Section 101087 Of Article 2. Local Health Emergencies From California Health And Safety Code >> Division 101. >> Part 3. >> Chapter 2. >> Article 2.
101087
. (a) For purposes of this section, the terms "handler,"
"administering agency," "hazardous material," "release," and
"threatened release" shall have the meaning given in Section 25501.
(b) After a release or a threatened release of a hazardous
material from the premises of a handler, which release or threatened
release poses a significant present or potential hazard to human
health and safety, property, or the environment, the board of
supervisors may delegate to the county health officer or
administering agency, the responsibility to examine any individual
who has been properly subpoenaed by the chairperson of the board of
supervisors for the purpose of obtaining information as to the cause
of the incident, and to report to the board of supervisors what
actions the board of supervisors should take to prevent a similar
incident from occurring again. The county health officer or
administering agency shall consider in the report any information
obtained pursuant to subdivision (g) and respond to that information
in the report. The county health officer or administering agency may
examine the subpoenaed individual in private, except that the
individual may choose to be interviewed in the presence of personal
legal counsel.
(c) Prior to issuing a subpoena for purposes of subdivision (b),
the board of supervisors shall make a written finding that the county
health officer or administering agency has made a reasonable attempt
to conduct a voluntary examination, and that the attempt was not
successful.
(d) If the board of supervisors delegates the responsibility to
examine any subpoenaed individual to the county health officer
pursuant to subdivision (b) and the county health officer is not the
administering agency within the jurisdiction where the hazardous
material release or threatened release occurred, the county health
officer shall actively involve the administering agency in all phases
of the examination, the investigation to determine the cause of the
hazardous material release or threatened release, and the preparation
of the report to the board of supervisors concerning what actions
the board of supervisors should take to prevent a similar incident
from occurring.
(e) (1) If a handler subject to a subpoena believes that
information provided to the county health officer or administering
agency during, or in connection with, an examination conducted
pursuant to this section involves the release of a trade secret, the
handler shall notify the county health officer or administering
agency in the manner specified in subdivision (a) of Section 25538.
Upon receipt of that notification, the county health officer or
administering agency shall handle that information in the same manner
as specified in Section 25538 with regard to the review and
disclosure of that information by an administering agency.
(2) For purposes of this subdivision, "trade secret" has the same
meaning as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 25538.
(f) When the county health officer or administering agency is
preparing a report for the board of supervisors pursuant to
subdivision (b), the handler subject to the subpoena may submit to
the health officer or administering agency any information and
analysis gathered or prepared by the handler regarding the cause of
the release or threatened release and any appropriate action for the
prevention of a similar incident. The health officer or administering
agency shall consider any information and analyses submitted by the
handler pursuant to this subdivision in preparing the report to the
board of supervisors and shall respond to that information in the
report.
(g) Nothing in this section shall be construed to either limit or
expand the existing subpoena authority of a county board of
supervisors pursuant to Section 25170 of the Government Code.