Aren't property deeds free, public record? I ...

I'm assuming you live in San Bernardino County....since the Sun is a San Bernardino County paper.  For properties in San Bernardino County you can go to:

http://www.mytaxcollector.com/trSearch.aspx

and from there you can put in all the information you have on a property and it should be able to bring up who owns it along with a bit more info as well.  It's not a deed but it does show who owns it and how much the property is currently valued by the county.

Yes, you can see them at your county recorders office. You can also telephone the county tax assessors office and ask them to look up who owns the property at an address. You can also get a "profile" faxed to you free at most title companies bay calling with the address and asking for the "customer service" clerk.