Fees: business licenses: alcoholic beverages: health permits.

Existing law authorizes cities and counties to license any kind of business, not prohibited by law, transacted and carried on within the limits of its jurisdiction. Cities and counties, pursuant to certain restrictions, may impose a license fee on those businesses. This bill would prohibit cities and counties, including charter cities and counties, from imposing or collecting license fees from restaurants from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021, as provided, and would require the city or county to refund to a restaurant any license fees collected during that period. By imposing new duties on cities and counties with respect to imposing or collecting specified license fees, and by requiring that the fees be refunded, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law, the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, is administered by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and regulates the granting of licenses for the manufacture, distribution, and sale of alcoholic beverages within the state. Existing law imposes various assessments, including annual renewal fees for licenses and permit fees, depending on the type of license issued, and specified surcharges. Existing law authorizes an adjustment of the renewal fees, as provided, and requires these fees and surcharges to be deposited into various funds, including the Alcohol Beverage Control Fund, the Alcoholic Beverage Control Appeals Fund, and the Motor Vehicle Account in the State Transportation Fund. This bill would waive specified permanent license application fees, annual renewal fees, and associated surcharges for applications submitted on or after January 1, 2020, but before January 1, 2022, and would require the department to refund those fees if already paid. The bill would waive specified interim operating permit fees from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021, and would require the department to refund those fees if already paid. The bill would also authorize, subject to specified limitations, the department to adjust specified annual renewal fees on or after January 1, 2022, and each January 1 thereafter, as if the annual renewal fees were adjusted on January 1, 2020, and January 1, 2021. By requiring fees and surcharges to be refunded to licensees from the Alcohol Beverage Control Fund, the Alcoholic Beverage Control Appeals Fund, and the Motor Vehicle Account, this bill would make an appropriation. Existing law, the California Retail Food Code, establishes uniform health and sanitation standards for, and provides for regulation by the State Department of Public Health of, retail food facilities, as defined, and requires local health enforcement agencies to enforce these provisions. The code requires each food facility to have a valid permit to be open for business and requires any fee for the permit to be determined by the local governing body. This bill would require a local enforcement agency to waive or refund the fee, as applicable, for the issuance of a new permit or the renewal of an existing permit from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021. By imposing new duties on local law enforcement agencies with respect to waiving or refunding specified permit fees, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities and counties, including charter cities and counties. 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.