Natural resources: administration.

(1) Existing law prohibits sea cucumbers from being taken, possessed aboard a boat, or landed by a person for commercial purposes except under a valid sea cucumber permit. Existing law authorizes a sea cucumber permit to be transferred if specified conditions are met, including requiring that an application for transfer be submitted to the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the payment of a transfer fee. This bill would require that a sea cucumber permit be valid to be transferred and would require the application for transfer to be in the form of a notarized letter. The bill would authorize, upon the death of a sea cucumber permitholder, a sea cucumber permit to be transferred by the permitholder's heirs, assignees, or estate to a qualified person, as specified. (2) Existing law imposes various civil fines and penalties for a violation of specified provisions of the Fish and Game Code in connection with the production or cultivation of a controlled substance, as defined, on land within the jurisdiction of specified state, local, and federal agencies or within the ownership of a timberland production zone, as prescribed. Existing law also authorizes a peace officer, as described, to stop a vehicle transporting agricultural irrigation supplies, as defined, that are in plain view on a rock road or unpaved road that is located in a county that elects to implement these provisions, and within the jurisdiction of specified state, local, or federal agencies or within the ownership of a timberland production zone and to inspect the bills of lading, shipping, or delivery papers, or other evidence, to determine whether the driver is in legal possession of the load. Existing law authorizes the peace officer, upon reasonable belief that the driver of the vehicle is not in legal possession, to take custody of the vehicle and load and turn them over to the custody of the sheriff of the county in which any of those items are apprehended. This bill would revise these provisions to instead specify their application to lands under the management of these various state, local, and federal agencies. (3) Under existing law, the California Coastal Commission is authorized to amend or adopt rules and regulations related to duties of the commission in accordance with specified provisions of law. Existing law requires the commission to prepare interim procedures for coastal development permit applications and claims of exemption, as specified, including interpretive guidelines to determine how policies of the California Coastal Act are applied in the coastal zone prior to the certification of local coastal programs. This bill would require the interpretive guidelines to also include how the policies are applied through the preparation and amendment of local coastal programs and would make various technical, nonsubstantive changes to these California Coastal Commission provisions. (4) Existing law, the Marine Invasive Species Act, generally applies to a vessel carrying or capable of carrying ballast water into the coastal waters of the state after operating outside of the coastal waters of the state, and to all ballast water and associated sediments taken on the vessel. The act requires the State Lands Commission to adopt specified regulations, including regulations requiring an owner or operator of a vessel carrying, or capable of carrying, ballast water that operates in the waters of the state to comply with an implementation schedule with specified compliance dates. This bill would extend those compliance dates and make technical, nonsubstantive changes to these Marine Invasive Species Act provisions. (5) Under existing law, the Department of Conservation is divided between various entities, including the Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources and the Office of Mine Reclamation. The Surface Mining and Reclamation Act of 1975, administered by the department, prohibits a person, with exceptions, from conducting surface mining operations unless, among other things, a reclamation plan is submitted to and approved by the lead agency for the operation. The act requires every lead agency to adopt ordinances that establish procedures for the review and approval of reclamation plans, and, before approving a reclamation plan, to submit the plan to the Director of Conservation. The act also authorizes the State Mining and Geology Board to designate specific geographic areas of the state as areas of statewide or regional significance, as specified. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to these Department of Conservation provisions.