State Air Resources Board: alternative actions to assessing penalties.

(1) Existing law subjects violators of air pollution laws to specified civil and administrative penalties. Existing law imposes various duties on the State Air Resources Board relative to the reduction of air pollution. This bill would authorize the state board, in lieu of assessing penalties for a violation of an air pollution control law administered by the state board, to require a person who has violated that law to spend an amount equivalent to the amount that would have been assessed for the violation toward actions to comply with the air pollution control law that was violated or toward a supplemental environmental project, as defined. (2) The California Constitution authorizes the Governor to declare a fiscal emergency and to call the Legislature into special session for that purpose. The Governor issued a proclamation declaring a fiscal emergency, and calling a special session for this purpose, on December 6, 2010. This bill would state that it addresses the fiscal emergency declared by the Governor by proclamation issued on December 6, 2010, pursuant to the California Constitution.