Bees: pesticides: civil penalties.

Existing law requires the Director of Pesticide Regulation to adopt regulations necessary to minimize the hazard to bees, while still providing for the reasonable and necessary application of pesticides toxic to bees to blossoming plants, as specified. Under existing law, a failure to comply with those regulations is subject to a civil penalty of not more than $500 for each day that the violation continues and, after a warning notice of 7 days is given, is an infraction. In addition to the civil penalty and infraction described above, this bill would authorize a county agricultural commissioner, in lieu of a civil prosecution by the director, to levy a civil penalty of not more than $3,000 per violation against a person violating those regulations, as specified.