42425.1. (a) The department may impose an administrative civil penalty on a producer, program operator, stewardship organization, manufacturer, distributor, retailer, importer, recycler, or collection site that is in violation of this chapter. The amount of the administrative civil penalty shall not exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000) per day, but, if the violation is intentional, knowing, or reckless, the department may impose an administrative civil penalty of not more than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) per day. The department shall establish, through regulations adopted by the department pursuant to Section 42420.2, a process that shall include an informal hearing process by which the penalties will be assessed.
(b) The department shall deposit all penalties collected pursuant to this section into the Covered Battery Recycling Penalty Account, which is hereby created in the Covered Battery Recycling Fund. These moneys shall be available for expenditure upon appropriation by the Legislature.
(c) This chapter does not limit or restrict the Department of Toxic Substances Control’s enforcement authority pursuant to Chapter 6.5 (commencing with Section 25100) of Division 20 of the Health and Safety Code and its implementing regulations.
(d) The Administrative Adjudication Bill of Rights, as set forth in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 11425.10) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, applies to hearings conducted under this chapter and mandates minimum due process.
(Added by Stats. 2022, Ch. 351, Sec. 1. (AB 2440) Effective January 1, 2023.)