Automobile dismantling: task force.

Existing law makes it unlawful for any person to act as an automobile dismantler without having an established place of business, meeting specified requirements, and having a current, valid license or temporary permit issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles. A violation of this provision is a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine not exceeding $1,000 or by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding 6 months, or by both the fine and imprisonment. The bill would make a violation of this provision punishable by specified fines for the first, 2nd, and 3rd and subsequent violations, ranging from $250 to $1,000. The bill would declare a building or place used for the purpose of automobile dismantling in violation of those requirements for operation to be a public nuisance, as specified, and would authorize a public body, as defined, to seek certain remedies. Existing law provides that the department has no duty to investigate violations of automobile dismantling provisions unless notified by a law enforcement agency of a violation. This bill would repeal this provision. Prior law, which was repealed on January 1, 2020, required the department to collaborate with the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, the California Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Toxic Substances Control, the State Water Resources Control Board, the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, the State Air Resources Board, and the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, to review and coordinate enforcement and compliance activity related to unlicensed and unregulated automobile dismantling, including resulting tax evasion, environmental impacts, and public health impacts. This bill would reenact those provisions, as modified. This bill would require the Department of Motor Vehicles, in consultation with those agencies, on or before January 1, 2024, to submit a report to the Legislature including specified information. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2025.