Article 6. Assessments of California Food And Agricultural Code >> Division 22. >> Part 2. >> Chapter 24.5. >> Article 6.

Prior to the beginning of each marketing season, or as soon as possible thereafter, the commission shall establish assessment rates for the marketing season, as follows:
  (a) An annual assessment on producers of not less than one hundred dollars ($100) and not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), as determined by the commission, based on the number of tons of winegrapes marketed during the preceding marketing season.
  (b) In addition, producers shall pay an assessment not less than one dollar ($1) and not greater than twelve dollars ($12) per ton of winegrapes marketed by producers. In the discretion of the commission, the producer assessment may be established as a percent of the gross dollar value received by producers for winegrapes rather than on a per ton basis. The assessment shall be established on a sliding scale that decreases the assessment by two dollars ($2) per ton, or the percentage equivalent if the assessment is a percent of gross dollar value, for every 500 tons of winegrapes marketed by producers in excess of 1000 tons.
  (c) An annual assessment on vintners of not less than three hundred fifty dollars ($350) and not more than seven thousand five hundred dollars ($7,500), as determined by the commission, based on the number of tons of winegrapes processed and marketed by vintners during the preceding marketing season.
  (d) In addition, vintners shall pay an assessment not less than one dollar ($1) and not greater than twelve dollars ($12) per ton of winegrapes processed by vintners for which an assessment has not already been paid by a producer. The assessment shall be established on a sliding scale that decreases the assessment by two dollars ($2) per ton for every 500 tons of winegrapes processed by vintners in excess of 1000 tons.
  (e) An assessment greater than the amount provided for in this section may not be charged unless and until a greater amount is approved by a majority of the commission and by eligible producers and vintners pursuant to the referendum procedures specified in Section 78903.

This chapter shall not apply to winegrapes produced for a producer's home or ornamental use, or processed for a vintner's home use. A producer growing winegrapes commercially on three acres or less shall be exempted from the base assessment in subdivision (a) of Section 78921. Any producer or vintner requesting an exemption from the payment of assessments shall provide an affidavit approved by the commission containing information required by the commission. The commission shall review the affidavit, conduct any additional investigation it deems appropriate, and approve or deny the exemption. If granted, the exemption shall be valid for one marketing season and a new affidavit shall be filed and approved prior to each marketing season in order to retain an exemption from this chapter.

(a) Every producer and vintner shall keep complete and accurate records of winegrapes produced, processed, and marketed, including, but not limited to, the number of tons of winegrapes delivered to or received by vintners, whether within or outside of Mendocino County, the names of the producers from which vintners receive winegrapes, and records related to the sale of winegrapes, wine, or winegrape products. The records shall be in simple form and contain information as the commission shall prescribe. The records shall be preserved by producers and vintners for a period of five years and shall be offered and submitted for inspection at any reasonable time upon demand of the commission or its duly authorized agent.
  (b) For purposes of this section and for any other section of this chapter that relates to recordkeeping or the collection and remittance of assessments from producers, including any section dealing with confidentiality of information received from vintners, the term "vintner" shall include persons in this state outside Mendocino County who otherwise meet the definition of vintner in Section 78839. Those persons shall not be required to pay the vintner assessment established by the commission, but shall collect and remit assessments and reports regarding winegrapes received that were produced in Mendocino County.

(a) All proprietary and trade secret information obtained by the commission from producers and vintners shall be confidential and shall not be disclosed except when required by a court order after a hearing in a judicial proceeding involving this chapter. The Legislature finds and declares that this provision is required to ensure that producer and vintner proprietary and trade secret information shall not be disclosed.
  (b) In addition, and notwithstanding any other provision of law, all proprietary or trade secret information developed or gathered pursuant to this chapter by the commission, or by the department on behalf of the commission, from any source is confidential, shall not be considered a public record as that term is defined in Section 6252 of the Government Code, and shall not be disclosed by the commission or the secretary except when required by a court order after a hearing in a judicial proceeding involving this chapter.
  (c) Information on volume shipments, crop value, and any other related information that is required for reports to governmental agencies, financial reports to the commission, or aggregate sales and inventory information, and other information that give only totals, but excludes individual information, may be disclosed by the commission.
  (d) The commission shall determine whether information is proprietary or trade secret and not subject to disclosure. If the commission denies a request for disclosure of this information, the commission shall provide written justification for its decision to the person requesting the information who may appeal the decision of the commission to the secretary.

(a) Any assessment levied by the commission, pursuant to this chapter, is a personal debt of every person so assessed and is due and payable in the time and manner prescribed by the commission. Failure of a vintner to collect the assessment from a producer shall not exempt the vintner from liability nor relieve the producer of the obligation to pay the assessment.
  (b) When the producer or vintner is a corporation, general or limited partnership, or trust, all of the directors and officers of the corporation, all of the members and managers of the limited liability company, all of the general and limited partners in the partnership, and all of the trustees of the trust, 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 file required reports, shall also include identical liability upon each director and officer of the corporation, each member and manager of the limited liability company, each general and limited partner in the partnership, and each trustee of the trust. Title to the assessments, shall pass immediately to the commission. When collecting and remitting producer assessments, vintners shall hold the assessments in trust for the benefit of the commission until remitted in the time and manner specified by the commission.

Any person who fails to file a return, or remit 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, 1.5 percent interest per month on the unpaid balance.

In addition to any other penalty imposed, the commission may require any person who fails to submit records or pay an assessment or related charge pursuant to this article to furnish and maintain a surety bond in a form and amount, and for a period of time, specified by the commission as assurance that all payments to the commission will be made when due.