(a) (1) A person who violates any provision of this article shall be subject to a civil penalty not to exceed thirty-seven thousand five hundred dollars ($37,500) for each such action. For a manufacturer or distributor who violates any provision of this article, the payment of the penalty and making the vehicles compliant with applicable emission control laws may be required by the executive officer of the state board as conditions for the continued sale in this state of those motor vehicles.
(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), a dealer, as defined in Section 285 of the Vehicle Code, who violates any provision of this article shall be subject to a civil penalty not to exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for each such action.
(3) The state board shall adjust the maximum penalty specified in paragraphs (1) and (2) for inflation based on the California Consumer Price Index. The adjustment shall be exempt from the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code).
(b) Any action to recover a penalty under this section shall be brought in the name of the people of the State of California in the superior court of the county where the violation occurred, or in the county where the defendant’s residence or principal place of business is located, by the Attorney General on behalf of the state board, in which event all penalties adjudged by the court shall be deposited in the Air Pollution Control Fund, or by the district attorney or county attorney of that county, or by the city attorney of a city in that county, in which event all penalties adjudged by the court shall be deposited with the treasurer of the county or city, as the case may be.
(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 604, Sec. 3. (AB 1685) Effective January 1, 2017.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018