Article 13. Investigations And Hearings of California Food And Agricultural Code >> Division 20. >> Chapter 7. >> Article 13.

The director on his own motion may, or upon the verified complaint of any interested party shall, investigate, examine, or inspect any of the following:
  (a) Any transaction which involves solicition, receipt, sale, or attempted sale of any farm product by any person that is acting or assuming to act as a licensee.
  (b) Failure to make proper and true account of sales and settlement of sales as required by this chapter.
  (c) The intentional making of false statements as to condition and quantity of any farm product which is received or in storage.
  (d) The intentional making of false statements as to market conditions.
  (e) The failure to make payment for any farm product within the time which is required by this chapter.
  (f) Any and all other injurious transactions.

In furtherance of any such investigation, examination, or inspection, the director may examine the ledgers, books, accounts, memoranda and other documents, farm products, scales, measures, and other articles and things which are used in connection with the business of the person.

Except as otherwise provided in Section 56444 or 56445, if the complaint is a bona fide dispute that involves any of the following, the department has no jurisdiction to act upon the complaint if the licensee or complainant, within 10 calendar days after receiving notice of the filing of the verified complaint, has notified the department of his or her election to submit the dispute to alternative dispute procedures in accordance with the provisions of a written contract:
  (a) The rejection of any farm product.
  (b) The failure or refusal to accept and pay for any farm product that is bought or contracted to be bought from a producer or by a licensee.
  (c) The failure or refusal by the licensee to furnish or provide boxes or other containers, or hauling, harvesting, or any other services that are contracted to be done by the licensee in connection with the acceptance, harvesting, or other handling of the farm product.
  (d) The terms and conditions of the written contract.

The jurisdiction that is otherwise reserved to the department in this chapter is, however, restored for the purposes of this chapter if the authorities responsible for the alternative dispute procedures, without reasonable cause, fail, refuse, or neglect to adjudicate the matter in dispute within 90 days from the date of notification to the department.

The department also has jurisdiction over any complaint or dispute if the licensee has failed to perform in accordance with any alternative dispute procedure award that is made in accordance with the terms of the written contract.

Any verified complaint filed with the department pursuant to this chapter shall be filed not later than nine months from the date a complete account of sales was due. This period, however, does not include the length of time it takes to secure a written letter of denial from the federal agencies responsible for administering the federal Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 (7 U.S.C. Sec. 181, et seq.) or the federal Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act, 1930 (7 U.S.C. Sec. 499a et seq.).

If a licensee fails to pay farm products creditors for any farm product that is received on consignment from the creditors, or fails to pay farm products creditors for any farm product purchased from the creditors, the department shall ascertain the names and addresses of all farm products creditors of that licensee together with the amounts due and owing to them by the licensee, and shall request all those farm products creditors to file a verified statement of their respective claims with the department. The request shall be addressed to each known farm products creditor at his or her last known address.