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 implement and conduct, and cont…

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

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

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

The commission shall adopt an annual budget according to accepted accounting practices. The director 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.

(a) The commission may advertise or otherwise promote the sale of flowers. (b) The commission may jointly advertise or otherwise promote the sale of flowers with any other corporation or organization advertising or otherwise promoting the sale of any other product or commodity. (…

The commission shall annually prepare and submit to the director, 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 producers 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) To prevent unfair trade practices that are detrimental to California’s cut flower industry, including, but not limited to, deception and misinformation, the commission shall annually specify the types and varieties of cut flowers for which it shall collect from producers who …

(a) Within 45 days of the effective date of this chapter, the director shall establish a list of producers eligible to vote on the implementation of this chapter. In establishing the list, the director may require that producers submit the names and mailing addresses of all known…

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

The director shall establish a period to conduct the referendum which shall not be less than 10 days nor 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 a producer to receive a ballot shall not invalidate a referendum.

If the director finds that a favorable vote has been given as provided in Section 77971, the director shall certify and give notice of the favorable vote to all producers whose names and addresses are on file with the director.

If the director finds that a favorable vote has not been given as provided in Section 77971, the director shall certify and declare this chapter inoperative. The director may conduct another implementation referendum vote one or more years after the previous vote has been taken.

Upon certification of the commission, the director shall contact all producers in each district by mail, or call meetings of producers in each district, for the purpose of nominating and electing persons to the commission. All producers on the director’s list shall be given writt…

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 which are adopted by the commission with the concurrence of the director.

(a) Prior to the director holding the referendum pursuant to Section 77971, the proponents of the commission shall deposit with the director the amount that the director determines necessary to defray the expenses of preparing the necessary lists and information and conducting th…

(a) The commission shall establish the assessment for the following marketing year not later than January 1 of each year, or as soon thereafter as is possible. The commission shall adopt bylaws that indicate when payment is due. (b) The assessment for the 1991 marketing year shal…

This chapter does not apply to any person who grows flowers only for his or her own home use or who is not a producer. However, any such person who markets flowers shall submit all required reports and shall file an affidavit with the commission establishing that the person grows…

Every person in this state who grows flowers for market, whether or not the flowers grown are valued at less than the gross value established pursuant to Section 77918, shall keep a complete and accurate record of the gross dollar value of all flowers grown and cut. The records s…

(a) The commission may specify, by regulation, the conditions under which proprietary information obtained from producers may be disclosed. Otherwise, all proprietary information obtained by the commission or the secretary from producers is confidential and shall not be disclosed…

Any assessment that is levied pursuant to this chapter is a personal debt of every producer so assessed. If the producer is a corporation, all of the directors and officers of the corporation in their capacity as individuals shall be included, and any liability for failure to col…

Any producer who fails to file a return or pay any assessment within the time required by the commission shall pay the commission a penalty of 10 percent of the amount of the assessment determined to be due and, in addition, pay 11/2 percent interest per month on the unpaid balan…

It is unlawful for any person to do any of the following: (a) Fail or 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) When engaged in the handling of flowers, to fail or r…

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 directo…

(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…

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 …

From January 1, 1995, to December 30, 1995, inclusive, the commission shall conduct a referendum among the producers to determine whether the operations of this chapter shall be approved and continued in effect. There is a favorable vote under this chapter if the director determi…

Following a favorable referendum conducted prior to December 31, 1995, the commission shall conduct a referendum every fifth year thereafter, unless a referendum is conducted as the result of a petition filed pursuant to this article. In that case, the referendum shall be held pu…

(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 director shall terminate the commission at the end of the then current marketing year if the director 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 at least 51 pe…

After the effective date of 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 operations of the commission may be returned upon a pro rata bas…

Upon suspension of the operation of this chapter, the commission shall mail a copy of the notice of suspension to all producers whose names and addresses are on file with the commission and to the appropriate policy committees in both the Assembly and Senate.

Upon the suspension of the operation of this chapter, the commission shall appoint a committee of cut flower producers to oversee and manage the Kee Kitayama Research Foundation Account and, notwithstanding Section 78004, the funds in that account shall not be returned to the per…

On and after one year after the commission is suspended or terminated pursuant to this article, the secretary may conduct a vote to reconvene the commission consistent with Article 5 (commencing with Section 77970).