Following a year of complaints about alleged squatters at a vacant Sea Cliff mansion, the SF Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to authorize an auction of the property to cover more than $300,000 in unpaid taxes by the original owner.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to authorize a special tax auction of the four-bedroom mansion at 250 32nd Avenue, where neighbors have spent more than a year reporting suspicious activity and seeking city intervention, as the Chronicle reports. Taxes on the property have not been paid in five years, and a sale could establish a new legal owner and eventually clear the way to remove the alleged squatters.
The Treasurer's Office hopes to hold the auction before the end of the year, spokesperson Eric Manke told the Chronicle. However, the sale could be called off if the outstanding tax bill is paid. San Francisco typically waits until a property has gone nine years without paying taxes before auctioning it, though state law allows such sales after five years of nonpayment.
The home was believed to belong to Wei Wang and her husband between 2013 and 2025. Wang reportedly left the country and owes roughly $340,000 in back taxes.
Last month, City Attorney David Chiu's office filed a lawsuit alleging that Brandon Aadee and Diana Peng used fraudulent property deeds in an attempt to take control of the mansion and sell it. According to the complaint, Aadee recorded a deed in July 2025 falsely claiming ownership of the property.
The pair subsequently transferred the home between themselves eight times over 13 months, using deeds that allegedly contained forged notary signatures, fraudulent stamps, or documents altered after notarization. Several notaries have confirmed that their signatures or seals were forged or misused.
The lawsuit also alleges that the pair tried to sell the property, estimated at $4.4 million, below market value in a quick transaction.
“Defendants are effectively trying to steal a house and sell it to make millions in profit,” Chiu said when announcing the lawsuit.
According to the Chronicle, Chiu secured a temporary order last month barring Peng and Aadee from selling the property and is seeking a longer-term injunction at a court hearing scheduled for Friday. The city is seeking to invalidate the disputed deeds and block further attempts to sell the home.
Separately, the San Francisco District Attorney's Office has been investigating the case since last year but has not filed criminal charges. District Attorney Brooke Jenkins told ABC 7 earlier this month that potential real estate fraud requires extensive investigation and that prosecutors need to establish they can prove a crime beyond a reasonable doubt, explaining that prosecutors “only get one shot at that apple.” She said there was no way to predict when the investigation would be complete.
Neighbors Connor Love and Cameron Will have criticized the city's response, including that of District 1 Supervisor Connie Chan, whose district includes Sea Cliff. Residents told the Chronicle they’ve spent tens of thousands of dollars on private security and investigators while reporting thefts, late-night activity, and fears about people entering the property.
The case has also renewed calls to change California's squatting laws. ABC 7 reports that State Senator Tom Umberg, a Democrat from Santa Ana, introduced legislation this year that would have expedited the removal of trespassers and imposed penalties for fraud, but the bill failed to reach a Senate floor vote. A separate proposal from Republican Assemblymember Carl DeMaio to expand law enforcement's authority to remove alleged squatters also failed.
Several states, including Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Texas, South Carolina, and Georgia, have recently passed laws aimed at speeding up the removal of unauthorized occupants. ABC 7 notes that Georgia’s Squatter Reform Act requires people accused of squatting to provide a valid lease or other proof of legal residency within 72 business hours or face arrest and removal.
Related: Squatters Occupy Slain UC Berkeley Professor’s Home, Allegedly Sell Family’s Belongings
