§ 1379.Power of Controller to Destroy Personal Property Other Than Cash Deposited In Treasury

Not everything the state ends up holding is worth the trouble of a sale. Section 1379 addresses personal property, other than cash, deposited in the State Treasury under this title that the Controller determines is valueless, or worth so little that the cost of conducting a sale would probably exceed what the sale would bring in. In that situation, the Controller may destroy or otherwise dispose of the property rather than going through a sale process that would lose money for everyone involved.

The section pairs that authority with protection from liability. Neither the Treasurer nor the Controller has to answer in damages if someone later claims a loss because their property was destroyed or disposed of under this section. That protection matters because the whole point of the section is to let the state cut its losses on property not worth selling, and an official facing personal liability every time would have little incentive to use the authority the section grants.