City of Imperial Beach v. Algert

In City of Imperial Beach v. Algert (1962) 200 Cal.App.2d 48, a 1948 map showed a street called Delaware. The 140-foot strip dead-ending into an alley never actually opened as a street; indeed, a concrete curb blocked its entrance. The county always had treated the strip as private property, not a public street. The city's official map never showed the parcel as a street. Algert bought the property in 1956. Sometime later the city sued Algert to quiet title. The court found the city and county "over a period of many years" had "clearly affirmatively rejected ... the strip's acceptance as a street." (Id. at p. 52.)