Section 44050 Of Article 4. Penalties From California Health And Safety Code >> Division 26. >> Part 5. >> Chapter 5. >> Article 4.
44050
. (a) In addition to or in lieu of any other remedy or
penalty, including, but not limited to, education, training, or an
office conference, the department may issue a citation to a licensee,
contractor, or fleet owner for a violation of the requirements of
this chapter or a regulation adopted pursuant to this chapter. The
citation may contain an order of abatement or the assessment of an
administrative fine, or both.
(b) An administrative fine issued pursuant to this section shall
be at least one hundred dollars ($100) but not more than five
thousand dollars ($5,000) for each violation. In assessing a fine,
the department shall give due consideration to the appropriateness of
the amount of the fine, including an evaluation of all of the
following:
(1) The nature, gravity, severity, and seriousness of the
violation.
(2) The persistence of the violation.
(3) The good faith or willfulness of the violator.
(4) The history of previous violations by that violator, including
the commission of numerous and repeated violations.
(5) The failure to perform work for which money was received.
(6) The making of any false or misleading statement in order to
induce a person to authorize repair work or pay money.
(7) The failure to make restitution to consumers affected by the
violation.
(8) The extent to which the violator has mitigated or attempted to
mitigate any damage or injury caused by the violation.
(9) The degree of incompetence or negligence in the performance of
duties and responsibilities.
(10) The purposes and goals of this chapter and other matters as
may be appropriate.
(c) An order of abatement issued pursuant to this section shall
fix a reasonable time for abatement of the violation. An order of
abatement may require any or all of the following:
(1) The licensee, contractor, or fleet owner to whom the citation
is issued to demonstrate how future compliance with this chapter, and
regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter, will be accomplished.
This demonstration may include, but is not limited to, submission of
a corrective action plan.
(2) The smog check technician to successfully complete one or more
retraining courses prescribed by the department pursuant to
subdivision (c) of Section 44031.5, or successfully complete one or
more advanced retraining courses prescribed by the department, or
both.
(3) The smog check technician to perform no inspection or repair
pursuant to this chapter until training courses prescribed by the
department are successfully completed.
(d) A citation issued pursuant to this section shall be in writing
and shall describe the nature of the violation and the specific
provision of law determined to have been violated. The citation shall
inform in writing the licensee, contractor, or fleet owner of the
right to request a hearing, as described in Section 44051. If a
hearing is not requested, payment of the administrative fine shall
not constitute an admission of the violation charged. If a hearing is
requested, the department shall provide a hearing in accordance with
Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 11500) of Part 1 of Division 3 of
Title 2 of the Government Code, except insofar as those provisions
are inconsistent with the provisions of this article. Payment of the
administrative fine shall be due 30 days after the citation was
issued if a hearing is not requested, or when a final order is
entered if a hearing is requested. The department may enforce the
administrative fine as if it were a money judgment pursuant to Title
9 (commencing with Section 680.010) of Part 2 of the Code of Civil
Procedure.
(e) Failure to comply with an order of abatement or payment of an
administrative fine issued by the department pursuant to this section
is grounds for suspension or revocation of the license, or placing
the licensee on probation.
(f) The department shall adopt regulations to establish
procedures, including a penalty schedule, for assessing fines or
penalties for violations of a requirement of this chapter or a
regulation adopted pursuant to this chapter.
(g) Administrative fines collected pursuant to this section shall
be deposited in the High Polluter Repair or Removal Account within
the Vehicle Inspection and Repair Fund.