Article 3. The California Tomato Commission of California Food And Agricultural Code >> Division 22. >> Part 2. >> Chapter 24. >> Article 3.

There is in the state government the California Tomato Commission. The commission shall be composed of 10 producers, seven handlers, and may include one public member, at the discretion of the commission.
  (a) Producers within the respective districts shall elect one producer from District 1, one producer from District 2, one producer from District 3, one producer from District 4, one producer from District 5, one producer from District 6, and four at-large producers from District 7.
  (b) Handlers within Districts 1 to 6, inclusive, shall elect one handler from each district and one at-large handler from District 7.
  (c) The public member shall be appointed to the commission by the secretary from nominees recommended by the commission.
  (d) The secretary and other appropriate individuals, as determined by the commission, shall be ex officio members of the commission.

(a) The secretary may require the commission to correct or cease any existing activity or function that is determined by the secretary not to be in the public interest or that is in violation of this chapter.
  (b) If the commission refuses or fails to cease those activities or functions or to make the corrections as required by the secretary, the secretary 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 secretary has been accomplished by the commission.
  (c) Actions of the commission in violation of the written notice are without legal force or effect. The secretary, 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 that are the subject of the written notice.
  (d) Upon service of the written notice, the secretary shall notify the commission in writing of the specific acts that the secretary 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 recommendations that will make the activities or functions acceptable.

The commission or the secretary may bring an action for judicial relief from the secretary'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 secretary is required to concur in a decision of the commission, the secretary shall give his or her response to the commission within 15 working days from notification of the decision. The secretary's response may be a requirement that additional information be provided.

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

Except for ex officio members, an alternate for each member shall be elected in the same manner as the member. An alternate shall, in the absence of the member for whom he or she is an alternate, serve in place of the member 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 a change in status making a member ineligible to serve, or due to death, removal, resignation, or disqualification of a member, the alternate shall act as a member of the commission until a qualified successor is elected or appointed.

Any vacancy on the commission occurring by the failure of any person elected to the commission as a member or alternate 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 by another eligible person for the unexpired portion of the term by a majority vote of the remaining members of the commission. The person shall fulfill all the qualifications set forth in this article as required for the person whose office he or she is to occupy.

Any vacancy on the commission occurring by the failure of the public 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, resignation, or disqualification, shall be filled by another eligible person for the unexpired portion of the term by the secretary from nominees recommended by the commission. The person shall fulfill all the qualifications set forth in this article as required for the member whose office he or she is to occupy.

Any producer member and his or her alternate on the commission shall be an individual producer or an employee or representative of a producer who has a financial interest in producing or causing to be produced, tomatoes for market. Qualifications of producer members and their alternates shall be maintained during their entire term of office.

Any handler member and his or her alternate on the commission shall be an individual handler or an employee or representative of a handler who has a financial interest in handling tomatoes for market. Qualifications of handler members and their alternates shall be maintained during their entire term of office.

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

The term of office of all members and alternates on the commission, except ex officio members, shall be two years from the beginning of the marketing season in the year of their election and until qualified successors are elected.

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 prima facie evidence of the truth of all statements therein.

A quorum of the commission shall be six voting producer members and four voting handler members. Except as provided in Section 78723, 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 secretary or his or her representatives shall be notified and may attend each meeting of the commission and any committee meetings of the commission. However, the secretary or his or her representative is not entitled to attend an executive session of the commission or a committee of the commission called for the purpose of discussing potential or actual litigation against the department.

No member or alternate 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 and each alternate serving in place of a member, except ex officio members who are officers or employees of a public agency, and each member of a committee established by the commission who is a nonmember of the commission, may receive reasonable and necessary traveling expenses and meal allowances as approved by the commission 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.

All funds received by any person from the assessments levied under this chapter or otherwise received by the commission shall be deposited in banks that 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 an 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 or alternate of the commission, or any employee or agent thereof, is personally liable for the contracts of the commission. No member or alternate of the commission, or any employee or agent thereof, is responsible individually in any way to 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 or alternate of the commission, or any employee or agent thereof, is responsible individually for any act or omission of any other member or alternate of the commission, or any employee or agent thereof. Liability is several and not joint, and no member or alternate of the commission, or any employee or agent thereof, is liable for the default of any other member or alternate of the commission, or any employee or agent thereof.