Article 3. The California Sheep Commission of California Food And Agricultural Code >> Division 22. >> Part 2. >> Chapter 15. >> Article 3.

(a) There is in the state government the California Sheep Commission. The commission shall be composed of 13 sheep producers and one public member. Producers within districts 1 to 9, inclusive, shall each elect one producer to serve on the commission. Producers within districts 10 and 11 shall each elect two producers to serve on the commission.
  (b) The public member shall be appointed to the commission by the director from nominees recommended by the commission.
  (c) The director and other appropriate individuals, as determined by the commission, shall be ex officio members of the commission.

(a) The director may require the commission to correct or cease any existing activity or function which is determined by the director not to be in the public interest or which is in violation of this chapter.
  (b) If the commission refuses or fails to cease these activities or functions or to make these corrections as required by the director, the director may, upon written notice, suspend all or a portion of the activities or functions of the commission until the time that the cessation or correction of activities or functions as required by the director has been accomplished by the commission.
  (c) Actions of the commission in violation of the written notice are without legal force or effect. The director, to the extent feasible, shall issue the written notice prior to the commission entering into any contractual relationship affecting the existing or proposed activities or functions which are the subject of the written notice.
  (d) Upon service of the written notice, the director shall notify the commission in writing of the specific acts which he or she determines are not in the public interest or are in violation of this chapter, his or her reasons for requiring a cessation or correction of specific existing or proposed activities or functions, and he or she may make recommendations that will make the activities or functions acceptable.

The commission or the director may bring an action for judicial relief from the director's written notice, or from noncompliance by the commission with the written notice, as the case may be, in a court of competent jurisdiction, which may issue a temporary restraining order, permanent injunction, or other applicable relief.

When the director is required to concur in a decision of the commission, he or she shall indicate his or her response to the commission within 15 working days from notification of the decision. The response may be a request that additional information be provided.

The commission shall reimburse the director for all expenditures incurred by the director in carrying out his or her duties and responsibilities pursuant to this chapter. However, the court may, if it finds that the director acted arbitrarily or capriciously in restricting the activities or functions of the commission, relieve the commission of the responsibility for payment of the director's legal costs with regard to that action.

Each member of the commission, except the ex officio members, shall have an alternate member to be elected in the same manner as the member. An alternate member shall, in the absence of the member for whom he or she is an alternate, serve in place of the member on the commission, and shall have and be able to exercise all the rights, privileges, and powers of the member when serving on the commission. In the event of death, removal, resignation, or disqualification of a member, the alternate shall act as a member on the commission until a successor is elected and has qualified.

Any vacancy on the commission occurring by the failure of any person elected to the commission as a member or alternate member to continue in his or her position due to a change in status, making him or her ineligible to serve, or due to death, removal, or resignation, shall be filled, for the unexpired portion of the term, by a majority vote of the commission. That person shall fulfill all the qualifications set forth in this article as required for the member whose office he or she is to fill.

Any producer member or his or her alternate on the commission shall be an individual or an employee representing a producer who has a financial interest in producing, or causing to be produced, wool for market. The qualifications of a producer member and an alternate producer member shall be maintained during the entire term of office.

The public member or his or her alternate on the commission, shall have all the powers, rights, and privileges of any other member on the commission. The public member shall not have any financial interest in the sheep or wool industry.

The term of office of all members of the commission, except ex officio members, shall be two years from the date of their election and until their successors are qualified. However, of the first members of the commission, one-half of the producers shall serve for one year, and one-half of the producers shall serve for two years, with the determination of the term of each such member made by lot at the time of the election. Terms of office of each member of the commission shall be limited to four consecutive terms. A member of the commission who was selected by lot to serve a one-year term may serve four consecutive terms in addition to the first one-year term.

The commission shall be and is hereby declared and created a corporate body. It shall have the power to sue and be sued, to contract and be contracted with, and to have and possess all of the powers of a corporation. It may adopt a corporate seal. Copies of its proceedings, records, and acts, when authenticated, shall be admissible in evidence in all courts of the state and shall be prima facie evidence of the truth of all statements therein.

A quorum of the commission shall be eight voting members of the commission. Except as provided in Sections 76226 and 76382.5, the vote of a majority of members present at a meeting at which there is a quorum shall constitute the act of the commission.

The director or his or her representatives shall be notified and may attend each meeting of the commission and any committee meeting of the commission.

No member of the commission or member of a committee established by the commission who is a nonmember of the commission shall receive a salary. Each member of the commission, except ex officio government members, and each member of a committee established by the commission who is a nonmember of the commission, may receive a sum not to exceed one hundred dollars ($100) per day, as established by the commission. This per diem shall be paid to members for each day spent in actual attendance at, or in traveling to and from, meetings of the commission or committees of the commission, or on special assignment for the commission, as approved by the commission. Members shall also receive the necessary traveling expenses and meal allowances, as approved by the commission.

All funds received by any person from the assessments levied under the authority of this chapter or otherwise received by the commission shall be deposited in banks which the commission may designate and shall be disbursed by order of the commission through an agent or agents as it may designate for that purpose. The agent or agents shall be bonded by a fidelity bond, executed by a surety company authorized to transact business in this state, in favor of the commission, in the amount of not less than twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000).

The state is not liable for the acts of the commission or its contracts. Payments of all claims arising by reason of the administration of this chapter or acts of the commission are limited to the funds collected by the commission. No member of the commission, alternate member, or any employee or agent thereof, is personally liable for the contracts of the commission. No member of the commission, alternate member, or any employee or agent thereof, is responsible individually in any way to any producer, processor, handler, or any other person for errors in judgment, mistakes, or other acts, either of commission or omission, as principal, agent, or employee, except for his or her own individual acts of dishonesty or crime. No member of the commission, alternate member, or any employee or agent thereof, is responsible individually for any act or omission of any other member of the commission. Liability is several and not joint, and no member of the commission, alternate member, or any employee or agent thereof, is liable for the default of any other member of the commission.