SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Bargain-hunters snatched up watches confiscated from criminals, surplus prison shirts and antique pianos salvaged from parks on the first day of a statewide garage sale to scrape together cash for California.
The two-day sale kicked off Friday at a Sacramento warehouse, with hundreds lining up for deals on cars, computers and collectibles. Many arrived hours before the gate opened at 8 a.m.
An auctioneer sold vehicles by the minute under a tent in the parking lot behind the warehouse. Sport utility vehicles, vans and California Highway Patrol cruisers — all were being sold for just a few thousand dollars each.
“Welcome to our garage sale,” Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told reporters during a tour of the warehouse. “As you know, we’re trying to raise some extra money here, getting rid of the old stuff we don’t use anymore.”
Schwarzenegger decided to clear some of the clutter after ordering the state’s fleet of 40,000 vehicles cut by 15 percent.
State officials are hoping the sale of 600 state-owned vehicles and 6,000 pieces of office furniture, computers, electronics and other items will raise hundreds of thousands of dollars. The sale ends today.
