Cattle protection.

Existing law requires any person who desires to use a brand in this state to record the brand with the Bureau of Livestock Identification. Existing law provides for the suspension and forfeiture of the right to use a brand under specified circumstances, including, among others, for failure to pay specified fees, and makes it unlawful for any person to use an unrecorded, forfeited, or canceled brand. Existing law requires cattle to be inspected prior to being moved or transported under certain circumstances, including whenever cattle are sold. A person who violates those provisions is liable to the Secretary of Food and Agriculture for a civil penalty, as specified, and a violation of the cattle protection laws is generally a misdemeanor. This bill would prohibit any person who is convicted of grand theft for feloniously stealing a horse, bovine animal, or specified other animals from registering and owning a brand for a period of 5 years following the date of conviction, and would require the secretary to terminate the person's registration. The bill would require a person convicted of the offense specified above to submit to an inspection prior to any movement, transportation, or change in ownership. By expanding the scope of a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law authorizes the secretary to impose a service charge not to exceed $10 for each site at which an inspection is performed, to be deposited in the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund and continuously appropriated to the department for certain purposes relating to cattle protection and livestock. This bill would increase the ceiling amount the secretary is authorized to charge to $12. By increasing the amount of an existing fee, the revenue of which is deposited into a continuously appropriated fund, the bill would make an appropriation. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.