Section 14300 Of Chapter 1. General Provisions From California Penal Code >> Title 13. >> Part 4. >> Chapter 1.
14300
. (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(1) The enforcement of California's environmental laws is
essential to protect human health, the environment, and the state's
economy.
(2) Fair and uniform enforcement of laws and regulations governing
the environment benefits law abiding businesses, firms, and
individuals.
(3) There is a need to better integrate enforcement of
environmental laws into California's established criminal justice
system.
(4) Local and state enforcement agencies can play an increasingly
important role in protecting human health, the environment, and the
state's economy through greater involvement in the enforcement of
environmental laws.
(5) Prosecuting violators of environmental laws often requires
special training to detect violations, understand complex laws, and
prepare and present complicated enforcement cases.
(6) There is a need to support programs that assist local and
state enforcement officials in prosecuting violations of
environmental laws through the training of peace officers,
investigators, firefighters, public prosecutors, and state and local
environmental regulators.
(7) Fair and uniform enforcement of environmental laws is
multidisciplinary and involves law enforcement, fire departments,
state and local environmental regulators, and the offices of local
and state public prosecutors.
(b) For purposes of this title, the following definitions shall
apply:
(1) "Account" means the Environmental Enforcement and Training
Account created pursuant to Section 14303.
(2) "Commission" means the Commission on Peace Officer Standards
and Training.
(3) "Agency" means the California Environmental Protection Agency.
(4) "Secretary" means the Agency Secretary for the California
Environmental Protection Agency or his or her designee.
(5) "Environmental laws" means state and federal environmental
laws and regulations that impact public health and the environment,
including, but not limited to, those that regulate toxic and
carcinogenic materials, water quality, air quality, waste management,
pesticides, and wildlife resources.
(6) "Public prosecutor" means district attorneys, city attorneys,
city prosecutors, county counsels, and the Attorney General and his
or her deputies.
(7) "Environmental regulator" means an employee of any state or
local agency whose jurisdiction includes implementation, enforcement,
or both implementation and enforcement of environmental laws.
(8) "Environmental enforcement" means the enforcement of
environmental laws.
(c) This title shall be known and may be cited as the
Environmental Enforcement and Training Act of 2002.
(d) It is the intent of the Legislature that the funds to
implement this title, as specified in Section 14314, come from public
and private contributions, and from the proceeds from any
contributed state or federal court judgments, and that no funds be
expended from the General Fund, other than from the Environmental
Enforcement and Training Account, or other funds appropriated to, or
authorized for expenditure by, the agency, to implement this title.
It is the intent of the Legislature that the funds to implement this
title shall be expended only from the account. It is the intent of
the Legislature that funding provided from the account shall
supplement, not supplant existing funding.