Article 6. Assessments And Records of California Food And Agricultural Code >> Division 22. >> Part 2. >> Chapter 17. >> Article 6.

(a) The commission shall establish the assessment for the following marketing year not later than March 1 of each year, or as soon thereafter as is possible.
  (b) The assessment for the 1989-90 marketing year shall not exceed twenty-five cents ($0.25) per ton for producers and twenty-five cents ($0.25) per ton for handlers on all peppers grown and shipped on a wet pound or ton basis by producers and handled by handlers. Thereafter, the assessment shall not exceed one dollar ($1) per ton for producers and one dollar ($1) per ton for handlers.
  (c) The assessment for the 1989-90 marketing year shall not exceed $0.00065 per pound for producers and $0.00065 per pound for handlers on all peppers grown and shipped on a dry pound basis by producers and handled by handlers. Thereafter, the assessment shall not exceed a maximum of $0.0026 per pound for producers and $0.0026 per pound for handlers.
  (d) The assessment for the 1989-90 marketing year shall not exceed two cents ($0.02) per pound for producers and two cents ($0.02) per pound for handlers on all planting seed grown by producers and handled by handlers. Thereafter, the assessment shall not exceed a maximum of eight cents ($0.08) per pound for producers and eight cents ($0.08) per pound for handlers.
  (e) The handler shall deduct the producer assessment from amounts paid by him or her to the producer and shall be a trustee of these funds and the assessment owed by the handler until they are paid to the commission at the time and in the manner prescribed by the commission.
  (f) A fee greater than the amount provided in this section may not be charged unless and until a greater fee is approved pursuant to the procedures specified in Section 77312.

(a) Unless specified otherwise, this chapter does not apply to persons who grow peppers only for the producer's home use or who grow or produce less than the number of acres or tons established pursuant to Section 77230 of fresh peppers, or the equivalent in dry peppers or pepper seed, in the current marketing year. However, any such person who markets peppers shall file an affidavit with the commission establishing that the person grows less than 10 acres of peppers or produces less than 100 tons of fresh peppers, or the equivalent in dry peppers or pepper seed. The commission shall then determine whether the affidavit should be approved.
  (b) Unless specified otherwise, this chapter does not apply to any person who handles less than the number of tons of fresh peppers established pursuant to Section 77226, or the equivalent in dehydrated peppers or pepper seed, in the current marketing year. However, any person who is handling peppers shall file an affidavit with the commission specifying that the person handles less than the number of tons of peppers established pursuant to Section 77226. The commission shall, upon receipt of the affidavit, determine whether this chapter applies to that person.

Every person who handles peppers in California, including persons who handle less than the tonnage threshold established pursuant to Section 77226, shall keep a complete and accurate record of all peppers handled with the name of the producer whose peppers were handled. The records shall be in simple form and contain information as the commission shall prescribe. The records shall be preserved by the handler for a period of two years and shall be offered and submitted for inspection at any reasonable time upon written demand of the commission or its duly authorized agent.

(a) All proprietary information obtained by the commission or the director from producers or handlers is confidential and shall not be disclosed except when required in a judicial proceeding.
  (b) Information on volume shipments, product value, and any other related information which is required for reports to governmental agencies; financial reports to the commission or aggregate sales and inventory information; and any other information which the commission requires that gives only totals, but excludes individual producer and handler information, may be disclosed by the commission.

Any assessment which is levied as provided for in this chapter is a personal debt of every producer and handler so assessed.

Every handler shall be personally liable for the payment of collected assessments to the commission. Failure of a handler to collect the assessment shall not exempt the handler from liability and shall not relieve any person subject to this chapter from the obligation to pay the assessment.

Any producer or handler who fails to file a return or pay any 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 1/2 percent interest per month on the unpaid balance.

When 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 assessments or to collect assessments, shall also include identical liability upon each director or officer of the corporation.