17050
. (a) Except as provided in Section 18930, the Department of
Housing and Community Development may promulgate rules and
regulations to interpret and make specific this part. When adopted,
those rules and regulations shall apply to all parts of the state.
(b) Upon written notice to the Department of Housing and Community
Development, any city, county, or city and county may assume the
responsibility for the enforcement of this part, for the building
standards published in the California Building Standards Code
relating to employee housing, and for the other regulations adopted
pursuant to this part following approval by the department for that
assumption.
(c) The Department of Housing and Community Development shall
adopt regulations which shall set forth the conditions for assumption
and may include required qualifications of local enforcement
agencies. When assumption is approved, the department shall transfer
the responsibility for enforcement to the city, county, or city and
county, together with all records of active and inactive employee
housing within its jurisdiction.
(d) A city, county, or city and county may, by ordinance,
establish a schedule of fees for the operation of employee housing
not to exceed that which is established by the department. In no
event may fees be charged to residents of employee housing.
(e) (1) In the event of nonenforcement of this part, of the
building standards published in the California Building Standards
Code relating to employee housing, or of the other rules and
regulations adopted pursuant to this part, the department shall
enforce this part, the building standards published in the California
Building Standards Code relating to employee housing, and the rules
and regulations adopted pursuant to this part in any city, county, or
city and county after the department has given written notice to the
governing body of the city, county, or city and county, setting
forth in what respects the city, county, or city and county has
failed to discharge its responsibility, and has failed to initiate
corrective measures to carry out its responsibility within 30 days of
the date of the notice.
(2) On or after January 1, 1987, in the event the local
enforcement agency has failed to initiate adequate and reasonable
corrective measures to carry out its responsibility, as determined by
the department, within 30 days of the date of notice of one or more
specific examples of nonenforcement, the department, at its option,
may undertake investigation and enforcement of the alleged violations
of this part within the local enforcement agency's jurisdiction, and
the local enforcement agency shall be liable to the department and
the Attorney General for the actual costs of the investigation and
enforcement by these state agencies.
(f) (1) The department shall conduct an annual evaluation of the
enforcement of this part, of the building standards published in the
California Building Standards Code relating to employee housing, and
of the other regulations adopted pursuant to this part by each city,
county, or city and county which has assumed responsibility for
enforcement. The department shall submit a written summary of the
evaluation conducted pursuant to this subdivision with the report
required by Section 50408.
(2) The department, in consultation with interested persons,
including housing advocates and farming organizations, shall conduct
an evaluation of the definition of "rural" as used in paragraph (1)
of subdivision (b) of Section 17008 and submit a written summary of
the evaluation with the report required in calendar year 1996 by
Section 17031.8.
(g) Except as provided in Section 18945, the department shall be
sole judge as to whether the local enforcement agency is properly
enforcing the provisions. Except as provided in Section 18945, the
local enforcement agency shall have the right to appeal the decision
to the department.
(h) (1) Any city, county, or city and county may cancel its
assumption of responsibility for the enforcement of these provisions
by providing written notice of cancellation to the department. The
department shall assume the responsibility within 90 days after
receipt of the notice.
(2) A local enforcement agency that has been approved by the
department to enforce the provisions of this chapter and cancels its
assumption of responsibility and returns enforcement to the
department under paragraph (1) shall remit to the department the fees
established and collected under Section 17036 and subdivision (d)
that have not been expended pursuant to this chapter and the
regulations adopted thereunder. For the purpose of this paragraph,
the local enforcement agency shall either identify the actual
expenditures and pay to the department the balance of fees collected,
or shall pay the department a sum equal to the percentage of the
years remaining before outstanding permits to operate expire.
(i) The enforcement agency may:
(1) Enter public or private properties to determine whether there
exists any employee housing to which this part applies.
(2) Enter and inspect all employee housing wheresoever situated,
and inspect all accommodations, equipment, or paraphernalia connected
therewith.
(3) Enter and inspect the land adjacent to the employee housing to
determine whether the sanitary and other requirements of this part,
the building standards published in the California Building Standards
Code relating to employee housing, and the other rules and
regulations adopted pursuant to this part have been or are being
complied with.