Chapter 9. Collection And Disposition Of Fines of California Health And Safety Code >> Division 10. >> Chapter 9.

The district attorney, or any person designated by him, of the county in which any violation of this division is committed shall conduct all actions and prosecutions for the violation. However, the Attorney General, or special counsel employed by the Attorney General for that purpose, may take complete charge of the conduct of such actions or prosecutions. The Attorney General may fix the compensation to be paid for the service and may incur such other expense in connection with the conduct of the actions or prosecutions as he may deem necessary. No attorney employed as special counsel shall receive as compensation more than three thousand five hundred dollars ($3,500) in any one year.

The State of California, or any political subdivision thereof, may maintain an action against any person or persons engaged in the unlawful sale of controlled substances for the recovery of any public funds paid over to such person or persons in the course of any investigation of violations of this division. All proceedings under this section shall be instituted in the superior court of the county where the funds were paid over, where the sale was made, or where the defendant resides. Notwithstanding Section 483.010 of the Code of Civil Procedure, in any action under this section, a writ of attachment may be issued, without the showing required by Section 485.010 of the Code of Civil Procedure, in the manner provided by Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 485.010) of Title 6.5 of Part 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure to attach any funds paid over or any other funds on the defendant's person at the time of his arrest.

(a) All moneys, forfeited bail, or fines received by any court under this division shall as soon as practicable after the receipt thereof be deposited with the county treasurer of the county in which the court is situated. Amounts so deposited shall be paid at least once a month as follows: 75 percent to the State Treasurer by warrant of the county auditor drawn upon the requisition of the clerk or judge of the court to be deposited in the State Treasury on order of the State Controller; and 25 percent to the city treasurer of the city, if the offense occurred in a city, otherwise to the treasurer of the county in which the prosecution is conducted.
  (b) Any money deposited in the State Treasury under this section that is determined by the State Controller to have been erroneously deposited therein shall be refunded by him or her, subject to the approval of the California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board prior to the payment of the refund, out of any moneys in the State Treasury that are available by law for that purpose.

Judges and magistrates who collect fines or forfeitures under this division shall keep a record thereof, and, upon the imposition of any such fine or forfeiture, shall at least monthly transmit a record of it to the county auditor. The county auditor shall transmit a record of the imposition, collection and payment of such fines or forfeitures to the State Controller at the time of transmittal of each warrant to the State Treasurer pursuant to this article.

When an imprisonment has been imposed for a violation of this division, and before the termination of the sentence, the defendant is released by the vacation of the sentence of imprisonment and the imposition of a fine or forfeiture instead, the fine or forfeiture shall be recorded and accounted for in the same manner as though it had been imposed in the first instance.

Whenever a fine has been imposed for violation of this division, and before the full payment of the fine a sentence of imprisonment is imposed instead, the imprisonment shall be recorded and accounted for to the county auditor.

The State Controller shall check the reports and records received by him with the transmittals of fines and forfeitures and whenever it appears that fines or forfeitures have not been transmitted the county auditor shall and the State Controller may bring suit to enforce their collection or transmittal, or both.

The official bond of any judge or magistrate is liable for his failure to transmit the fines or forfeitures imposed by him under this division.

The records kept by a judge or magistrate under this division are open to public inspection, and may be checked by the State Controller, the Attorney General, the district attorney of the particular county, or the state bureau.