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38 Cal. 76

People v. Ross

California Supreme Court

Decided July 1, 1869

California Supreme Court · decided 1869-07-01

The plaintiffs appealed. By the statute enacting and organizing the County of Kern, it was provided that the Sheriff of the County should be, ex officio, Tax Collector. The statute contained no provision to the effect that his official bond as Sheriff should serve also as his official bond as Tax Collector, or that he should be required to give but one bond, which should be for the faithful performance of the duties of both offices.

Relies on People v. Edwards · People v. Love · Lathrop v. Brittain

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1869-07-01

How this case has been cited

Cited by 10 later decisions — most recently December 1934

10 state decisions

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Sanderson, J., delivered the opinion of the Court:

¶1The offices of Sheriff and Tax Collector of Kern County, though held by the same person, are, nevertheless, separate and distinct offices. (Lathrop v. Brittain, 30 Cal. 680.) In the absence of any statute expressly providing that one official bond only shall be required of a person who holds both offices, and that such bond shall be for the faithful performance of the duties of both offices, a separate bond for each office is as much required as if they were held by different persons. (People v. Love, 25 Cal. 520.)

¶2The statute creating Kern County contains no provisión to the effect that the bond of the Sheriff shall also be his bond as Tax Collector. It contains no provision whatever upon the subject of the Tax Collector’s bond, but leaves it to the general law. (Stats. 1861, p. 419, Secs. 25 and 26.) "While, under the revenue law just cited, two offices, in certain counties, are allowed by the twenty-fifth section to be held by the same person, as in the statute creating the County of Kern, yet, by the twenty-sixth section, each Tax Collector, irrespective of the fact whether he is also the incumbent of some other office, is required to give a separate bond, as therein provided. It is, undoubtedly, within the power of the Legislature to provide that there may be but one bond for both offices, as was done, in effect, under the revenue law of 1854 (People v. Love, supra);but since it was decided by this Court that the offices of Sheriff and Tax Collector, under the Constitution, are separate and distinct offices (People v. Edwards, 9 Cal. 286), it has not been the practice of the Legislature to do so, so far as we are advised. As was said in the case of the People v. Edwards, the offices *78are not so blended that the bond executed for the faithful performance of the duties appertaining to the one would embrace, in the absence of a statute to that effect, the obligations belonging to the other.

¶3Had no provision been made in the statute creating the County of Kern, in relation to official bonds, the whole matter would have fallen within the general laws upon the subject. (See laws upon the subject of official bonds, and the offices of Sheriff, Clerk, Recorder, etc.) So far as it deals with the subject, however, and no further, it takes it out of the operation of those laws.

¶4Judgment affirmed.

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