Sisters in Christ group pays property taxes on Senate candidate Steve Garvey’s home. Why?

Reality Check is a Bee series holding officials and organizations accountable and shining a light on their decisions. Have a tip? Email realitycheck@sacbee.com.

The taxes on the home listed as Steve Garvey’s Palm Desert address are being paid by Sisters in Christ LLC, an organization that includes his sister-in-law as a manager.

The group, based in Utah, has paid $119,203 since 2017 in taxes on the property, according to Riverside County Treasurer-Tax Collector records. Data prior to 2017 was not available. Sisters in Christ is listed as the property owner on tax records as of late March.

It’s not uncommon in California for an LLC to deal with real estate. In addition to some tax advantages, adding “an extra layer of privacy for any buyers that might not want their name to appear in countless public databases, where anyone can find out where they live,” said a 2023 article from Newport Beach-based Lucas Real Estate.

The Garvey campaign did not respond to a request for comment. Garvey, a former Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres baseball star, is vying with Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff for a U.S. Senate seat in California.

It’s not clear what Sisters in Christ’s activities include. It is not affiliated with Sisters in Christ International, a Florida-based religious organization dedicated to helping women.

The Sisters In Christ LLC that pays the taxes on Garvey’s home is based In Utah.

The Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code lists its status as “active.” Its registration was last renewed in September.

Managers include Shaunna Hood of Salt Lake City, sister of Garvey’s wife, Candace. Hood did not respond to a request for comment.

Marilyn H. Smythe, Candace Garvey’s mother, had owned the Palm Desert house. In 2006, she transferred the property deed to Sisters In Christ LLC, according to the grant deed filed with Riverside County. Smythe died in November.

Steve Garvey has said he and his wife bought the property from Smythe. In a YouTube video from Coldwell Banker in June 2014, Garvey said that the house was originally owned by Candace’s mom, but that he and his wife bought it when they decided to move back to California from Utah.

“We were coming back to southern California, and, we thought originally, back to the west side of LA. And then when we found out she was thinking about selling this, and this was really home to all the grandchildren and a place that we thought was special, so we bought it from her.”

However, there is no apparent evidence that Steve Garvey himself owns the home. He did not list the house on his financial disclosure form.

Garvey has had financial troubles in the past, and some of his difficulties linger. The Bee reported in March that Garvey owed state and federal taxes incurred 13 years ago totaling at least $350,000 and as much as $750,000, according to his February financial disclosure statement.

He has been named in several state and federal tax liens, according to a search of public records and credit headers, part of a credit report that usually gives someone’s name and other identifying information.

A day after the Bee story appeared, Garvey told Fox News, “We have been taking this very seriously, have always filed our taxes on time, and we have been working diligently with our accountant and the IRS to resolve this debt by the end of the year.”