Coastal resources: California Coastal Act of 1976: enforcement: penalties.

The California Coastal Act of 1976 requires a person undertaking development in the coastal zone to obtain a coastal development permit in accordance with prescribed procedures. Existing law authorizes the superior court to impose civil liability on a person who performs or undertakes development that is in violation of the act or that is inconsistent with a previously issued coastal development permit, and on a person who violates the act in any other manner. This bill would authorize, until January 1, 2019, the California Coastal Commission to impose upon a person who violates the act an administrative civil penalty by a majority vote of the commissioners, upon consideration of various factors, and in an amount not to exceed 75% of the maximum civil penalty that may be imposed in the superior court, as specified. The bill would require the penalty to be assessed for each day the violation persists, but for no more than 5 years. This bill would prohibit a person, as defined, from being subject to both this monetary civil liability imposed by the commission and a monetary civil liability imposed by the superior court for the same act or failure to act. The bill, in the event that a person who is assessed a penalty by the commission fails to pay the penalty, fails to comply with a restoration or cease and desist order, or challenges any of these actions in a court of law, would authorize the commission to maintain an action or otherwise engage in judicial proceedings to enforce those requirements and would authorize the court to grant relief, as specified. This bill would also allow the commission to record a lien on the property of a violator in the amount of the penalty assessed by the commission if the violator fails to pay the penalty. The bill would prohibit the assessment of administrative penalties if the homeowner corrects the violations, as specified. The bill would specify that the repeal of the authority to impose a penalty would not terminate the authority of the commission to impose and collect an administrative penalty for a violation for which the commission commenced an enforcement proceeding on a date prior to the repeal date.