Title FAC — California Food & Agric. Code

The commission may conduct, and contract with others to conduct, production research, including the study, analysis, accumulation, and dissemination of information obtained from that research or otherwise, regarding this chapter.

The commission may accept contributions of private, state, or federal funds, and make contributions of funds to other persons or state or federal agencies, for purposes of this chapter.

The commission may promote the sale of apples by advertising and other promotional means, including cost sharing advertising, for the purpose of maintaining and expanding present markets and creating new and larger intrastate, interstate, and foreign markets for apples, and to ed…

The commission may collect information, and publish and distribute without charge, bulletins and other communications for dissemination of information.

The commission may establish an annual assessment rate to defray the operating costs of the commission.

The commission shall adopt an annual budget according to accepted practices. The secretary shall concur in the adoption of the budget prior to the encumbrance of funds, except for encumbrances necessary to pay the compensation of employees of the commission.

The commission shall annually prepare and submit to the secretary, for his or her concurrence, a statement of contemplated activities authorized pursuant to this chapter.

The commission and the secretary shall keep confidential and shall not disclose, except when required by court order in a judicial proceeding, all lists of persons subject to this chapter in their possession.

The commission may investigate and prosecute civil violations of this chapter and file complaints with appropriate law enforcement agencies or officers for suspected criminal violations of this chapter.

(a) The commission may recommend to the secretary the adoption of maturity and quality standards or product labeling standards, or engage in any other activity authorized pursuant to the California Marketing Act of 1937 (Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 58601) of Part 2 of Divi…

(a) In order to prevent unfair trade practices, which are detrimental to California’s apple industry, including, but not limited to, deception and misinformation, the commission may collect and disseminate to any and all interested persons, handler F.O.B. market price information…

(a) In order to prevent the use of prohibited substances in organic apple production and processing that would undermine consumer confidence in the apples purchased and consumed, the commission may establish an organic apple certification program applicable to persons engaged in …

(a) Within 90 days of the effective date of the amendments made to this section during the 1994 portion of the 1993–94 Regular Session of the Legislature, the secretary shall establish a list of producers eligible to vote. In establishing the list, the secretary may require that …

This chapter, except as necessary to conduct an implementation referendum vote, shall not become operative until the secretary finds, in a referendum vote conducted by the secretary, that at least 40 percent of the total number of producers from the list established by the secret…

The secretary shall establish a period to conduct the referendum that shall not be less than 10 days or more than 60 days in duration, and may prescribe additional procedures that may be necessary to conduct the referendum. If the initial period established is less than 60 days, …

The failure of an eligible producer to receive a ballot shall not invalidate a referendum.

If the secretary finds that a favorable vote has been given as provided in this article, the secretary shall certify and give notice of the favorable vote to all persons whose names and addresses are on file with the secretary.

If the secretary finds that a favorable vote has not been given as provided in this article, the secretary shall certify and declare this chapter inoperative. The secretary may conduct another implementation referendum vote one or more years after the previous vote has been taken…

Upon certification of the commission, the secretary shall appoint the producer and handler members of the initial commission’s board of directors from a list of eligible persons submitted to the secretary, or shall contact all eligible producers and handlers in each district by m…

Subsequent to the first election of members of the commission pursuant to this chapter, persons to be elected to the commission shall be selected pursuant to nomination and election procedures that are adopted by the commission with the concurrence of the secretary.

(a) Prior to the secretary holding the referendum pursuant to this article, the proponents of the commission shall deposit with the secretary the amount that the secretary determines necessary to defray the expenses of preparing the necessary lists and information and conducting …

(a) The commission shall establish the assessment for the marketing year by July 1 of each year or as soon thereafter as is possible. (b) The assessment shall be one-fourth cent ($0.0025) per pound of apples marketed for fresh consumption during the 1994–95 marketing year. Therea…

This chapter shall not apply to producers who produce no more than 40,000 pounds of apples per year and to production on a noncommercial basis for the producer’s home use, or where the trees are used only for ornamental purposes. Producers from whom assessments are collected may …

Every handler shall keep a complete and accurate record of all apples handled. The records shall be in simple form and contain information as the commission shall prescribe including, but not limited to, market price information and the names and addresses of the producers whose …

(a) All proprietary information obtained by the commission or the secretary from producers or handlers is confidential and shall not be disclosed except when required by court order in a judicial proceeding. (b) Information on volume shipments, product value, and any other relate…

Any assessment which is imposed on the producer as provided for in this chapter is a personal debt of that producer.

Every handler is personally liable for the payment of the assessments to the commission. The failure of a handler to collect the assessment shall not exempt the handler from liability and shall not relieve any producer subject to this chapter from the obligation to pay the assess…

Any producer or handler who fails to file a return or pay the assessment within the time required by the commission shall pay to the commission a penalty of 10 percent of the amount of the assessment determined to be due and, in addition, pay 1.5 percent interest per month on the…

If the producer or handler is a corporation, all of the directors and officers of the corporation in their capacity as individuals shall be included, and any liability for violating this chapter, including, but not limited to, failing to pay the assessments or to collect the asse…

It is a misdemeanor for any person to do any of the following: (a) Refuse to render a report, statement, or record required by the commission. (b) Furnish a false report, statement, or record required by the commission. (c) Fail or refuse to furnish the commission or its duly aut…

The commission shall adopt procedures to grant individuals aggrieved by its actions or determinations an informal hearing before the commission or before a committee of the commission designated for this purpose. Appeals from decisions of the commission may be made to the secreta…

(a) The commission may commence civil actions and utilize all remedies provided in law or equity for the collection of assessments and civil penalties and for obtaining injunctive relief or specific performance regarding this chapter and the regulations adopted pursuant to this c…

Any action by the commission to recover any penalty or obtain any other remedy that is prescribed under this chapter shall be commenced within two years from the date of the alleged violation. Any action against the commission by any person shall be commenced by the commission wi…

It is not necessary for the commission to allege or prove that an adequate remedy at law does not exist in any action brought under this chapter.

The suspension or termination of this chapter shall not affect or waive any right, duty, obligation, or liability which has arisen or which may thereafter arise in connection with this chapter, release or extinguish any violation of this chapter, or affect or impair any right or …

Every five years after the implementation of this chapter, or every fifth year after an industry-petitioned referendum pursuant to Section 75654, the secretary shall hold a hearing to determine whether the operation of this chapter should be continued. If the secretary finds afte…

If the secretary finds after conducting a hearing that no substantial question exists regarding whether the operation of this chapter should be continued or that a favorable vote has been given in a referendum, the secretary shall so certify and this chapter shall remain operativ…

(a) Upon a finding by a two-thirds vote of the membership of the commission that the operation of this chapter has not tended to effectuate its declared purposes, the commission may recommend to the secretary that the operation of this chapter be suspended. However, any suspensio…

(a) The secretary shall terminate the commission at the end of the then current marketing year if the secretary finds that the termination of the commission is requested in writing, within a 90-day period, by at least 51 percent of the eligible producers that produce and market a…

After the effective date of the suspension, the operation of the commission shall be concluded and any and all funds remaining, held by the commission, and not required to defray the expenses of concluding and terminating the operations of the commission, shall be returned upon a…

Upon suspension of this chapter, the commission shall mail a copy of the notice of suspension to all producers and handlers whose names and addresses are on file with the commission.