agent for the sale of the land, including buildings and/or unimproved land. Real property is appraised by a court-appointed Probate Referee of the State of California. The appraised value becomes the “asking price.” Bids are submitted to the real estate broker, who then submits the bids to OPG. OPG will review for the highest bid within court guidelines under the California Probate Code, which states nothing less than 90% of the current appraised value can be accepted. All sales are subject to court confirmation and are legally binding once confirmed. The OPG serves approximately five -ten clients per year in this capacity.
On September 26, 2023 (Item No. 5), as a result of a formal procurement, the Board of Supervisors approved contracts listed in the Recommendation, to provide real estate services for the period of October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2026, with the option to extend for two one-year periods upon mutual agreement of both parties.
Approval of this item will allow OPG to exercise its option to extend Contract No. 23-1057 with S.H. Spectrum, Inc. dba Spectrum Realty Services and Contract No. 23-1058 with Trusted Realty Advisors, for an additional two years to continue to provide real estate broker services throughout the county, for the total contract period of October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2028. These contracts may be terminated without cause by the County with 30 days’ advance written notice to the Contractor.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Human Services (Lisa Rivas-Ordaz, Contracts Manager, 388-0222) on July 14, 2026; County Counsel (Jacqueline Carey-Wilson, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on July 23, 2026; and County Finance and Administration (John Hallen, Principal Administrative Analyst, 388-0208) on July 31, 2026.