Sacramento, California – State officials have ordered the immediate shutdown of four cemeteries in California, citing allegations of financial mismanagement and illegal operations. The closures, announced in March cease-and-desist orders from the California Cemetery and Funeral Bureau, affect Mount Tamalpais Cemetery in San Rafael, Skyview Memorial Lawn in Vallejo, Chapel of the Light in Fresno, and Evergreen Cemetery in Oakland.
According to the bureau, a division of the California Department of Consumer Affairs, the cemeteries must stop all business activities — including burials and property sales — and pay $5,000 fines for continuing to operate despite having surrendered their licenses.
The orders followed an investigation that revealed the sites were still conducting business even after their permits had expired: Mount Tamalpais on January 1, 2025, Chapel of the Light on March 31, 2024, and both Evergreen and Skyview Memorial on January 1, 2024…