Assembly Bill No. 2747

CHAPTER 913

An act to amend Sections 56.06, 1633.3, 1936, and 1942.2 of the Civil Code, to amend Sections 415.46, 1174.25, 1174.3, 1501.5, 1571, and 2025.510 of the Code of Civil Procedure, to amend Sections 912, 917, and 1038.2 of the Evidence Code, to amend Section 504 of the Family Code, to amend Sections 831.7, 6103, 8214.15, 60371, 68085.1, 68631, and 68632 of, to add Section 68631.5 to, and to repeal Section 1456 of, the Government Code, to amend Section 1569.698 of the Health and Safety Code, to amend Section 11163.3 of the Penal Code, to amend Sections 1513.1, 1811, 1812, 1813, 1851.5, 2356.5, 6401, and 6402 of the Probate Code, to amend Section 21189.2 of the Public Resources Code, and to repeal Chapter 4.2 (commencing with Section 10830) of Part 2 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to civil law.

[Approved by Governor September 30, 2014. Filed with Secretary of State September 30, 2014.]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 2747, Committee on Judiciary. Civil law: omnibus bill.

(1) Existing law, the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, generally allows parties to contract to conduct transactions by electronic means and imposes specified requirements on electronic transactions. That act does not apply to specific transactions, including a transaction regarding security for a rental agreement for residential property that is used as the dwelling of the tenant.

This bill would remove those security transactions from the list of transactions to which the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act does not apply.

(2) Existing law governs contracts between vehicle rental companies and their customers. Existing law, until January 1, 2015, requires a rental company or its registered agent to accept service of a summons and complaint and any other required documents against a renter who resides out of this country for an accident or collision resulting from the operation of the rental vehicle in this state, if the rental company provides liability insurance coverage as part of, or associated with, the rental agreement. Existing law requires any plaintiff who elects to serve the foreign renter by delivering the summons and complaint and any other required documents to the rental company pursuant to these provisions to agree to limit his or her recovery against the foreign renter and rental company to the limits of the protection of the liability insurance.

This bill would extend these requirements until January 1, 2020.

(3) Existing law governs the obligations of tenants and landlords under a lease or tenancy. Existing law authorizes a tenant who has made a payment to a public utility or publicly owned utility to deduct the amount of the payment from the rent when due, as specified.

This bill would additionally authorize a tenant who has made a payment to a district for public utility service to deduct the amount of the payment from the rent when due, as specified.

Existing law provides that whenever a district, as defined, furnishes residential light, heat, water, or power through a master meter, or furnishes individually metered service in a multiunit residential structure, mobilehome park, or farm labor camp where the owner, manager, or farm labor employer is listed by the district as the customer of record, the district is required to make every good faith effort to inform the actual users of the services, by means of a specified notice, when the account is in arrears, that service will be terminated at least 10 days prior to termination and further provides for the district to make service available to actual users who are willing and able to assume responsibility for the entire account.

This bill would additionally require a district to provide that notice to actual users in a single-family dwelling. The bill would require that the notice be written in English, Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Korean. The bill would instead provide for the district to make service available to actual users who are willing and able to assume responsibility for subsequent charges to the account. By imposing on special districts additional requirements regarding termination of residential utility service, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

(4) Existing law generally provides, in an unlawful detainer action, that if an owner or owner’s agent has obtained service of a prejudgment claim of right to possession, as specified, no occupant of the premises, whether or not that occupant is named in the judgment for possession, may object to the enforcement of the judgment against that occupant by filing a claim of right to possession as prescribed. Existing law provides, in any action for unlawful detainer resulting from a foreclosure sale of a rental housing unit pursuant to specified provisions, that the above provisions regarding objection to the enforcement of a judgment do not limit the right of a tenant or subtenant to file a prejudgment claim of right of possession or to object to enforcement of a judgment for possession by filing a claim of right to possession, regardless of whether the tenant or subtenant was served with a prejudgment claim of right to possession, as specified. Existing law includes the forms for claim of right to possession and for service of a prejudgment claim of right to possession.

This bill, with regard to the foreclosure sale provision in existing law, would make conforming changes to statutory provisions and statutory forms regarding claim of right to possession and prejudgment claim of right to possession.

(5) Existing law, known as the Unclaimed Property Law, provides for the escheat to the state of, among other property, certain personal property held or owing in the ordinary course of the holder’s business. Existing law declares the intent of the Legislature to adopt a more expansive notification component as part of the unclaimed property program that has a waiting period of not less than 18 months from delivery of property to the state prior to disposal of any unclaimed property deemed to have no commercial value. The Unclaimed Property Law also vests the Commissioner of Financial Institutions with full authority to examine the records of any banking organization and any savings association doing business within this state for the purposes of determining compliance pursuant to its provisions.

This bill would modify the declaration of legislative intent to provide for a 7-year waiting period from delivery of property to the state prior to the disposal of unclaimed property. The bill would also update an obsolete reference.

(6) Existing law requires the party noticing a deposition to bear the cost of stenographically transcribing the deposition, unless the court, on motion and for good cause shown, orders that the cost be borne or shared by another party. Existing law provides that any other party or the deponent is authorized to obtain a copy of the transcript at the expense of that party or deponent. Existing law requires the requesting attorney or party appearing in propria persona to timely pay the deposition officer or the entity providing the services of the deposition officer for the transcription or copy of the transcription and any other requested deposition product or service, as defined.

This bill would prohibit a specified court ruling from being construed to alter the standards by which a court acquires personal jurisdiction over a nonparty to an action.

(7) Existing law governs the admissibility of evidence in court proceedings and permits a person to claim an evidentiary privilege for confidential communications between that person and a specified individual, including, but not limited to, a lawyer, physician, clergy member, sexual assault counselor, and domestic violence counselor, among others, and the communication is presumed to have been made in confidence with the burden lying with the opponent of the claim of privilege to rebut the presumption. Existing law also recognizes a lawyer referral service-client privilege and a human trafficking caseworker-victim privilege, but does not extend the presumption of confidentiality to communications between those parties. Existing law provides that the right to claim the evidentiary privilege for confidential communications is waived if any holder of the privilege has, without coercion, disclosed a significant part of the communication or consented to disclosure of the communication, as specified.

This bill would provide that the communications made between a client and a lawyer referral service, and between a victim and a human trafficking counselor, are also presumed to be confidential, such that the opponent of the privilege would have the burden to rebut the presumption. The bill would also provide that the evidentiary privilege for confidential communications made between a victim, as defined, and a human trafficking counselor are presumed to have been made in confidence, and would apply the above-described waiver provision to the disclosure of those communications. The bill would also make technical, nonsubstantive changes to these provisions.

(8) Existing law authorizes the county clerk to issue a confidential marriage license upon the personal appearance together of the parties to be married, except as specified, and their payment of certain fees. Existing law provides that a confidential marriage license is valid only for a period of 90 days after its issuance by the county clerk and requires that it be used only in the county in which it was issued.

This bill would delete the requirement that a confidential marriage license only be used in the county in which it was issued.

(9) Existing law governs the tort liability and immunity of, and claims and actions against, a public entity. Existing law provides that neither a public entity nor a public employee is liable to a person who participates in a hazardous recreational activity, defined to include, among other things, bicycle racing or jumping and mountain bicycling.

This bill would include bicycle motocross within the definition of a hazardous recreational activity.

(10) Existing law requires the official bond of the Secretary of State to be filed in the office of the Treasurer after it is recorded.

This bill would repeal that provision.

(11) Existing law exempts the state, any county, city, district, or other political subdivision, any public officer or body, acting in his or her official capacity on behalf of the state, county, city, district, or other district or other political subdivision, from paying or depositing any fee for the filing of any document or paper, for the performance of any official service, or for the filing of any stipulation or agreement which may constitute an appearance in any court by any other party to the stipulation or agreement, except as specified.

Existing law requires the property of a decedent’s estate to be appraised by a probate referee, the personal representative of the estate, or an independent expert, as specified. Existing law provides that, upon designation by the court, a probate referee has all the powers of a referee of the superior court.

This bill would specify that a probate referee is included within the exemption described above.

(12) Existing law authorizes the Secretary of State to appoint and commission notaries public in such number as the secretary deems necessary for the public convenience. Existing law authorizes the secretary to refuse to appoint any person as notary public or to revoke or suspend the commission of any notary public upon specified grounds. Existing law also makes specified violations by a notary public punishable by a civil penalty not to exceed $750 or $1,500.

This bill would make a willful failure by a notary public to discharge fully and faithfully any of the duties or responsibilities of a notary public punishable by a civil fine not to exceed $1,500.

(13) Existing law requires the court to grant a fee waiver to an applicant at any stage of the proceedings at both the appellate and trial court levels if the applicant meets specified standards of eligibility and application requirements, including a person who is receiving certain public benefits, such as Supplemental Security Income. An initial fee waiver excuses the applicant from paying fees for the first pleading or other paper, and other court fees and costs, unless the court orders the applicant to make partial payments, as specified.

This bill would authorize the court, upon the establishment of a conservatorship or guardianship, to collect all or part of any fees waived from the estate of the conservatee or ward if the court finds that the estate has the ability to pay the fees, or a portion thereof, immediately, over a period of time, or under an equitable agreement, without using moneys that normally would pay for the common necessaries of life for the applicant and the applicant’s family. This bill would provide, for the purposes of these provisions for fee waivers, that an “applicant” is deemed to be a conservatee, ward, or person for whom a conservatorship or guardianship is sought, and “petitioner” is deemed to be the conservator, guardian, or person or persons seeking to establish the conservatorship or guardianship. This bill would permit a person who files a petition for appointment of a fiduciary in a guardianship or conservatorship, or files pleadings as the appointed fiduciary of a conservatee or ward, when the financial condition of the conservatee or ward meets the standards for a fee waiver, to proceed without paying court fees and costs. This bill would also clarify that assessments for specified court investigations for the establishment of a conservatorship or guardianship are included as court fees and costs to be excused under an initial fee waiver.

(14) Existing law authorizes a county to establish an interagency domestic violence death review team to assist local agencies in identifying and reviewing domestic violence deaths, and authorizes the confidential disclosure by an individual or agency of written or oral information, including those that are subject to the evidentiary privilege for confidential communications, as specified.

This bill would authorize the confidential disclosure of communications protected by the human trafficking caseworker-victim privilege. The bill would also revise a cross-reference in this provision.

(15) Existing law governs the disposal of a decedent’s estate by intestate succession and declares that the surviving spouse or surviving domestic partner is entitled to a specified share of the decedent’s separate property that is not effectively disposed of by will.

This bill would delete the reference to a surviving domestic partner from this provision.

(16) The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of, an environmental impact report (EIR) on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment.

CEQA establishes procedures for creating the administrative record and judicial review procedure for any action or proceeding brought to challenge the lead agency’s decision to certify the EIR or to grant project approvals.

The Jobs and Economic Improvement Through Environmental Leadership Act of 2011 establishes, until January 1, 2017, alternative procedures for creating the administrative record and specified judicial review procedures for the judicial review of the EIR and approvals granted for a leadership project related to the development of a residential, retail, commercial, sports, cultural, entertainment, or recreational use project, or clean renewable energy or clean energy manufacturing project. The act authorizes the Governor, upon application, to certify a leadership project for streamlining pursuant to the act if certain conditions are met. The act requires the Judicial Council to report to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2015, on the effects of the act, including specific information on benefits, costs, and detriments.

The bill would require instead that the Judicial Council report to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2017, on the effects of the act on the administration of justice.

(17) Existing law requires each county to provide cash assistance and other social services to needy families through the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program using federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families block grant program, state, and county funds. Under the CalWORKs program, a county may make a restricted payment directly to a vendor when a recipient of homeless assistance benefits has mismanaged funds or has requested the restricted payment.

Existing law authorizes a county, or 2 or more counties, to implement 3-year CalWORKs demonstration projects to test alternative methods of service delivery, if the county receives approval from the Director of Social Services. Existing law also specifically authorizes the director to conduct a demonstration project in Kern County pertaining to restricted payments under the CalWORKs program. Existing law limits the duration of this demonstration project to a period of not more than 3 years.

This bill would repeal the provisions authorizing that demonstration project in Kern County.

(18) The bill would also make technical, nonsubstantive changes to provisions relating to the courts, health facilities, and conservatorships.

(19) This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 1936 of the Civil Code proposed by AB 1981 that would become operative if this bill and AB 1981 are both enacted and this bill is enacted last.

(20) 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

It is the intent of the Legislature in amending Sections 415.46, 1174.25, and 1174.3 of the Code of Civil Procedure to appropriately update statutory language and statutory forms to properly reflect the changes to law enacted by Assembly Bill 2610, Chapter 562 of the Statutes of 2012.

SEC. 2.  

Section 56.06 of the Civil Code is amended to read:

56.06.  

(a) Any business organized for the purpose of maintaining medical information, as defined in subdivision (g) of Section 56.05, in order to make the information available to an individual or to a provider of health care at the request of the individual or a provider of health care, for purposes of allowing the individual to manage his or her information, or for the diagnosis and treatment of the individual, shall be deemed to be a provider of health care subject to the requirements of this part. However, nothing in this section shall be construed to make a business specified in this subdivision a provider of health care for purposes of any law other than this part, including laws that specifically incorporate by reference the definitions of this part.

(b) Any business that offers software or hardware to consumers, including a mobile application or other related device that is designed to maintain medical information, as defined in subdivision (j) of Section 56.05, in order to make the information available to an individual or a provider of health care at the request of the individual or a provider of health care, for purposes of allowing the individual to manage his or her information, or for the diagnosis, treatment, or management of a medical condition of the individual, shall be deemed to be a provider of health care subject to the requirements of this part. However, nothing in this section shall be construed to make a business specified in this subdivision a provider of health care for purposes of any law other than this part, including laws that specifically incorporate by reference the definitions of this part.

(c) Any business described in subdivision (a) or (b) shall maintain the same standards of confidentiality required of a provider of health care with respect to medical information disclosed to the business.

(d) Any business described in subdivision (a) or (b) shall be subject to the penalties for improper use and disclosure of medical information prescribed in this part.

SEC. 3.  

Section 1633.3 of the Civil Code, as amended by Section 16.5 of Chapter 605 of the Statutes of 2013, is amended to read:

1633.3.  

(a) Except as otherwise provided in subdivisions (b) and (c), this title applies to electronic records and electronic signatures relating to a transaction.

(b) This title does not apply to transactions subject to the following laws:

(1) A law governing the creation and execution of wills, codicils, or testamentary trusts.

(2) Division 1 (commencing with Section 1101) of the Uniform Commercial Code, except Sections 1206 and 1306.

(3) Divisions 3 (commencing with Section 3101), 4 (commencing with Section 4101), 5 (commencing with Section 5101), 8 (commencing with Section 8101), 9 (commencing with Section 9101), and 11 (commencing with Section 11101) of the Uniform Commercial Code.

(4) A law that requires that specifically identifiable text or disclosures in a record or a portion of a record be separately signed, including initialed, from the record. However, this paragraph does not apply to Section 1677 or 1678 of this code or Section 1298 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

(c) This title does not apply to any specific transaction described in Section 17511.5 of the Business and Professions Code, Section 56.11, 56.17, 798.14, 1133, or 1134 of, Section 1689.6, 1689.7, or 1689.13 of, Chapter 2.5 (commencing with Section 1695) of Title 5 of Part 2 of Division 3 of, Section 1720, 1785.15, 1789.14, 1789.16, or 1793.23 of, Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 1801) of Title 2 of Part 4 of Division 3 of, Section 1861.24, 1862.5, 1917.712, 1917.713, 1950.6, 1983, 2924b, 2924c, 2924f, 2924i, 2924j, 2924.3, or 2937 of, Article 1.5 (commencing with Section 2945) of Chapter 2 of Title 14 of Part 4 of Division 3 of, Section 2954.5 or 2963 of, Chapter 2b (commencing with Section 2981) or 2d (commencing with Section 2985.7) of Title 14 of Part 4 of Division 3 of, Section 3071.5 of, Part 5 (commencing with Section 4000) of Division 4 of, or Part 5.3 (commencing with Section 6500) of Division 4 of this code, subdivision (b) of Section 18608 or Section 22328 of the Financial Code, Section 1358.15, 1365, 1368.01, 1368.1, 1371, or 18035.5 of the Health and Safety Code, Section 662, paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 663, 664, 667.5, 673, 677, paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 678, subdivisions (a) and (b) of Section 678.1, Section 786, 10113.7, 10127.7, 10127.9, 10127.10, 10192.18, 10199.44, 10199.46, 10235.16, 10235.40, 10509.4, 10509.7, 11624.09, or 11624.1 of the Insurance Code, Section 779.1, 10010.1, or 16482 of the Public Utilities Code, or Section 9975 or 11738 of the Vehicle Code. An electronic record may not be substituted for any notice that is required to be sent pursuant to Section 1162 of the Code of Civil Procedure. Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed to prohibit the recordation of any document with a county recorder by electronic means.

(d) This title applies to an electronic record or electronic signature otherwise excluded from the application of this title under subdivision (b) when used for a transaction subject to a law other than those specified in subdivision (b).

(e) A transaction subject to this title is also subject to other applicable substantive law.

(f) The exclusion of a transaction from the application of this title under subdivision (b) or (c) shall be construed only to exclude the transaction from the application of this title, but shall not be construed to prohibit the transaction from being conducted by electronic means if the transaction may be conducted by electronic means under any other applicable law.

(g) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2019, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2019, deletes or extends that date.

SEC. 4.  

Section 1633.3 of the Civil Code, as added by Section 3 of Chapter 369 of the Statutes of 2013, is amended to read:

1633.3.  

(a) Except as otherwise provided in subdivisions (b) and (c), this title applies to electronic records and electronic signatures relating to a transaction.

(b) This title does not apply to transactions subject to the following laws:

(1) A law governing the creation and execution of wills, codicils, or testamentary trusts.

(2) Division 1 (commencing with Section 1101) of the Uniform Commercial Code, except Sections 1206 and 1306.

(3) Divisions 3 (commencing with Section 3101), 4 (commencing with Section 4101), 5 (commencing with Section 5101), 8 (commencing with Section 8101), 9 (commencing with Section 9101), and 11 (commencing with Section 11101) of the Uniform Commercial Code.

(4) A law that requires that specifically identifiable text or disclosures in a record or a portion of a record be separately signed, including initialed, from the record. However, this paragraph does not apply to Section 1677 or 1678 of this code or Section 1298 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

(c) This title does not apply to any specific transaction described in Section 17511.5 of the Business and Professions Code, Section 56.11, 56.17, 798.14, 1133, or 1134 of, Section 1689.6, 1689.7, or 1689.13 of, Chapter 2.5 (commencing with Section 1695) of Title 5 of Part 2 of Division 3 of, Section 1720, 1785.15, 1789.14, 1789.16, or 1793.23 of, Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 1801) of Title 2 of Part 4 of Division 3 of, Section 1861.24, 1862.5, 1917.712, 1917.713, 1950.6, 1983, 2924b, 2924c, 2924f, 2924i, 2924j, 2924.3, or 2937 of, Article 1.5 (commencing with Section 2945) of Chapter 2 of Title 14 of Part 4 of Division 3 of, Section 2954.5 or 2963 of, Chapter 2b (commencing with Section 2981) or 2d (commencing with Section 2985.7) of Title 14 of Part 4 of Division 3 of, Section 3071.5 of Part 5 (commencing with Section 4000) of Division 4 of, or Part 5.3 (commencing with Section 6500) of Division 4 of this code, subdivision (b) of Section 18608 or Section 22328 of the Financial Code, Section 1358.15, 1365, 1368.01, 1368.1, 1371, or 18035.5 of the Health and Safety Code, Section 662, 663, 664, 667.5, 673, 677, 678, 678.1, 786, 10086, 10113.7, 10127.7, 10127.9, 10127.10, 10192.18, 10199.44, 10199.46, 10235.16, 10235.40, 10509.4, 10509.7, 11624.09, or 11624.1 of the Insurance Code, Section 779.1, 10010.1, or 16482 of the Public Utilities Code, or Section 9975 or 11738 of the Vehicle Code. An electronic record may not be substituted for any notice that is required to be sent pursuant to Section 1162 of the Code of Civil Procedure. Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed to prohibit the recordation of any document with a county recorder by electronic means.

(d) This title applies to an electronic record or electronic signature otherwise excluded from the application of this title under subdivision (b) when used for a transaction subject to a law other than those specified in subdivision (b).

(e) A transaction subject to this title is also subject to other applicable substantive law.

(f) The exclusion of a transaction from the application of this title under subdivision (b) or (c) shall be construed only to exclude the transaction from the application of this title, but shall not be construed to prohibit the transaction from being conducted by electronic means if the transaction may be conducted by electronic means under any other applicable law.

(g) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2019.

SEC. 5.  

Section 1936 of the Civil Code, as amended by Section 1 of Chapter 549 of the Statutes of 2013, is amended to read:

1936.  

(a) For the purpose of this section, the following definitions shall apply:

(1) “Rental company” means a person or entity in the business of renting passenger vehicles to the public.

(2) “Renter” means any person in a manner obligated under a contract for the lease or hire of a passenger vehicle from a rental company for a period of less than 30 days.

(3) “Authorized driver” means (A) the renter, (B) the renter’s spouse if that person is a licensed driver and satisfies the rental company’s minimum age requirement, (C) the renter’s employer or coworker if he or she is engaged in business activity with the renter, is a licensed driver, and satisfies the rental company’s minimum age requirement, and (D) a person expressly listed by the rental company on the renter’s contract as an authorized driver.

(4) (A) “Customer facility charge” means any fee, including an alternative fee, required by an airport to be collected by a rental company from a renter for any of the following purposes:

(i) To finance, design, and construct consolidated airport car rental facilities.

(ii) To finance, design, construct, and operate common-use transportation systems that move passengers between airport terminals and those consolidated car rental facilities, and acquire vehicles for use in that system.

(iii) To finance, design, and construct terminal modifications solely to accommodate and provide customer access to common-use transportation systems.

(B) The aggregate amount to be collected shall not exceed the reasonable costs, as determined by an audit, by an independent auditor, paid for by the airport, to finance, design, and construct those facilities. The auditor shall independently examine and substantiate the necessity for and the amount of the customer facility charge, including whether the airport’s actual or projected costs are supported and justified, any steps the airport may take to limit costs, potential alternatives for meeting the airport’s revenue needs other than the collection of the fee, and whether and to what extent car rental companies or other businesses or individuals using the facility or common-use transportation system may pay for the costs associated with these facilities and systems other than the fee from rental customers, or whether the airport did not comply with any provision of this subparagraph. Copies of the audit shall be provided to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Judiciary, the Assembly Committee on Transportation, and the Senate Committee on Transportation and Housing and shall be posted on the airport’s Internet Web site. In the case of a customer facility charge for a common-use transportation system, the audit also shall consider the reasonable costs of providing the transit system or busing network pursuant to clause (ii) of subparagraph (A). Any audit required by this subparagraph may be included as a part of an audit of an airport’s finances. Notwithstanding clause (iii) of subparagraph (A), the fees designated as a customer facility charge shall not be used to pay for terminal expansion, gate expansion, runway expansion, changes in hours of operation, or changes in the number of flights arriving or departing from the airport.

(C) Except as provided in subparagraph (D), the authorization given pursuant to this section for an airport to impose a customer facility charge shall become inoperative when the bonds used for financing are paid.

(D) If a bond or other form of indebtedness is not used for financing, or the bond or other form of indebtedness used for financing has been paid, the Oakland International Airport may require the collection of a customer facility charge for a period of up to 10 years from the imposition of the charge for the purposes allowed by, and subject to the conditions imposed by, this section.

(5) “Damage waiver” means a rental company’s agreement not to hold a renter liable for all or any portion of any damage or loss related to the rented vehicle, any loss of use of the rented vehicle, or any storage, impound, towing, or administrative charges.

(6) “Electronic surveillance technology” means a technological method or system used to observe, monitor, or collect information, including telematics, Global Positioning System (GPS), wireless technology, or location-based technologies. “Electronic surveillance technology” does not include event data recorders (EDR), sensing and diagnostic modules (SDM), or other systems that are used either:

(A) For the purpose of identifying, diagnosing, or monitoring functions related to the potential need to repair, service, or perform maintenance on the rental vehicle.

(B) As part of the vehicle’s airbag sensing and diagnostic system in order to capture safety systems-related data for retrieval after a crash has occurred or in the event that the collision sensors are activated to prepare the decisionmaking computer to make the determination to deploy or not to deploy the airbag.

(7) “Estimated time for replacement” means the number of hours of labor, or fraction thereof, needed to replace damaged vehicle parts as set forth in collision damage estimating guides generally used in the vehicle repair business and commonly known as “crash books.”

(8) “Estimated time for repair” means a good faith estimate of the reasonable number of hours of labor, or fraction thereof, needed to repair damaged vehicle parts.

(9) “Membership program” means a service offered by a rental company that permits customers to bypass the rental counter and go directly to the car previously reserved. A membership program shall meet all of the following requirements:

(A) The renter initiates enrollment by completing an application on which the renter can specify a preference for type of vehicle and acceptance or declination of optional services.

(B) The rental company fully discloses, prior to the enrollee’s first rental as a participant in the program, all terms and conditions of the rental agreement as well as all required disclosures.

(C) The renter may terminate enrollment at any time.

(D) The rental company fully explains to the renter that designated preferences, as well as acceptance or declination of optional services, may be changed by the renter at any time for the next and future rentals.

(E) An employee designated to receive the form specified in subparagraph (C) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (t) is present at the lot where the renter takes possession of the car, to receive any change in the rental agreement from the renter.

(10) “Passenger vehicle” means a passenger vehicle as defined in Section 465 of the Vehicle Code.

(b) Except as limited by subdivision (c), a rental company and a renter may agree that the renter will be responsible for no more than all of the following:

(1) Physical or mechanical damage to the rented vehicle up to its fair market value, as determined in the customary market for the sale of that vehicle, resulting from collision regardless of the cause of the damage.

(2) Loss due to theft of the rented vehicle up to its fair market value, as determined in the customary market for the sale of that vehicle, provided that the rental company establishes by clear and convincing evidence that the renter or the authorized driver failed to exercise ordinary care while in possession of the vehicle. In addition, the renter shall be presumed to have no liability for any loss due to theft if (A) an authorized driver has possession of the ignition key furnished by the rental company or an authorized driver establishes that the ignition key furnished by the rental company was not in the vehicle at the time of the theft, and (B) an authorized driver files an official report of the theft with the police or other law enforcement agency within 24 hours of learning of the theft and reasonably cooperates with the rental company and the police or other law enforcement agency in providing information concerning the theft. The presumption set forth in this paragraph is a presumption affecting the burden of proof which the rental company may rebut by establishing that an authorized driver committed, or aided and abetted the commission of, the theft.

(3) Physical damage to the rented vehicle up to its fair market value, as determined in the customary market for the sale of that vehicle, resulting from vandalism occurring after, or in connection with, the theft of the rented vehicle. However, the renter shall have no liability for any damage due to vandalism if the renter would have no liability for theft pursuant to paragraph (2).

(4) Physical damage to the rented vehicle up to a total of five hundred dollars ($500) resulting from vandalism unrelated to the theft of the rented vehicle.

(5) Actual charges for towing, storage, and impound fees paid by the rental company if the renter is liable for damage or loss.

(6) An administrative charge, which shall include the cost of appraisal and all other costs and expenses incident to the damage, loss, repair, or replacement of the rented vehicle.

(c) The total amount of the renter’s liability to the rental company resulting from damage to the rented vehicle shall not exceed the sum of the following:

(1) The estimated cost of parts which the rental company would have to pay to replace damaged vehicle parts. All discounts and price reductions or adjustments that are or will be received by the rental company shall be subtracted from the estimate to the extent not already incorporated in the estimate, or otherwise promptly credited or refunded to the renter.

(2) The estimated cost of labor to replace damaged vehicle parts, which shall not exceed the product of (A) the rate for labor usually paid by the rental company to replace vehicle parts of the type that were damaged and (B) the estimated time for replacement. All discounts and price reductions or adjustments that are or will be received by the rental company shall be subtracted from the estimate to the extent not already incorporated in the estimate, or otherwise promptly credited or refunded to the renter.

(3) (A) The estimated cost of labor to repair damaged vehicle parts, which shall not exceed the lesser of the following:

(i) The product of the rate for labor usually paid by the rental company to repair vehicle parts of the type that were damaged and the estimated time for repair.

(ii) The sum of the estimated labor and parts costs determined under paragraphs (1) and (2) to replace the same vehicle parts.

(B) All discounts and price reductions or adjustments that are or will be received by the rental company shall be subtracted from the estimate to the extent not already incorporated in the estimate, or otherwise promptly credited or refunded to the renter.

(4) For the purpose of converting the estimated time for repair into the same units of time in which the rental rate is expressed, a day shall be deemed to consist of eight hours.

(5) Actual charges for towing, storage, and impound fees paid by the rental company.

(6) The administrative charge described in paragraph (6) of subdivision (b) shall not exceed (A) fifty dollars ($50) if the total estimated cost for parts and labor is more than one hundred dollars ($100) up to and including five hundred dollars ($500), (B) one hundred dollars ($100) if the total estimated cost for parts and labor exceeds five hundred dollars ($500) up to and including one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500), and (C) one hundred fifty dollars ($150) if the total estimated cost for parts and labor exceeds one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500). An administrative charge shall not be imposed if the total estimated cost of parts and labor is one hundred dollars ($100) or less.

(d) (1) The total amount of an authorized driver’s liability to the rental company, if any, for damage occurring during the authorized driver’s operation of the rented vehicle shall not exceed the amount of the renter’s liability under subdivision (c).

(2) A rental company shall not recover from the renter or other authorized driver an amount exceeding the renter’s liability under subdivision (c).

(3) A claim against a renter resulting from damage or loss, excluding loss of use, to a rental vehicle shall be reasonably and rationally related to the actual loss incurred. A rental company shall mitigate damages where possible and shall not assert or collect a claim for physical damage which exceeds the actual costs of the repairs performed or the estimated cost of repairs, if the rental company chooses not to repair the vehicle, including all discounts and price reductions. However, if the vehicle is a total loss vehicle, the claim shall not exceed the total loss vehicle value established in accordance with procedures that are customarily used by insurance companies when paying claims on total loss vehicles, less the proceeds from salvaging the vehicle, if those proceeds are retained by the rental company.

(4) If insurance coverage exists under the renter’s applicable personal or business insurance policy and the coverage is confirmed during regular business hours, the renter may require that the rental company submit any claims to the renter’s applicable personal or business insurance carrier. The rental company shall not make any written or oral representations that it will not present claims or negotiate with the renter’s insurance carrier. For purposes of this paragraph, confirmation of coverage includes telephone confirmation from insurance company representatives during regular business hours. Upon request of the renter and after confirmation of coverage, the amount of claim shall be resolved between the insurance carrier and the rental company. The renter shall remain responsible for payment to the rental car company for any loss sustained that the renter’s applicable personal or business insurance policy does not cover.

(5) A rental company shall not recover from the renter or other authorized driver for an item described in subdivision (b) to the extent the rental company obtains recovery from another person.

(6) This section applies only to the maximum liability of a renter or other authorized driver to the rental company resulting from damage to the rented vehicle and not to the liability of another person.

(e) (1) Except as provided in subdivision (f), a damage waiver shall provide or, if not expressly stated in writing, shall be deemed to provide that the renter has no liability for a damage, loss, loss of use, or a cost or expense incident thereto.

(2) Except as provided in subdivision (f), every limitation, exception, or exclusion to a damage waiver is void and unenforceable.

(f) A rental company may provide in the rental contract that a damage waiver does not apply under any of the following circumstances:

(1) Damage or loss results from an authorized driver’s (A) intentional, willful, wanton, or reckless conduct, (B) operation of the vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol in violation of Section 23152 of the Vehicle Code, (C) towing or pushing anything, or (D) operation of the vehicle on an unpaved road if the damage or loss is a direct result of the road or driving conditions.

(2) Damage or loss occurs while the vehicle is (A) used for commercial hire, (B) used in connection with conduct that could be properly charged as a felony, (C) involved in a speed test or contest or in driver training activity, (D) operated by a person other than an authorized driver, or (E) operated outside the United States.

(3) An authorized driver who has (A) provided fraudulent information to the rental company, or (B) provided false information and the rental company would not have rented the vehicle if it had instead received true information.

(g) (1) A rental company that offers or provides a damage waiver for any consideration in addition to the rental rate shall clearly and conspicuously disclose the following information in the rental contract or holder in which the contract is placed and, also, in signs posted at the place, such as the counter, where the renter signs the rental contract, and, for renters who are enrolled in the rental company’s membership program, in a sign that shall be posted in a location clearly visible to those renters as they enter the location where their reserved rental cars are parked or near the exit of the bus or other conveyance that transports the enrollee to a reserved car: (A) the nature of the renter’s liability, such as liability for all collision damage regardless of cause, (B) the extent of the renter’s liability, such as liability for damage or loss up to a specified amount, (C) the renter’s personal insurance policy or the credit card used to pay for the car rental transaction may provide coverage for all or a portion of the renter’s potential liability, (D) the renter should consult with his or her insurer to determine the scope of insurance coverage, including the amount of the deductible, if any, for which the renter is obligated, (E) the renter may purchase an optional damage waiver to cover all liability, subject to whatever exceptions the rental company expressly lists that are permitted under subdivision (f), and (F) the range of charges for the damage waiver.

(2) In addition to the requirements of paragraph (1), a rental company that offers or provides a damage waiver shall orally disclose to all renters, except those who are participants in the rental company’s membership program, that the damage waiver may be duplicative of coverage that the customer maintains under his or her own policy of motor vehicle insurance. The renter’s receipt of the oral disclosure shall be demonstrated through the renter’s acknowledging receipt of the oral disclosure near that part of the contract where the renter indicates, by the renter’s own initials, his or her acceptance or declination of the damage waiver. Adjacent to that same part, the contract also shall state that the damage waiver is optional. Further, the contract for these renters shall include a clear and conspicuous written disclosure that the damage waiver may be duplicative of coverage that the customer maintains under his or her own policy of motor vehicle insurance.

(3) The following is an example, for purposes of illustration and not limitation, of a notice fulfilling the requirements of paragraph (1) for a rental company that imposes liability on the renter for collision damage to the full value of the vehicle:

“NOTICE ABOUT YOUR FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND OPTIONAL DAMAGE WAIVER

You are responsible for all collision damage to the rented vehicle even if someone else caused it or the cause is unknown. You are responsible for the cost of repair up to the value of the vehicle, and towing, storage, and impound fees.

Your own insurance, or the issuer of the credit card you use to pay for the car rental transaction, may cover all or part of your financial responsibility for the rented vehicle. You should check with your insurance company, or credit card issuer, to find out about your coverage and the amount of the deductible, if any, for which you may be liable.

Further, if you use a credit card that provides coverage for your potential liability, you should check with the issuer to determine if you must first exhaust the coverage limits of your own insurance before the credit card coverage applies.

The rental company will not hold you responsible if you buy a damage waiver. But a damage waiver will not protect you if (list exceptions).”


(A) When the above notice is printed in the rental contract or holder in which the contract is placed, the following shall be printed immediately following the notice:


“The cost of an optional damage waiver is $____ for every (day or week).”


(B) When the above notice appears on a sign, the following shall appear immediately adjacent to the notice:


“The cost of an optional damage waiver is $____ to $____ for every (day or week), depending upon the vehicle rented.”


(h) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a rental company may sell a damage waiver subject to the following rate limitations for each full or partial 24-hour rental day for the damage waiver.

(1) For rental vehicles that the rental company designates as an “economy car,” “subcompact car,” “compact car,” or another term having similar meaning when offered for rental, or another vehicle having a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of nineteen thousand dollars ($19,000) or less, the rate shall not exceed nine dollars ($9).

(2) For rental vehicles that have a manufacturer’s suggested retail price from nineteen thousand one dollars ($19,001) to thirty-four thousand nine hundred ninety-nine dollars ($34,999), inclusive, and that are also either vehicles of next year’s model, or not older than the previous year’s model, the rate shall not exceed fifteen dollars ($15). For those rental vehicles older than the previous year’s model-year, the rate shall not exceed nine dollars ($9).

(i) The manufacturer’s suggested retail prices described in subdivision (h) shall be adjusted annually to reflect changes from the previous year in the Consumer Price Index. For the purposes of this section, “Consumer Price Index” means the United States Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, for all items.

(j) A rental company that disseminates in this state an advertisement containing a rental rate shall include in that advertisement a clearly readable statement of the charge for a damage waiver and a statement that a damage waiver is optional.

(k) (1) A rental company shall not require the purchase of a damage waiver, optional insurance, or another optional good or service.

(2) A rental company shall not engage in any unfair, deceptive, or coercive conduct to induce a renter to purchase the damage waiver, optional insurance, or another optional good or service, including conduct such as, but not limited to, refusing to honor the renter’s reservation, limiting the availability of vehicles, requiring a deposit, or debiting or blocking the renter’s credit card account for a sum equivalent to a deposit if the renter declines to purchase the damage waiver, optional insurance, or another optional good or service.

(l) (1) In the absence of express permission granted by the renter subsequent to damage to, or loss of, the vehicle, a rental company shall not seek to recover any portion of a claim arising out of damage to, or loss of, the rented vehicle by processing a credit card charge or causing a debit or block to be placed on the renter’s credit card account.

(2) A rental company shall not engage in any unfair, deceptive, or coercive tactics in attempting to recover or in recovering on any claim arising out of damage to, or loss of, the rented vehicle.

(m)

 (1) A customer facility charge may be collected by a rental company under the following circumstances:

(A) Collection of the fee by the rental company is required by an airport operated by a city, a county, a city and county, a joint powers authority, a special district, or the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority formed pursuant to Division 17 (commencing with Section 170000) of the Public Utilities Code.

(B) The fee is calculated on a per contract basis or as provided in paragraph (2).

(C) The fee is a user fee, not a tax imposed upon real property or an incidence of property ownership under Article XIII D of the California Constitution.

(D) Except as otherwise provided in subparagraph (E), the fee shall be ten dollars ($10) per contract or the amount provided in paragraph (2).

(E) The fee for a consolidated rental car facility shall be collected only from customers of on-airport rental car companies. If the fee imposed by the airport is for both a consolidated rental car facility and a common-use transportation system, the fee collected from customers of on-airport rental car companies shall be ten dollars ($10) or the amount provided in paragraph (2), but the fee imposed on customers of off-airport rental car companies who are transported on the common-use transportation system is proportionate to the costs of the common-use transportation system only. The fee is uniformly applied to each class of on-airport or off-airport customers, provided that the airport requires off-airport customers to use the common-use transportation system. For purposes of this subparagraph, “on-airport rental car company” means a rental company operating under an airport property lease or an airport concession or license agreement whose customers use or will use the consolidated rental car facility and the collection of the fee as to those customers is consistent with subparagraph (C).

(F) Revenues collected from the fee do not exceed the reasonable costs of financing, designing, and constructing the facility and financing, designing, constructing, and operating any common-use transportation system, or acquiring vehicles for use in that system, and shall not be used for any other purpose.

(G) The fee is separately identified on the rental agreement.

(H) This paragraph does not apply to fees which are governed by Section 50474.1 of the Government Code or Section 57.5 of the San Diego Unified Port District Act.

(I) For any airport seeking to require rental car companies to collect an alternative customer facility charge pursuant to paragraph (2), the following provisions apply:

(i) Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, the airport shall provide reports on an annual basis to the Senate and Assembly Committees on Judiciary detailing all of the following:

(I) The total amount of the customer facility charge collected.

(II) How the funds are being spent.

(III) The amount of and reason for any changes in the airport’s budget or financial needs for the facility or common-use transportation system.

(IV) Whether airport concession fees authorized by Section 1936.01 have increased since the prior report, if any.

(ii) (I) The airport shall complete the audit required by subparagraph (B) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) prior to initial collection of the customer facility charge. Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, copies of the audit shall be provided to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Judiciary, the Assembly Committee on Transportation, and the Senate Committee on Transportation and Housing and shall be posted on the airport’s Internet Web site.

(II) Prior to any increase pursuant to paragraph (2), the airport shall update the information provided in the initial collection audit pursuant to subclause (I). Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, copies of the updated audit shall be provided to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Judiciary, the Assembly Committee on Transportation, and the Senate Committee on Transportation and Housing and shall be posted on the airport’s Internet Web site.

(III) An audit shall be completed every three years after initial collection only if the customer facility charge is collected for the purpose of operating a common-use transportation system or to acquire vehicles for use in such a system pursuant to clause (ii) of subparagraph (A) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (a). A regularly conducted audit of airport finances that includes the customer facility charge information, that satisfies the requirements of subparagraph (B) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (a), and is produced in accordance with the generally accepted accounting principles of the Government Accounting Standards Board, shall satisfy the requirements of this subclause. This obligation shall continue until the fee authorization becomes inoperative pursuant to subparagraph (C) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (a). Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, the information reported pursuant to this subclause shall be compiled into one document, shall be provided to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Judiciary, the Assembly Committee on Transportation, and the Senate Committee on Transportation and Housing and shall be posted on the airport’s Internet Web site accessible to the public. The information reported shall be contained within one easily accessible page contained within the airport’s Internet Web site.

(IV) This section shall not be construed to require an airport to audit a common-use transportation system not financed by a customer facility charge and used for the purposes permitted pursuant to clause (ii) of subparagraph (A) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (a).

(V) The airport shall post on the airport’s Internet Web site copies of the completed audits required by this clause for a period of six years following the audit’s completion.

(iii) Use of the bonds shall be limited to construction and design of the consolidated rental car facility, terminal modifications, and operating costs of the common-use transportation system, as specified in paragraph (4) of subdivision (a).

(2) Any airport may require rental car companies to collect an alternative customer facility charge under the following conditions:

(A) The airport first conducts a publicly noticed hearing pursuant to the Ralph M. Brown Act (Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 54950) of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 5 of the Government Code) to review the costs of financing the design and construction of a consolidated rental car facility and the design, construction, and operation of any common-use transportation system in which all of the following occur:

(i) The airport establishes the amount of revenue necessary to finance the reasonable cost to design and construct a consolidated rental car facility and to design, construct, and operate any common-use transportation system, or acquire vehicles for use in that system, based on evidence presented during the hearing.

(ii) The airport finds, based on evidence presented during the hearing, that the fee authorized in paragraph (1) will not generate sufficient revenue to finance the reasonable costs to design and construct a consolidated rental car facility and to design, construct, and operate any common-use transportation system, or acquire vehicles for use in that system.

(iii) The airport finds that the reasonable cost of the project requires the additional amount of revenue that would be generated by the proposed daily rate, including any rate increase, authorized pursuant to this paragraph.

(iv) The airport outlines each of the following:

(I) Steps it has taken to limit costs.

(II) Other potential alternatives for meeting its revenue needs other than the collection of the fee.

(III) The extent to which rental car companies or other businesses or individuals using the facility or common-use transportation system will pay for the costs associated with these facilities and systems other than the fee from rental customers.

(B) The airport may not require the fee authorized in this paragraph to be collected at any time that the fee authorized in paragraph (1) of this subdivision is being collected.

(C) Pursuant to the procedure set forth in this subdivision, the fee may be collected at a rate charged on a per-day basis subject to the following conditions:

(i) Commencing January 1, 2011, the amount of the fee may not exceed six dollars ($6) per day.

(ii) Commencing January 1, 2014, the amount of the fee may not exceed seven dollars and fifty cents ($7.50) per day.

(iii) Commencing January 1, 2017, and thereafter, the amount of the fee may not exceed nine dollars ($9) per day.

(iv) At no time shall the fee authorized in this paragraph be collected from any customer for more than five days for each individual rental car contract.

(v) An airport subject to this paragraph shall initiate the process for obtaining the authority to require or increase the alternative fee no later than January 1, 2018. Any airport that obtains the authority to require or increase an alternative fee shall be authorized to continue collecting that fee until the fee authorization becomes inoperative pursuant to subparagraph (C) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (a).

(3) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, including, but not limited to, Part 1 (commencing with Section 6001) to Part 1.7 (commencing with Section 7280), inclusive, of Division 2 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, the fees collected pursuant to this section, or another law whereby a local agency operating an airport requires a rental car company to collect a facility financing fee from its customers, are not subject to sales, use, or transaction taxes.

(n) (1) A rental company shall only advertise, quote, and charge a rental rate that includes the entire amount except taxes, a customer facility charge, if any, and a mileage charge, if any, that a renter must pay to hire or lease the vehicle for the period of time to which the rental rate applies. A rental company shall not charge in addition to the rental rate, taxes, a customer facility charge, if any, and a mileage charge, if any, any fee that is required to be paid by the renter as a condition of hiring or leasing the vehicle, including, but not limited to, required fuel or airport surcharges other than customer facility charges, nor a fee for transporting the renter to the location where the rented vehicle will be delivered to the renter.

(2) In addition to the rental rate, taxes, customer facility charges, if any, and mileage charges, if any, a rental company may charge for an item or service provided in connection with a particular rental transaction if the renter could have avoided incurring the charge by choosing not to obtain or utilize the optional item or service. Items and services for which the rental company may impose an additional charge include, but are not limited to, optional insurance and accessories requested by the renter, service charges incident to the renter’s optional return of the vehicle to a location other than the location where the vehicle was hired or leased, and charges for refueling the vehicle at the conclusion of the rental transaction in the event the renter did not return the vehicle with as much fuel as was in the fuel tank at the beginning of the rental. A rental company also may impose an additional charge based on reasonable age criteria established by the rental company.

(3) A rental company shall not charge a fee for authorized drivers in addition to the rental charge for an individual renter.

(4) If a rental company states a rental rate in print advertisement or in a telephonic, in-person, or computer-transmitted quotation, the rental company shall disclose clearly in that advertisement or quotation the terms of mileage conditions relating to the advertised or quoted rental rate, including, but not limited to, to the extent applicable, the amount of mileage and gas charges, the number of miles for which no charges will be imposed, and a description of geographic driving limitations within the United States and Canada.

(5) (A) When a rental rate is stated in an advertisement, quotation, or reservation in connection with a car rental at an airport where a customer facility charge is imposed, the rental company shall disclose clearly the existence and amount of the customer facility charge. For purposes of this subparagraph, advertisements include radio, television, other electronic media, and print advertisements. For purposes of this subparagraph, quotations and reservations include those that are telephonic, in-person, and computer-transmitted. If the rate advertisement is intended to include transactions at more than one airport imposing a customer facility charge, a range of fees may be stated in the advertisement. However, all rate advertisements that include car rentals at airport destinations shall clearly and conspicuously include a toll-free telephone number whereby a customer can be told the specific amount of the customer facility charge to which the customer will be obligated.

(B) If a person or entity other than a rental car company, including a passenger carrier or a seller of travel services, advertises or quotes a rate for a car rental at an airport where a customer facility charge is imposed, that person or entity shall, provided that he, she, or it is provided with information about the existence and amount of the fee, to the extent not specifically prohibited by federal law, clearly disclose the existence and amount of the fee in any telephonic, in-person, or computer-transmitted quotation at the time of making an initial quotation of a rental rate and at the time of making a reservation of a rental car. If a rental car company provides the person or entity with rate and customer facility charge information, the rental car company is not responsible for the failure of that person or entity to comply with this subparagraph when quoting or confirming a rate to a third person or entity.

(6) If a rental company delivers a vehicle to a renter at a location other than the location where the rental company normally carries on its business, the rental company shall not charge the renter an amount for the rental for the period before the delivery of the vehicle. If a rental company picks up a rented vehicle from a renter at a location other than the location where the rental company normally carries on its business, the rental company shall not charge the renter an amount for the rental for the period after the renter notifies the rental company to pick up the vehicle.

(o) A rental company shall not use, access, or obtain any information relating to the renter’s use of the rental vehicle that was obtained using electronic surveillance technology, except in the following circumstances:

(1) (A) When the equipment is used by the rental company only for the purpose of locating a stolen, abandoned, or missing rental vehicle after one of the following:

(i) The renter or law enforcement has informed the rental company that the vehicle is missing or has been stolen or abandoned.

(ii) The rental vehicle has not been returned following one week after the contracted return date, or by one week following the end of an extension of that return date.

(iii) The rental company discovers the rental vehicle has been stolen or abandoned, and, if stolen, it shall report the vehicle stolen to law enforcement by filing a stolen vehicle report, unless law enforcement has already informed the rental company that the vehicle is missing or has been stolen or abandoned.

(B) If electronic surveillance technology is activated pursuant to subparagraph (A), a rental company shall maintain a record, in either electronic or written form, of information relevant to the activation of that technology. That information shall include the rental agreement, including the return date, and the date and time the electronic surveillance technology was activated. The record shall also include, if relevant, a record of written or other communication with the renter, including communications regarding extensions of the rental, police reports, or other written communication with law enforcement officials. The record shall be maintained for a period of at least 12 months from the time the record is created and shall be made available upon the renter’s request. The rental company shall maintain and furnish explanatory codes necessary to read the record. A rental company shall not be required to maintain a record if electronic surveillance technology is activated to recover a rental vehicle that is stolen or missing at a time other than during a rental period.

(2) In response to a specific request from law enforcement pursuant to a subpoena or search warrant.

(3) This subdivision does not prohibit a rental company from equipping rental vehicles with GPS-based technology that provides navigation assistance to the occupants of the rental vehicle, if the rental company does not use, access, or obtain information relating to the renter’s use of the rental vehicle that was obtained using that technology, except for the purposes of discovering or repairing a defect in the technology and the information may then be used only for that purpose.

(4) This subdivision does not prohibit a rental company from equipping rental vehicles with electronic surveillance technology that allows for the remote locking or unlocking of the vehicle at the request of the renter, if the rental company does not use, access, or obtain information relating to the renter’s use of the rental vehicle that was obtained using that technology, except as necessary to lock or unlock the vehicle.

(5) This subdivision does not prohibit a rental company from equipping rental vehicles with electronic surveillance technology that allows the company to provide roadside assistance, such as towing, flat tire, or fuel services, at the request of the renter, if the rental company does not use, access, or obtain information relating to the renter’s use of the rental vehicle that was obtained using that technology except as necessary to provide the requested roadside assistance.

(6) This subdivision does not prohibit a rental company from obtaining, accessing, or using information from electronic surveillance technology for the sole purpose of determining the date and time the vehicle is returned to the rental company, and the total mileage driven and the vehicle fuel level of the returned vehicle. This paragraph, however, shall apply only after the renter has returned the vehicle to the rental company, and the information shall only be used for the purpose described in this paragraph.

(p) A rental company shall not use electronic surveillance technology to track a renter in order to impose fines or surcharges relating to the renter’s use of the rental vehicle.

(q) A renter may bring an action against a rental company for the recovery of damages and appropriate equitable relief for a violation of this section. The prevailing party shall be entitled to recover reasonable attorney’s fees and costs.

(r) A rental company that brings an action against a renter for loss due to theft of the vehicle shall bring the action in the county in which the renter resides or, if the renter is not a resident of this state, in the jurisdiction in which the renter resides.

(s) A waiver of any of the provisions of this section shall be void and unenforceable as contrary to public policy.

(t) (1) A rental company’s disclosure requirements shall be satisfied for renters who are enrolled in the rental company’s membership program if all of the following conditions are met:

(A) Prior to the enrollee’s first rental as a participant in the program, the renter receives, in writing, the following:

(i) All of the disclosures required by paragraph (1) of subdivision (g), including the terms and conditions of the rental agreement then in effect.

(ii) An Internet Web site address, as well as a contact number or address, where the enrollee can learn of changes to the rental agreement or to the laws of this state governing rental agreements since the effective date of the rental company’s most recent restatement of the rental agreement and distribution of that restatement to its members.

(B) At the commencement of each rental period, the renter is provided, on the rental record or the folder in which it is inserted, with a printed notice stating that he or she had either previously selected or declined an optional damage waiver and that the renter has the right to change preferences.

(C) At the commencement of each rental period, the rental company provides, on the rearview mirror, a hanger on which a statement is printed, in a box, in at least 12-point boldface type, notifying the renter that the collision damage waiver offered by the rental company may be duplicative of coverage that the customer maintains under his or her own policy of motor vehicle insurance. If it is not feasible to hang the statement from the rearview mirror, it shall be hung from the steering wheel.

The hanger shall provide the renter a box to initial if he or she (not his or her employer) has previously accepted or declined the collision damage waiver and that he or she now wishes to change his or her decision to accept or decline the collision damage waiver, as follows:


 “â—» If I previously accepted the collision damage waiver, I now decline it.


  â—» If I previously declined the collision damage waiver, I now accept it.”


The hanger shall also provide a box for the enrollee to indicate whether this change applies to this rental transaction only or to all future rental transactions. The hanger shall also notify the renter that he or she may make that change, prior to leaving the lot, by returning the form to an employee designated to receive the form who is present at the lot where the renter takes possession of the car, to receive any change in the rental agreement from the renter.

(2) (A) This subdivision is not effective unless the employee designated pursuant to subparagraph (E) of paragraph (8) of subdivision (a) is actually present at the required location.

(B) This subdivision does not relieve the rental company from the disclosures required to be made within the text of a contract or holder in which the contract is placed; in or on an advertisement containing a rental rate; or in a telephonic, in-person, or computer-transmitted quotation or reservation.

(u) The amendments made to this section during the 2001-02 Regular Session of the Legislature do not affect litigation pending on or before January 1, 2003, alleging a violation of Section 22325 of the Business and Professions Code as it read at the time the action was commenced.

(v) (1) When a rental company enters into a rental agreement in the state for the rental of a vehicle to any renter who is not a resident of this country and, as part of, or associated with, the rental agreement, the renter purchases liability insurance, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 1758.85 of the Insurance Code, from the rental company in its capacity as a rental car agent for an authorized insurer, the rental company shall be authorized to accept, and, if served as set forth in this subdivision, shall accept, service of a summons and complaint and any other required documents against the foreign renter for any accident or collision resulting from the operation of the rental vehicle within the state during the rental period. If the rental company has a registered agent for service of process on file with the Secretary of State, process shall be served on the rental company’s registered agent, either by first-class mail, return receipt requested, or by personal service.

(2) Within 30 days of acceptance of service of process, the rental company shall provide a copy of the summons and complaint and any other required documents served in accordance with this subdivision to the foreign renter by first-class mail, return receipt requested.

(3) Any plaintiff, or his or her representative, who elects to serve the foreign renter by delivering a copy of the summons and complaint and any other required documents to the rental company pursuant to paragraph (1) shall agree to limit his or her recovery against the foreign renter and the rental company to the limits of the protection extended by the liability insurance.

(4) Notwithstanding the requirements of Sections 17450 to 17456, inclusive, of the Vehicle Code, service of process in compliance with paragraph (1) shall be deemed valid and effective service.

(5) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the requirement that the rental company accept service of process pursuant to paragraph (1) shall not create any duty, obligation, or agency relationship other than that provided in paragraph (1).

(w) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2020, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2020, deletes or extends that date.

SEC. 5.2.  

Section 1936 of the Civil Code, as amended by Section 1 of Chapter 549 of the Statutes of 2013, is amended to read:

1936.  

(a) For the purpose of this section, the following definitions shall apply:

(1) “Rental company” means a person or entity in the business of renting passenger vehicles to the public.

(2) “Renter” means any person in a manner obligated under a contract for the lease or hire of a passenger vehicle from a rental company for a period of less than 30 days.

(3) “Authorized driver” means all of the following:

(A) The renter.

(B) The renter’s spouse if that person is a licensed driver and satisfies the rental company’s minimum age requirement.

(C) The renter’s employer or coworker if he or she is engaged in business activity with the renter, is a licensed driver, and satisfies the rental company’s minimum age requirement.

(D) A person expressly listed by the rental company on that renter’s contract as an authorized driver.

(4) (A) “Customer facility charge” means any fee, including an alternative fee, required by an airport to be collected by a rental company from a renter for any of the following purposes:

(i) To finance, design, and construct consolidated airport car rental facilities.

(ii) To finance, design, construct, and operate common-use transportation systems that move passengers between airport terminals and those consolidated car rental facilities, and acquire vehicles for use in that system.

(iii) To finance, design, and construct terminal modifications solely to accommodate and provide customer access to common-use transportation systems.

(B) The aggregate amount to be collected shall not exceed the reasonable costs, as determined by an audit, by an independent auditor, paid for by the airport, to finance, design, and construct those facilities. The auditor shall independently examine and substantiate the necessity for and the amount of the customer facility charge, including whether the airport’s actual or projected costs are supported and justified, any steps the airport may take to limit costs, potential alternatives for meeting the airport’s revenue needs other than the collection of the fee, and whether and to what extent car rental companies or other businesses or individuals using the facility or common-use transportation system may pay for the costs associated with these facilities and systems other than the fee from rental customers, or whether the airport did not comply with any provision of this subparagraph. Copies of the audit shall be provided to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Judiciary, the Assembly Committee on Transportation, and the Senate Committee on Transportation and Housing and shall be posted on the airport’s Internet Web site. In the case of a customer facility charge for a common-use transportation system, the audit also shall consider the reasonable costs of providing the transit system or busing network pursuant to clause (ii) of subparagraph (A). Any audit required by this subparagraph may be included as a part of an audit of an airport’s finances. Notwithstanding clause (iii) of subparagraph (A), the fees designated as a customer facility charge shall not be used to pay for terminal expansion, gate expansion, runway expansion, changes in hours of operation, or changes in the number of flights arriving or departing from the airport.

(C) Except as provided in subparagraph (D), the authorization given pursuant to this section for an airport to impose a customer facility charge shall become inoperative when the bonds used for financing are paid.

(D) If a bond or other form of indebtedness is not used for financing, or the bond or other form of indebtedness used for financing has been paid, the Oakland International Airport may require the collection of a customer facility charge for a period of up to 10 years from the imposition of the charge for the purposes allowed by, and subject to the conditions imposed by, this section.

(5) “Damage waiver” means a rental company’s agreement not to hold a renter liable for all or any portion of any damage or loss related to the rented vehicle, any loss of use of the rented vehicle, or any storage, impound, towing, or administrative charges.

(6) “Electronic surveillance technology” means a technological method or system used to observe, monitor, or collect information, including telematics, Global Positioning System (GPS), wireless technology, or location-based technologies. “Electronic surveillance technology” does not include event data recorders (EDR), sensing and diagnostic modules (SDM), or other systems that are used either:

(A) For the purpose of identifying, diagnosing, or monitoring functions related to the potential need to repair, service, or perform maintenance on the rental vehicle.

(B) As part of the vehicle’s airbag sensing and diagnostic system in order to capture safety systems-related data for retrieval after a crash has occurred or in the event that the collision sensors are activated to prepare the decisionmaking computer to make the determination to deploy or not to deploy the airbag.

(7) “Estimated time for replacement” means the number of hours of labor, or fraction thereof, needed to replace damaged vehicle parts as set forth in collision damage estimating guides generally used in the vehicle repair business and commonly known as “crash books.”

(8) “Estimated time for repair” means a good faith estimate of the reasonable number of hours of labor, or fraction thereof, needed to repair damaged vehicle parts.

(9) “Membership program” means a service offered by a rental company that permits customers to bypass the rental counter and go directly to the car previously reserved. A membership program shall meet all of the following requirements:

(A) The renter initiates enrollment by completing an application on which the renter can specify a preference for type of vehicle and acceptance or declination of optional services.

(B) The rental company fully discloses, prior to the enrollee’s first rental as a participant in the program, all terms and conditions of the rental agreement as well as all required disclosures.

(C) The renter may terminate enrollment at any time.

(D) The rental company fully explains to the renter that designated preferences, as well as acceptance or declination of optional services, may be changed by the renter at any time for the next and future rentals.

(E) An employee designated to receive the form specified in subparagraph (C) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (s) is present at the lot where the renter takes possession of the car, to receive any change in the rental agreement from the renter.

(10) “Passenger vehicle” means a passenger vehicle as defined in Section 465 of the Vehicle Code.

(b) Except as limited by subdivision (c), a rental company and a renter may agree that the renter will be responsible for no more than all of the following:

(1) Physical or mechanical damage to the rented vehicle up to its fair market value, as determined in the customary market for the sale of that vehicle, resulting from collision regardless of the cause of the damage.

(2) Loss due to theft of the rented vehicle up to its fair market value, as determined in the customary market for the sale of that vehicle, provided that the rental company establishes by clear and convincing evidence that the renter or the authorized driver failed to exercise ordinary care while in possession of the vehicle. In addition, the renter shall be presumed to have no liability for any loss due to theft if (A) an authorized driver has possession of the ignition key furnished by the rental company or an authorized driver establishes that the ignition key furnished by the rental company was not in the vehicle at the time of the theft, and (B) an authorized driver files an official report of the theft with the police or other law enforcement agency within 24 hours of learning of the theft and reasonably cooperates with the rental company and the police or other law enforcement agency in providing information concerning the theft. The presumption set forth in this paragraph is a presumption affecting the burden of proof which the rental company may rebut by establishing that an authorized driver committed, or aided and abetted the commission of, the theft.

(3) Physical damage to the rented vehicle up to its fair market value, as determined in the customary market for the sale of that vehicle, resulting from vandalism occurring after, or in connection with, the theft of the rented vehicle. However, the renter shall have no liability for any damage due to vandalism if the renter would have no liability for theft pursuant to paragraph (2).

(4) Physical damage to the rented vehicle up to a total of five hundred dollars ($500) resulting from vandalism unrelated to the theft of the rented vehicle.

(5) Actual charges for towing, storage, and impound fees paid by the rental company if the renter is liable for damage or loss.

(6) An administrative charge, which shall include the cost of appraisal and all other costs and expenses incident to the damage, loss, repair, or replacement of the rented vehicle.

(c) The total amount of the renter’s liability to the rental company resulting from damage to the rented vehicle shall not exceed the sum of the following:

(1) The estimated cost of parts which the rental company would have to pay to replace damaged vehicle parts. All discounts and price reductions or adjustments that are or will be received by the rental company shall be subtracted from the estimate to the extent not already incorporated in the estimate, or otherwise promptly credited or refunded to the renter.

(2) The estimated cost of labor to replace damaged vehicle parts, which shall not exceed the product of (A) the rate for labor usually paid by the rental company to replace vehicle parts of the type that were damaged and (B) the estimated time for replacement. All discounts and price reductions or adjustments that are or will be received by the rental company shall be subtracted from the estimate to the extent not already incorporated in the estimate, or otherwise promptly credited or refunded to the renter.

(3) (A) The estimated cost of labor to repair damaged vehicle parts, which shall not exceed the lesser of the following:

(i) The product of the rate for labor usually paid by the rental company to repair vehicle parts of the type that were damaged and the estimated time for repair.

(ii) The sum of the estimated labor and parts costs determined under paragraphs (1) and (2) to replace the same vehicle parts.

(B) All discounts and price reductions or adjustments that are or will be received by the rental company shall be subtracted from the estimate to the extent not already incorporated in the estimate, or otherwise promptly credited or refunded to the renter.

(4) For the purpose of converting the estimated time for repair into the same units of time in which the rental rate is expressed, a day shall be deemed to consist of eight hours.

(5) Actual charges for towing, storage, and impound fees paid by the rental company.

(6) The administrative charge described in paragraph (6) of subdivision (b) shall not exceed (A) fifty dollars ($50) if the total estimated cost for parts and labor is more than one hundred dollars ($100) up to and including five hundred dollars ($500), (B) one hundred dollars ($100) if the total estimated cost for parts and labor exceeds five hundred dollars ($500) up to and including one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500), and (C) one hundred fifty dollars ($150) if the total estimated cost for parts and labor exceeds one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500). An administrative charge shall not be imposed if the total estimated cost of parts and labor is one hundred dollars ($100) or less.

(d) (1) The total amount of an authorized driver’s liability to the rental company, if any, for damage occurring during the authorized driver’s operation of the rented vehicle shall not exceed the amount of the renter’s liability under subdivision (c).

(2) A rental company shall not recover from the renter or other authorized driver an amount exceeding the renter’s liability under subdivision (c).

(3) A claim against a renter resulting from damage or loss, excluding loss of use, to a rental vehicle shall be reasonably and rationally related to the actual loss incurred. A rental company shall mitigate damages where possible and shall not assert or collect a claim for physical damage which exceeds the actual costs of the repairs performed or the estimated cost of repairs, if the rental company chooses not to repair the vehicle, including all discounts and price reductions. However, if the vehicle is a total loss vehicle, the claim shall not exceed the total loss vehicle value established in accordance with procedures that are customarily used by insurance companies when paying claims on total loss vehicles, less the proceeds from salvaging the vehicle, if those proceeds are retained by the rental company.

(4) If insurance coverage exists under the renter’s applicable personal or business insurance policy and the coverage is confirmed during regular business hours, the renter may require that the rental company submit any claims to the renter’s applicable personal or business insurance carrier. The rental company shall not make any written or oral representations that it will not present claims or negotiate with the renter’s insurance carrier. For purposes of this paragraph, confirmation of coverage includes telephone confirmation from insurance company representatives during regular business hours. Upon request of the renter and after confirmation of coverage, the amount of claim shall be resolved between the insurance carrier and the rental company. The renter shall remain responsible for payment to the rental car company for any loss sustained that the renter’s applicable personal or business insurance policy does not cover.

(5) A rental company shall not recover from the renter or other authorized driver for an item described in subdivision (b) to the extent the rental company obtains recovery from another person.

(6) This section applies only to the maximum liability of a renter or other authorized driver to the rental company resulting from damage to the rented vehicle and not to the liability of another person.

(e) (1) Except as provided in subdivision (f), a damage waiver shall provide or, if not expressly stated in writing, shall be deemed to provide that the renter has no liability for damage, loss, loss of use, or a cost or expense incident thereto.

(2) Except as provided in subdivision (f), every limitation, exception, or exclusion to a damage waiver is void and unenforceable.

(f) A rental company may provide in the rental contract that a damage waiver does not apply under any of the following circumstances:

(1) Damage or loss results from an authorized driver’s (A) intentional, willful, wanton, or reckless conduct, (B) operation of the vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol in violation of Section 23152 of the Vehicle Code, (C) towing or pushing anything, or (D) operation of the vehicle on an unpaved road if the damage or loss is a direct result of the road or driving conditions.

(2) Damage or loss occurs while the vehicle is (A) used for commercial hire, (B) used in connection with conduct that could be properly charged as a felony, (C) involved in a speed test or contest or in driver training activity, (D) operated by a person other than an authorized driver, or (E) operated outside the United States.

(3) An authorized driver who has (A) provided fraudulent information to the rental company, or (B) provided false information and the rental company would not have rented the vehicle if it had instead received true information.

(g) (1) A rental company that offers or provides a damage waiver for any consideration in addition to the rental rate shall clearly and conspicuously disclose the following information in the rental contract or holder in which the contract is placed and, also, in signs posted at the place, such as the counter, where the renter signs the rental contract, and, for renters who are enrolled in the rental company’s membership program, in a sign that shall be posted in a location clearly visible to those renters as they enter the location where their reserved rental cars are parked or near the exit of the bus or other conveyance that transports the enrollee to a reserved car: (A) the nature of the renter’s liability, such as liability for all collision damage regardless of cause, (B) the extent of the renter’s liability, such as liability for damage or loss up to a specified amount, (C) the renter’s personal insurance policy or the credit card used to pay for the car rental transaction may provide coverage for all or a portion of the renter’s potential liability, (D) the renter should consult with his or her insurer to determine the scope of insurance coverage, including the amount of the deductible, if any, for which the renter is obligated, (E) the renter may purchase an optional damage waiver to cover all liability, subject to whatever exceptions the rental company expressly lists that are permitted under subdivision (f), and (F) the range of charges for the damage waiver.

(2) In addition to the requirements of paragraph (1), a rental company that offers or provides a damage waiver shall orally disclose to all renters, except those who are participants in the rental company’s membership program, that the damage waiver may be duplicative of coverage that the customer maintains under his or her own policy of motor vehicle insurance. The renter’s receipt of the oral disclosure shall be demonstrated through the renter’s acknowledging receipt of the oral disclosure near that part of the contract where the renter indicates, by the renter’s own initials, his or her acceptance or declination of the damage waiver. Adjacent to that same part, the contract also shall state that the damage waiver is optional. Further, the contract for these renters shall include a clear and conspicuous written disclosure that the damage waiver may be duplicative of coverage that the customer maintains under his or her own policy of motor vehicle insurance.

(3) The following is an example, for purposes of illustration and not limitation, of a notice fulfilling the requirements of paragraph (1) for a rental company that imposes liability on the renter for collision damage to the full value of the vehicle:

“NOTICE ABOUT YOUR FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND OPTIONAL DAMAGE WAIVER

You are responsible for all collision damage to the rented vehicle even if someone else caused it or the cause is unknown. You are responsible for the cost of repair up to the value of the vehicle, and towing, storage, and impound fees.

Your own insurance, or the issuer of the credit card you use to pay for the car rental transaction, may cover all or part of your financial responsibility for the rented vehicle. You should check with your insurance company, or credit card issuer, to find out about your coverage and the amount of the deductible, if any, for which you may be liable.

Further, if you use a credit card that provides coverage for your potential liability, you should check with the issuer to determine if you must first exhaust the coverage limits of your own insurance before the credit card coverage applies.

The rental company will not hold you responsible if you buy a damage waiver. But a damage waiver will not protect you if (list exceptions).”


(A) When the above notice is printed in the rental contract or holder in which the contract is placed, the following shall be printed immediately following the notice:


“The cost of an optional damage waiver is $____ for every (day or week).”


(B) When the above notice appears on a sign, the following shall appear immediately adjacent to the notice:


“The cost of an optional damage waiver is $____ to $____ for every (day or week), depending upon the vehicle rented.”


(h) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a rental company may sell a damage waiver subject to the following rate limitations for each full or partial 24-hour rental day for the damage waiver:

(1) For rental vehicles that the rental company designates as an “economy car,” “compact car,” or another term having similar meaning to the two smallest body-size categories of vehicles established by the Association of Car Rental Industry Systems Standards for North America, as of January 1, 2014, when offered for rental, the rate shall not exceed eleven dollars ($11).

(2) For rental vehicles that the rental company designates as an “intermediate car,” “standard car,” or “full-size car,” or another term having similar meaning to the next three body-size categories of vehicles established by the Association of Car Rental Industry Systems Standards for North America, as of January 1, 2014, and that are also either vehicles of the next model year, or not older than the previous year’s model, when offered for rental, the rate shall not exceed seventeen dollars ($17). For rental vehicles that are older than the previous year’s model-year, the rate shall not exceed eleven dollars ($11).

(i) A rental company that disseminates in this state an advertisement containing a rental rate shall include in that advertisement a clearly readable statement of the charge for a damage waiver and a statement that a damage waiver is optional.

(j) (1) A rental company shall not require the purchase of a damage waiver, optional insurance, or another optional good or service.

(2) A rental company shall not engage in any unfair, deceptive, or coercive conduct to induce a renter to purchase the damage waiver, optional insurance, or another optional good or service, including conduct such as, but not limited to, refusing to honor the renter’s reservation, limiting the availability of vehicles, requiring a deposit, or debiting or blocking the renter’s credit card account for a sum equivalent to a deposit if the renter declines to purchase the damage waiver, optional insurance, or another optional good or service.

(k) (1) In the absence of express permission granted by the renter subsequent to damage to, or loss of, the vehicle, a rental company shall not seek to recover any portion of a claim arising out of damage to, or loss of, the rented vehicle by processing a credit card charge or causing a debit or block to be placed on the renter’s credit card account.

(2) A rental company shall not engage in any unfair, deceptive, or coercive tactics in attempting to recover or in recovering on any claim arising out of damage to, or loss of, the rented vehicle.

(l) (1) A customer facility charge may be collected by a rental company under the following circumstances:

(A) Collection of the fee by the rental company is required by an airport operated by a city, a county, a city and county, a joint powers authority, a special district, or the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority formed pursuant to Division 17 (commencing with Section 170000) of the Public Utilities Code.

(B) The fee is calculated on a per contract basis or as provided in paragraph (2).

(C) The fee is a user fee, not a tax imposed upon real property or an incident of property ownership under Article XIII D of the California Constitution.

(D) Except as otherwise provided in subparagraph (E), the fee shall be ten dollars ($10) per contract or the amount provided in paragraph (2).

(E) The fee for a consolidated rental car facility shall be collected only from customers of on-airport rental car companies. If the fee imposed by the airport is for both a consolidated rental car facility and a common-use transportation system, the fee collected from customers of on-airport rental car companies shall be ten dollars ($10) or the amount provided in paragraph (2), but the fee imposed on customers of off-airport rental car companies who are transported on the common-use transportation system is proportionate to the costs of the common-use transportation system only. The fee is uniformly applied to each class of on-airport or off-airport customers, provided that the airport requires off-airport customers to use the common-use transportation system. For purposes of this subparagraph, “on-airport rental car company” means a rental company operating under an airport property lease or an airport concession or license agreement whose customers use or will use the consolidated rental car facility and the collection of the fee as to those customers is consistent with subparagraph (C).

(F) Revenues collected from the fee do not exceed the reasonable costs of financing, designing, and constructing the facility and financing, designing, constructing, and operating any common-use transportation system, or acquiring vehicles for use in that system, and shall not be used for any other purpose.

(G) The fee is separately identified on the rental agreement.

(H) This paragraph does not apply to fees which are governed by Section 50474.1 of the Government Code or Section 57.5 of the San Diego Unified Port District Act (Chapter 67 of the First Extraordinary Session of the Statutes of 1962).

(I) For any airport seeking to require rental car companies to collect an alternative customer facility charge pursuant to paragraph (2), the following provisions apply:

(i) Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, the airport shall provide reports on an annual basis to the Senate and Assembly Committees on Judiciary detailing all of the following:

(I) The total amount of the customer facility charge collected.

(II) How the funds are being spent.

(III) The amount of and reason for any changes in the airport’s budget or financial needs for the facility or common-use transportation system.

(IV) Whether airport concession fees authorized by Section 1936.01 have increased since the prior report, if any.

(ii) (I) The airport shall complete the audit required by subparagraph (B) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) prior to the initial collection of the customer facility charge. Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, copies of the audit shall be provided to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Judiciary, the Assembly Committee on Transportation, and the Senate Committee on Transportation and Housing and shall be posted on the airport’s Internet Web site.

(II) Prior to any increase pursuant to paragraph (2), the airport shall update the information provided in the initial collection audit pursuant to subclause (I). Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, copies of the updated audit shall be provided to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Judiciary, the Assembly Committee on Transportation, and the Senate Committee on Transportation and Housing, and shall be posted on the airport’s Internet Web site.

(III) An audit shall be completed every three years after initial collection only if the customer facility charge is collected for the purpose of operating a common-use transportation system or to acquire vehicles for use in the system pursuant to clause (ii) of subparagraph (A) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (a). A regularly conducted audit of airport finances that includes the customer facility charge information, that satisfies the requirements of subparagraph (B) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (a), and is produced in accordance with the generally accepted accounting principles of the Government Accounting Standards Board, shall satisfy the requirements of this subclause. This obligation shall continue until the fee authorization becomes inoperative pursuant to subparagraph (C) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (a). Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, the information reported pursuant to this subclause shall be compiled into one document, shall be provided to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Judiciary, the Assembly Committee on Transportation, and the Senate Committee on Transportation and Housing and shall be posted on the airport’s Internet Web site accessible to the public. The information reported shall be contained within one easily accessible page contained within the airport’s Internet Web site.

(IV) This section shall not be construed to require an airport to audit a common-use transportation system not financed by a customer facility charge and used for the purposes permitted pursuant to clause (ii) of subparagraph (A) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (a).

(V) The airport shall post on the airport’s Internet Web site copies of the completed audits required by this clause for a period of six years following the audit’s completion.

(iii) Use of the bonds shall be limited to construction and design of the consolidated rental car facility, terminal modifications, and operating costs of the common-use transportation system, as specified in paragraph (4) of subdivision (a).

(2) Any airport may require rental car companies to collect an alternative customer facility charge under the following conditions:

(A) The airport first conducts a publicly noticed hearing pursuant to the Ralph M. Brown Act (Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 54950) of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 5 of the Government Code) to review the costs of financing the design and construction of a consolidated rental car facility and the design, construction, and operation of any common-use transportation system in which all of the following occur:

(i) The airport establishes the amount of revenue necessary to finance the reasonable cost to design and construct a consolidated rental car facility and to design, construct, and operate any common-use transportation system, or acquire vehicles for use in that system, based on evidence presented during the hearing.

(ii) The airport finds, based on evidence presented during the hearing, that the fee authorized in paragraph (1) will not generate sufficient revenue to finance the reasonable costs to design and construct a consolidated rental car facility and to design, construct, and operate any common-use transportation system, or acquire vehicles for use in that system.

(iii) The airport finds that the reasonable cost of the project requires the additional amount of revenue that would be generated by the proposed daily rate, including any rate increase, authorized pursuant to this paragraph.

(iv) The airport outlines each of the following:

(I) Steps it has taken to limit costs.

(II) Other potential alternatives for meeting its revenue needs other than the collection of the fee.

(III) The extent to which rental car companies or other businesses or individuals using the facility or common-use transportation system will pay for the costs associated with these facilities and systems other than the fee from rental customers.

(B) The airport may not require the fee authorized in this paragraph to be collected at any time that the fee authorized in paragraph (1) of this subdivision is being collected.

(C) Pursuant to the procedure set forth in this subdivision, the fee may be collected at a rate charged on a per-day basis subject to the following conditions:

(i) Commencing January 1, 2011, the amount of the fee may not exceed six dollars ($6) per day.

(ii) Commencing January 1, 2014, the amount of the fee may not exceed seven dollars and fifty cents ($7.50) per day.

(iii) Commencing January 1, 2017, and thereafter, the amount of the fee may not exceed nine dollars ($9) per day.

(iv) At no time shall the fee authorized in this paragraph be collected from any customer for more than five days for each individual rental car contract.

(v) An airport subject to this paragraph shall initiate the process for obtaining the authority to require or increase the alternative fee no later than January 1, 2018. Any airport that obtains the authority to require or increase an alternative fee shall be authorized to continue collecting that fee until the fee authorization becomes inoperative pursuant to subparagraph (C) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (a).

(3) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, including, but not limited to, Part 1 (commencing with Section 6001) to Part 1.7 (commencing with Section 7280), inclusive, of Division 2 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, the fees collected pursuant to this section, or another law whereby a local agency operating an airport requires a rental car company to collect a facility financing fee from its customers, are not subject to sales, use, or transaction taxes.

(m) (1) A rental company shall only advertise, quote, and charge a rental rate that includes the entire amount except taxes, a customer facility charge, if any, and a mileage charge, if any, that a renter must pay to hire or lease the vehicle for the period of time to which the rental rate applies. A rental company shall not charge in addition to the rental rate, taxes, a customer facility charge, if any, and a mileage charge, if any, any fee that is required to be paid by the renter as a condition of hiring or leasing the vehicle, including, but not limited to, required fuel or airport surcharges other than customer facility charges, nor a fee for transporting the renter to the location where the rented vehicle will be delivered to the renter.

(2) In addition to the rental rate, taxes, customer facility charges, if any, and mileage charges, if any, a rental company may charge for an item or service provided in connection with a particular rental transaction if the renter could have avoided incurring the charge by choosing not to obtain or utilize the optional item or service. Items and services for which the rental company may impose an additional charge include, but are not limited to, optional insurance and accessories requested by the renter, service charges incident to the renter’s optional return of the vehicle to a location other than the location where the vehicle was hired or leased, and charges for refueling the vehicle at the conclusion of the rental transaction in the event the renter did not return the vehicle with as much fuel as was in the fuel tank at the beginning of the rental. A rental company also may impose an additional charge based on reasonable age criteria established by the rental company.

(3) A rental company shall not charge a fee for authorized drivers in addition to the rental charge for an individual renter.

(4) If a rental company states a rental rate in print advertisement or in a telephonic, in-person, or computer-transmitted quotation, the rental company shall disclose clearly in that advertisement or quotation the terms of mileage conditions relating to the advertised or quoted rental rate, including, but not limited to, to the extent applicable, the amount of mileage and gas charges, the number of miles for which no charges will be imposed, and a description of geographic driving limitations within the United States and Canada.

(5) (A) When a rental rate is stated in an advertisement, quotation, or reservation in connection with a car rental at an airport where a customer facility charge is imposed, the rental company shall disclose clearly the existence and amount of the customer facility charge. For purposes of this subparagraph, advertisements include radio, television, other electronic media, and print advertisements. For purposes of this subparagraph, quotations and reservations include those that are telephonic, in-person, and computer-transmitted. If the rate advertisement is intended to include transactions at more than one airport imposing a customer facility charge, a range of fees may be stated in the advertisement. However, all rate advertisements that include car rentals at airport destinations shall clearly and conspicuously include a toll-free telephone number whereby a customer can be told the specific amount of the customer facility charge to which the customer will be obligated.

(B) If a person or entity other than a rental car company, including a passenger carrier or a seller of travel services, advertises or quotes a rate for a car rental at an airport where a customer facility charge is imposed, that person or entity shall, provided that he, she, or it is provided with information about the existence and amount of the fee, to the extent not specifically prohibited by federal law, clearly disclose the existence and amount of the fee in any telephonic, in-person, or computer-transmitted quotation at the time of making an initial quotation of a rental rate and at the time of making a reservation of a rental car. If a rental car company provides the person or entity with rate and customer facility charge information, the rental car company is not responsible for the failure of that person or entity to comply with this subparagraph when quoting or confirming a rate to a third person or entity.

(6) If a rental company delivers a vehicle to a renter at a location other than the location where the rental company normally carries on its business, the rental company shall not charge the renter an amount for the rental for the period before the delivery of the vehicle. If a rental company picks up a rented vehicle from a renter at a location other than the location where the rental company normally carries on its business, the rental company shall not charge the renter an amount for the rental for the period after the renter notifies the rental company to pick up the vehicle.

(n) A rental company shall not use, access, or obtain any information relating to the renter’s use of the rental vehicle that was obtained using electronic surveillance technology, except in the following circumstances:

(1) (A) When the equipment is used by the rental company only for the purpose of locating a stolen, abandoned, or missing rental vehicle after one of the following:

(i) The renter or law enforcement has informed the rental company that the vehicle is missing or has been stolen or abandoned.

(ii) The rental vehicle has not been returned following one week after the contracted return date, or by one week following the end of an extension of that return date.

(iii) The rental company discovers the rental vehicle has been stolen or abandoned, and, if stolen, it shall report the vehicle stolen to law enforcement by filing a stolen vehicle report, unless law enforcement has already informed the rental company that the vehicle is missing or has been stolen or abandoned.

(B) If electronic surveillance technology is activated pursuant to subparagraph (A), a rental company shall maintain a record, in either electronic or written form, of information relevant to the activation of that technology. That information shall include the rental agreement, including the return date, and the date and time the electronic surveillance technology was activated. The record shall also include, if relevant, a record of written or other communication with the renter, including communications regarding extensions of the rental, police reports, or other written communication with law enforcement officials. The record shall be maintained for a period of at least 12 months from the time the record is created and shall be made available upon the renter’s request. The rental company shall maintain and furnish explanatory codes necessary to read the record. A rental company shall not be required to maintain a record if electronic surveillance technology is activated to recover a rental vehicle that is stolen or missing at a time other than during a rental period.

(2) In response to a specific request from law enforcement pursuant to a subpoena or search warrant.

(3) This subdivision does not prohibit a rental company from equipping rental vehicles with GPS-based technology that provides navigation assistance to the occupants of the rental vehicle, if the rental company does not use, access, or obtain information relating to the renter’s use of the rental vehicle that was obtained using that technology, except for the purposes of discovering or repairing a defect in the technology and the information may then be used only for that purpose.

(4) This subdivision does not prohibit a rental company from equipping rental vehicles with electronic surveillance technology that allows for the remote locking or unlocking of the vehicle at the request of the renter, if the rental company does not use, access, or obtain information relating to the renter’s use of the rental vehicle that was obtained using that technology, except as necessary to lock or unlock the vehicle.

(5) This subdivision does not prohibit a rental company from equipping rental vehicles with electronic surveillance technology that allows the company to provide roadside assistance, such as towing, flat tire, or fuel services, at the request of the renter, if the rental company does not use, access, or obtain information relating to the renter’s use of the rental vehicle that was obtained using that technology except as necessary to provide the requested roadside assistance.

(6) This subdivision does not prohibit a rental company from obtaining, accessing, or using information from electronic surveillance technology for the sole purpose of determining the date and time the vehicle is returned to the rental company, and the total mileage driven and the vehicle fuel level of the returned vehicle. This paragraph, however, shall apply only after the renter has returned the vehicle to the rental company, and the information shall only be used for the purpose described in this paragraph.

(o) A rental company shall not use electronic surveillance technology to track a renter in order to impose fines or surcharges relating to the renter’s use of the rental vehicle.

(p) A renter may bring an action against a rental company for the recovery of damages and appropriate equitable relief for a violation of this section. The prevailing party shall be entitled to recover reasonable attorney’s fees and costs.

(q) A rental company that brings an action against a renter for loss due to theft of the vehicle shall bring the action in the county in which the renter resides or, if the renter is not a resident of this state, in the jurisdiction in which the renter resides.

(r) A waiver of any of the provisions of this section shall be void and unenforceable as contrary to public policy.

(s) (1) A rental company’s disclosure requirements shall be satisfied for renters who are enrolled in the rental company’s membership program if all of the following conditions are met:

(A) Prior to the enrollee’s first rental as a participant in the program, the renter receives, in writing, the following:

(i) All of the disclosures required by paragraph (1) of subdivision (g), including the terms and conditions of the rental agreement then in effect.

(ii) An Internet Web site address, as well as a contact number or address, where the enrollee can learn of changes to the rental agreement or to the laws of this state governing rental agreements since the effective date of the rental company’s most recent restatement of the rental agreement and distribution of that restatement to its members.

(B) At the commencement of each rental period, the renter is provided, on the rental record or the folder in which it is inserted, with a printed notice stating that he or she had either previously selected or declined an optional damage waiver and that the renter has the right to change preferences.

(C) At the commencement of each rental period, the rental company provides, on the rearview mirror, a hanger on which a statement is printed, in a box, in at least 12-point boldface type, notifying the renter that the collision damage waiver offered by the rental company may be duplicative of coverage that the customer maintains under his or her own policy of motor vehicle insurance. If it is not feasible to hang the statement from the rearview mirror, it shall be hung from the steering wheel.

The hanger shall provide the renter a box to initial if he or she (not his or her employer) has previously accepted or declined the collision damage waiver and that he or she now wishes to change his or her decision to accept or decline the collision damage waiver, as follows:


“If I previously accepted the collision damage waiver, I now decline it.


If I previously declined the collision damage waiver, I now accept it.”


The hanger shall also provide a box for the enrollee to indicate whether this change applies to this rental transaction only or to all future rental transactions. The hanger shall also notify the renter that he or she may make that change, prior to leaving the lot, by returning the form to an employee designated to receive the form who is present at the lot where the renter takes possession of the car, to receive any change in the rental agreement from the renter.

(2) (A) This subdivision is not effective unless the employee designated pursuant to subparagraph (E) of paragraph (8) of subdivision (a) is actually present at the required location.

(B) This subdivision does not relieve the rental company from the disclosures required to be made within the text of a contract or holder in which the contract is placed; in or on an advertisement containing a rental rate; or in a telephonic, in-person, or computer-transmitted quotation or reservation.

(t) The amendments made to this section during the 2001-02 Regular Session of the Legislature do not affect litigation pending on or before January 1, 2003, alleging a violation of Section 22325 of the Business and Professions Code as it read at the time the action was commenced.

(u) (1) When a rental company enters into a rental agreement in the state for the rental of a vehicle to any renter who is not a resident of this country and, as part of, or associated with, the rental agreement, the renter purchases liability insurance, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 1758.85 of the Insurance Code, from the rental company in its capacity as a rental car agent for an authorized insurer, the rental company shall be authorized to accept, and, if served as set forth in this subdivision, shall accept, service of a summons and complaint and any other required documents against the foreign renter for any accident or collision resulting from the operation of the rental vehicle within the state during the rental period. If the rental company has a registered agent for service of process on file with the Secretary of State, process shall be served on the rental company’s registered agent, either by first-class mail, return receipt requested, or by personal service.

(2) Within 30 days of acceptance of service of process, the rental company shall provide a copy of the summons and complaint and any other required documents served in accordance with this subdivision to the foreign renter by first-class mail, return receipt requested.

(3) Any plaintiff, or his or her representative, who elects to serve the foreign renter by delivering a copy of the summons and complaint and any other required documents to the rental company pursuant to paragraph (1) shall agree to limit his or her recovery against the foreign renter and the rental company to the limits of the protection extended by the liability insurance.

(4) Notwithstanding the requirements of Sections 17450 to 17456, inclusive, of the Vehicle Code, service of process in compliance with paragraph (1) shall be deemed valid and effective service.

(5) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the requirement that the rental company accept service of process pursuant to paragraph (1) shall not create any duty, obligation, or agency relationship other than that provided in paragraph (1).

(v) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2020, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2020, deletes or extends that date.

SEC. 5.5.  

Section 1936 of the Civil Code, as amended by Section 2 of Chapter 549 of the Statutes of 2013, is amended to read:

1936.  

(a) For the purpose of this section, the following definitions shall apply:

(1) “Rental company” means a person or entity in the business of renting passenger vehicles to the public.

(2) “Renter” means any person in a manner obligated under a contract for the lease or hire of a passenger vehicle from a rental company for a period of less than 30 days.

(3) “Authorized driver” means (A) the renter, (B) the renter’s spouse if that person is a licensed driver and satisfies the rental company’s minimum age requirement, (C) the renter’s employer or coworker if he or she is engaged in business activity with the renter, is a licensed driver, and satisfies the rental company’s minimum age requirement, and (D) a person expressly listed by the rental company on the renter’s contract as an authorized driver.

(4) (A) “Customer facility charge” means any fee, including an alternative fee, required by an airport to be collected by a rental company from a renter for any of the following purposes:

(i) To finance, design, and construct consolidated airport car rental facilities.

(ii) To finance, design, construct, and operate common-use transportation systems that move passengers between airport terminals and those consolidated car rental facilities, and acquire vehicles for use in that system.

(iii) To finance, design, and construct terminal modifications solely to accommodate and provide customer access to common-use transportation systems.

(B) The aggregate amount to be collected shall not exceed the reasonable costs, as determined by an audit, by an independent auditor, paid for by the airport, to finance, design, and construct those facilities. The auditor shall independently examine and substantiate the necessity for and the amount of the customer facility charge, including whether the airport’s actual or projected costs are supported and justified, any steps the airport may take to limit costs, potential alternatives for meeting the airport’s revenue needs other than the collection of the fee, and whether and to what extent car rental companies or other businesses or individuals using the facility or common-use transportation system may pay for the costs associated with these facilities and systems other than the fee from rental customers, or whether the airport did not comply with any provision of this subparagraph. Copies of the audit shall be provided to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Judiciary, the Assembly Committee on Transportation, and the Senate Committee on Transportation and Housing and shall be posted on the airport’s Internet Web site. In the case of a customer facility charge for a common-use transportation system, the audit also shall consider the reasonable costs of providing the transit system or busing network pursuant to clause (ii) of subparagraph (A). Any audit required by this subparagraph may be included as a part of an audit of an airport’s finances. Notwithstanding clause (iii) of subparagraph (A), the fees designated as a customer facility charge shall not be used to pay for terminal expansion, gate expansion, runway expansion, changes in hours of operation, or changes in the number of flights arriving or departing from the airport.

(C) Except as provided in subparagraph (D), the authorization given pursuant to this section for an airport to impose a customer facility charge shall become inoperative when the bonds used for financing are paid.

(D) If a bond or other form of indebtedness is not used for financing, or the bond or other form of indebtedness used for financing has been paid, the Oakland International Airport may require the collection of a customer facility charge for a period of up to 10 years from the imposition of the charge for the purposes allowed by, and subject to the conditions imposed by, this section.

(5) “Damage waiver” means a rental company’s agreement not to hold a renter liable for all or any portion of any damage or loss related to the rented vehicle, any loss of use of the rented vehicle, or any storage, impound, towing, or administrative charges.

(6) “Electronic surveillance technology” means a technological method or system used to observe, monitor, or collect information, including telematics, Global Positioning System (GPS), wireless technology, or location-based technologies. “Electronic surveillance technology” does not include event data recorders (EDR), sensing and diagnostic modules (SDM), or other systems that are used either:

(A) For the purpose of identifying, diagnosing, or monitoring functions related to the potential need to repair, service, or perform maintenance on the rental vehicle.

(B) As part of the vehicle’s airbag sensing and diagnostic system in order to capture safety systems-related data for retrieval after a crash has occurred or in the event that the collision sensors are activated to prepare the decisionmaking computer to make the determination to deploy or not to deploy the airbag.

(7) “Estimated time for replacement” means the number of hours of labor, or fraction thereof, needed to replace damaged vehicle parts as set forth in collision damage estimating guides generally used in the vehicle repair business and commonly known as “crash books.”

(8) “Estimated time for repair” means a good faith estimate of the reasonable number of hours of labor, or fraction thereof, needed to repair damaged vehicle parts.

(9) “Membership program” means a service offered by a rental company that permits customers to bypass the rental counter and go directly to the car previously reserved. A membership program shall meet all of the following requirements:

(A) The renter initiates enrollment by completing an application on which the renter can specify a preference for type of vehicle and acceptance or declination of optional services.

(B) The rental company fully discloses, prior to the enrollee’s first rental as a participant in the program, all terms and conditions of the rental agreement as well as all required disclosures.

(C) The renter may terminate enrollment at any time.

(D) The rental company fully explains to the renter that designated preferences, as well as acceptance or declination of optional services, may be changed by the renter at any time for the next and future rentals.

(E) An employee designated to receive the form specified in subparagraph (C) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (t) is present at the lot where the renter takes possession of the car, to receive any change in the rental agreement from the renter.

(10) “Passenger vehicle” means a passenger vehicle as defined in Section 465 of the Vehicle Code.

(b) Except as limited by subdivision (c), a rental company and a renter may agree that the renter will be responsible for no more than all of the following:

(1) Physical or mechanical damage to the rented vehicle up to its fair market value, as determined in the customary market for the sale of that vehicle, resulting from collision regardless of the cause of the damage.

(2) Loss due to theft of the rented vehicle up to its fair market value, as determined in the customary market for the sale of that vehicle, provided that the rental company establishes by clear and convincing evidence that the renter or the authorized driver failed to exercise ordinary care while in possession of the vehicle. In addition, the renter shall be presumed to have no liability for any loss due to theft if (A) an authorized driver has possession of the ignition key furnished by the rental company or an authorized driver establishes that the ignition key furnished by the rental company was not in the vehicle at the time of the theft, and (B) an authorized driver files an official report of the theft with the police or other law enforcement agency within 24 hours of learning of the theft and reasonably cooperates with the rental company and the police or other law enforcement agency in providing information concerning the theft. The presumption set forth in this paragraph is a presumption affecting the burden of proof which the rental company may rebut by establishing that an authorized driver committed, or aided and abetted the commission of, the theft.

(3) Physical damage to the rented vehicle up to its fair market value, as determined in the customary market for the sale of that vehicle, resulting from vandalism occurring after, or in connection with, the theft of the rented vehicle. However, the renter shall have no liability for any damage due to vandalism if the renter would have no liability for theft pursuant to paragraph (2).

(4) Physical damage to the rented vehicle up to a total of five hundred dollars ($500) resulting from vandalism unrelated to the theft of the rented vehicle.

(5) Actual charges for towing, storage, and impound fees paid by the rental company if the renter is liable for damage or loss.

(6) An administrative charge, which shall include the cost of appraisal and all other costs and expenses incident to the damage, loss, repair, or replacement of the rented vehicle.

(c) The total amount of the renter’s liability to the rental company resulting from damage to the rented vehicle shall not exceed the sum of the following:

(1) The estimated cost of parts which the rental company would have to pay to replace damaged vehicle parts. All discounts and price reductions or adjustments that are or will be received by the rental company shall be subtracted from the estimate to the extent not already incorporated in the estimate, or otherwise promptly credited or refunded to the renter.

(2) The estimated cost of labor to replace damaged vehicle parts, which shall not exceed the product of (A) the rate for labor usually paid by the rental company to replace vehicle parts of the type that were damaged and (B) the estimated time for replacement. All discounts and price reductions or adjustments that are or will be received by the rental company shall be subtracted from the estimate to the extent not already incorporated in the estimate, or otherwise promptly credited or refunded to the renter.

(3) (A) The estimated cost of labor to repair damaged vehicle parts, which shall not exceed the lesser of the following:

(i) The product of the rate for labor usually paid by the rental company to repair vehicle parts of the type that were damaged and the estimated time for repair.

(ii) The sum of the estimated labor and parts costs determined under paragraphs (1) and (2) to replace the same vehicle parts.

(B) All discounts and price reductions or adjustments that are or will be received by the rental company shall be subtracted from the estimate to the extent not already incorporated in the estimate, or otherwise promptly credited or refunded to the renter.

(4) For the purpose of converting the estimated time for repair into the same units of time in which the rental rate is expressed, a day shall be deemed to consist of eight hours.

(5) Actual charges for towing, storage, and impound fees paid by the rental company.

(6) The administrative charge described in paragraph (6) of subdivision (b) shall not exceed (A) fifty dollars ($50) if the total estimated cost for parts and labor is more than one hundred dollars ($100) up to and including five hundred dollars ($500), (B) one hundred dollars ($100) if the total estimated cost for parts and labor exceeds five hundred dollars ($500) up to and including one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500), and (C) one hundred fifty dollars ($150) if the total estimated cost for parts and labor exceeds one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500). An administrative charge shall not be imposed if the total estimated cost of parts and labor is one hundred dollars ($100) or less.

(d) (1) The total amount of an authorized driver’s liability to the rental company, if any, for damage occurring during the authorized driver’s operation of the rented vehicle shall not exceed the amount of the renter’s liability under subdivision (c).

(2) A rental company shall not recover from the renter or other authorized driver an amount exceeding the renter’s liability under subdivision (c).

(3) A claim against a renter resulting from damage or loss, excluding loss of use, to a rental vehicle shall be reasonably and rationally related to the actual loss incurred. A rental company shall mitigate damages where possible and shall not assert or collect a claim for physical damage which exceeds the actual costs of the repairs performed or the estimated cost of repairs, if the rental company chooses not to repair the vehicle, including all discounts and price reductions. However, if the vehicle is a total loss vehicle, the claim shall not exceed the total loss vehicle value established in accordance with procedures that are customarily used by insurance companies when paying claims on total loss vehicles, less the proceeds from salvaging the vehicle, if those proceeds are retained by the rental company.

(4) If insurance coverage exists under the renter’s applicable personal or business insurance policy and the coverage is confirmed during regular business hours, the renter may require that the rental company submit any claims to the renter’s applicable personal or business insurance carrier. The rental company shall not make any written or oral representations that it will not present claims or negotiate with the renter’s insurance carrier. For purposes of this paragraph, confirmation of coverage includes telephone confirmation from insurance company representatives during regular business hours. Upon request of the renter and after confirmation of coverage, the amount of claim shall be resolved between the insurance carrier and the rental company. The renter shall remain responsible for payment to the rental car company for any loss sustained that the renter’s applicable personal or business insurance policy does not cover.

(5) A rental company shall not recover from the renter or other authorized driver for an item described in subdivision (b) to the extent the rental company obtains recovery from another person.

(6) This section applies only to the maximum liability of a renter or other authorized driver to the rental company resulting from damage to the rented vehicle and not to the liability of another person.

(e) (1) Except as provided in subdivision (f), a damage waiver shall provide or, if not expressly stated in writing, shall be deemed to provide that the renter has no liability for a damage, loss, loss of use, or a cost or expense incident thereto.

(2) Except as provided in subdivision (f), every limitation, exception, or exclusion to a damage waiver is void and unenforceable.

(f) A rental company may provide in the rental contract that a damage waiver does not apply under any of the following circumstances:

(1) Damage or loss results from an authorized driver’s (A) intentional, willful, wanton, or reckless conduct, (B) operation of the vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol in violation of Section 23152 of the Vehicle Code, (C) towing or pushing anything, or (D) operation of the vehicle on an unpaved road if the damage or loss is a direct result of the road or driving conditions.

(2) Damage or loss occurs while the vehicle is (A) used for commercial hire, (B) used in connection with conduct that could be properly charged as a felony, (C) involved in a speed test or contest or in driver training activity, (D) operated by a person other than an authorized driver, or (E) operated outside the United States.

(3) An authorized driver who has (A) provided fraudulent information to the rental company, or (B) provided false information and the rental company would not have rented the vehicle if it had instead received true information.

(g) (1) A rental company that offers or provides a damage waiver for any consideration in addition to the rental rate shall clearly and conspicuously disclose the following information in the rental contract or holder in which the contract is placed and, also, in signs posted at the place, such as the counter, where the renter signs the rental contract, and, for renters who are enrolled in the rental company’s membership program, in a sign that shall be posted in a location clearly visible to those renters as they enter the location where their reserved rental cars are parked or near the exit of the bus or other conveyance that transports the enrollee to a reserved car: (A) the nature of the renter’s liability, such as liability for all collision damage regardless of cause, (B) the extent of the renter’s liability, such as liability for damage or loss up to a specified amount, (C) the renter’s personal insurance policy or the credit card used to pay for the car rental transaction may provide coverage for all or a portion of the renter’s potential liability, (D) the renter should consult with his or her insurer to determine the scope of insurance coverage, including the amount of the deductible, if any, for which the renter is obligated, (E) the renter may purchase an optional damage waiver to cover all liability, subject to whatever exceptions the rental company expressly lists that are permitted under subdivision (f), and (F) the range of charges for the damage waiver.

(2) In addition to the requirements of paragraph (1), a rental company that offers or provides a damage waiver shall orally disclose to all renters, except those who are participants in the rental company’s membership program, that the damage waiver may be duplicative of coverage that the customer maintains under his or her own policy of motor vehicle insurance. The renter’s receipt of the oral disclosure shall be demonstrated through the renter’s acknowledging receipt of the oral disclosure near that part of the contract where the renter indicates, by the renter’s own initials, his or her acceptance or declination of the damage waiver. Adjacent to that same part, the contract also shall state that the damage waiver is optional. Further, the contract for these renters shall include a clear and conspicuous written disclosure that the damage waiver may be duplicative of coverage that the customer maintains under his or her own policy of motor vehicle insurance.

(3) The following is an example, for purposes of illustration and not limitation, of a notice fulfilling the requirements of paragraph (1) for a rental company that imposes liability on the renter for collision damage to the full value of the vehicle:

“NOTICE ABOUT YOUR FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND OPTIONAL DAMAGE WAIVER

You are responsible for all collision damage to the rented vehicle even if someone else caused it or the cause is unknown. You are responsible for the cost of repair up to the value of the vehicle, and towing, storage, and impound fees.

Your own insurance, or the issuer of the credit card you use to pay for the car rental transaction, may cover all or part of your financial responsibility for the rented vehicle. You should check with your insurance company, or credit card issuer, to find out about your coverage and the amount of the deductible, if any, for which you may be liable.

Further, if you use a credit card that provides coverage for your potential liability, you should check with the issuer to determine if you must first exhaust the coverage limits of your own insurance before the credit card coverage applies.

The rental company will not hold you responsible if you buy a damage waiver. But a damage waiver will not protect you if (list exceptions).”


(A) When the above notice is printed in the rental contract or holder in which the contract is placed, the following shall be printed immediately following the notice:


“The cost of an optional damage waiver is $____ for every (day or week).”


(B) When the above notice appears on a sign, the following shall appear immediately adjacent to the notice:


“The cost of an optional damage waiver is $____ to $____ for every (day or week), depending upon the vehicle rented.”


(h) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a rental company may sell a damage waiver subject to the following rate limitations for each full or partial 24-hour rental day for the damage waiver.

(1) For rental vehicles that the rental company designates as an “economy car,” “subcompact car,” “compact car,” or another term having similar meaning when offered for rental, or another vehicle having a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of nineteen thousand dollars ($19,000) or less, the rate shall not exceed nine dollars ($9).

(2) For rental vehicles that have a manufacturer’s suggested retail price from nineteen thousand one dollars ($19,001) to thirty-four thousand nine hundred ninety-nine dollars ($34,999), inclusive, and that are also either vehicles of next year’s model, or not older than the previous year’s model, the rate shall not exceed fifteen dollars ($15). For those rental vehicles older than the previous year’s model-year, the rate shall not exceed nine dollars ($9).

(i) The manufacturer’s suggested retail prices described in subdivision (h) shall be adjusted annually to reflect changes from the previous year in the Consumer Price Index. For the purposes of this section, “Consumer Price Index” means the United States Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, for all items.

(j) A rental company that disseminates in this state an advertisement containing a rental rate shall include in that advertisement a clearly readable statement of the charge for a damage waiver and a statement that a damage waiver is optional.

(k) (1) A rental company shall not require the purchase of a damage waiver, optional insurance, or another optional good or service.

(2) A rental company shall not engage in any unfair, deceptive, or coercive conduct to induce a renter to purchase the damage waiver, optional insurance, or another optional good or service, including conduct such as, but not limited to, refusing to honor the renter’s reservation, limiting the availability of vehicles, requiring a deposit, or debiting or blocking the renter’s credit card account for a sum equivalent to a deposit if the renter declines to purchase the damage waiver, optional insurance, or another optional good or service.

(l) (1) In the absence of express permission granted by the renter subsequent to damage to, or loss of, the vehicle, a rental company shall not seek to recover any portion of a claim arising out of damage to, or loss of, the rented vehicle by processing a credit card charge or causing a debit or block to be placed on the renter’s credit card account.

(2) A rental company shall not engage in any unfair, deceptive, or coercive tactics in attempting to recover or in recovering on any claim arising out of damage to, or loss of, the rented vehicle.

(m) (1) A customer facility charge may be collected by a rental company under the following circumstances:

(A) Collection of the fee by the rental company is required by an airport operated by a city, a county, a city and county, a joint powers authority, a special district, or the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority formed pursuant to Division 17 (commencing with Section 170000) of the Public Utilities Code.

(B) The fee is calculated on a per contract basis or as provided in paragraph (2).

(C) The fee is a user fee, not a tax imposed upon real property or an incidence of property ownership under Article XIII D of the California Constitution.

(D) Except as otherwise provided in subparagraph (E), the fee shall be ten dollars ($10) per contract or the amount provided in paragraph (2).

(E) The fee for a consolidated rental car facility shall be collected only from customers of on-airport rental car companies. If the fee imposed by the airport is for both a consolidated rental car facility and a common-use transportation system, the fee collected from customers of on-airport rental car companies shall be ten dollars ($10) or the amount provided in paragraph (2), but the fee imposed on customers of off-airport rental car companies who are transported on the common-use transportation system is proportionate to the costs of the common-use transportation system only. The fee is uniformly applied to each class of on-airport or off-airport customers, provided that the airport requires off-airport customers to use the common-use transportation system. For purposes of this subparagraph, “on-airport rental car company” means a rental company operating under an airport property lease or an airport concession or license agreement whose customers use or will use the consolidated rental car facility and the collection of the fee as to those customers is consistent with subparagraph (C).

(F) Revenues collected from the fee do not exceed the reasonable costs of financing, designing, and constructing the facility and financing, designing, constructing, and operating any common-use transportation system, or acquiring vehicles for use in that system, and shall not be used for any other purpose.

(G) The fee is separately identified on the rental agreement.

(H) This paragraph does not apply to fees which are governed by Section 50474.1 of the Government Code or Section 57.5 of the San Diego Unified Port District Act.

(I) For any airport seeking to require rental car companies to collect an alternative customer facility charge pursuant to paragraph (2), the following provisions apply:

(i) Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, the airport shall provide reports on an annual basis to the Senate and Assembly Committees on Judiciary detailing all of the following:

(I) The total amount of the customer facility charge collected.

(II) How the funds are being spent.

(III) The amount of and reason for any changes in the airport’s budget or financial needs for the facility or common-use transportation system.

(IV) Whether airport concession fees authorized by Section 1936.01 have increased since the prior report, if any.

(ii) (I) The airport shall complete the audit required by subparagraph (B) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) prior to initial collection of the customer facility charge. Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, copies of the audit shall be provided to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Judiciary, the Assembly Committee on Transportation, and the Senate Committee on Transportation and Housing and shall be posted on the airport’s Internet Web site.

(II) Prior to any increase pursuant to paragraph (2), the airport shall update the information provided in the initial collection audit pursuant to subclause (I). Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, copies of the updated audit shall be provided to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Judiciary, the Assembly Committee on Transportation, and the Senate Committee on Transportation and Housing and shall be posted on the airport’s Internet Web site.

(III) An audit shall be completed every three years after initial collection only if the customer facility charge is collected for the purpose of operating a common-use transportation system or to acquire vehicles for use in such a system pursuant to clause (ii) of subparagraph (A) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (a). A regularly conducted audit of airport finances that includes the customer facility charge information, that satisfies the requirements of subparagraph (B) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (a), and is produced in accordance with the generally accepted accounting principles of the Government Accounting Standards Board, shall satisfy the requirements of this subclause. This obligation shall continue until the fee authorization becomes inoperative pursuant to subparagraph (C) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (a). Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, the information reported pursuant to this subclause shall be compiled into one document, shall be provided to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Judiciary, the Assembly Committee on Transportation, and the Senate Committee on Transportation and Housing and shall be posted on the airport’s Internet Web site accessible to the public. The information reported shall be contained within one easily accessible page contained within the airport’s Internet Web site.

(IV) This section shall not be construed to require an airport to audit a common-use transportation system not financed by a customer facility charge and used for the purposes permitted pursuant to clause (ii) of subparagraph (A) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (a).

(V) The airport shall post on the airport’s Internet Web site copies of the completed audits required by this clause for a period of six years following the audit’s completion.

(iii) Use of the bonds shall be limited to construction and design of the consolidated rental car facility, terminal modifications, and operating costs of the common-use transportation system, as specified in paragraph (4) of subdivision (a).

(2) Any airport may require rental car companies to collect an alternative customer facility charge under the following conditions:

(A) The airport first conducts a publicly noticed hearing pursuant to the Ralph M. Brown Act (Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 54950) of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 5 of the Government Code) to review the costs of financing the design and construction of a consolidated rental car facility and the design, construction, and operation of any common-use transportation system in which all of the following occur:

(i) The airport establishes the amount of revenue necessary to finance the reasonable cost to design and construct a consolidated rental car facility and to design, construct, and operate any common-use transportation system, or acquire vehicles for use in that system, based on evidence presented during the hearing.

(ii) The airport finds, based on evidence presented during the hearing, that the fee authorized in paragraph (1) will not generate sufficient revenue to finance the reasonable costs to design and construct a consolidated rental car facility and to design, construct, and operate any common-use transportation system, or acquire vehicles for use in that system.

(iii) The airport finds that the reasonable cost of the project requires the additional amount of revenue that would be generated by the proposed daily rate, including any rate increase, authorized pursuant to this paragraph.

(iv) The airport outlines each of the following:

(I) Steps it has taken to limit costs.

(II) Other potential alternatives for meeting its revenue needs other than the collection of the fee.

(III) The extent to which rental car companies or other businesses or individuals using the facility or common-use transportation system will pay for the costs associated with these facilities and systems other than the fee from rental customers.

(B) The airport may not require the fee authorized in this paragraph to be collected at any time that the fee authorized in paragraph (1) of this subdivision is being collected.

(C) Pursuant to the procedure set forth in this subdivision, the fee may be collected at a rate charged on a per-day basis subject to the following conditions:

(i) Commencing January 1, 2011, the amount of the fee may not exceed six dollars ($6) per day.

(ii) Commencing January 1, 2014, the amount of the fee may not exceed seven dollars and fifty cents ($7.50) per day.

(iii) Commencing January 1, 2017, and thereafter, the amount of the fee may not exceed nine dollars ($9) per day.

(iv) At no time shall the fee authorized in this paragraph be collected from any customer for more than five days for each individual rental car contract.

(v) An airport subject to this paragraph shall initiate the process for obtaining the authority to require or increase the alternative fee no later than January 1, 2018. Any airport that obtains the authority to require or increase an alternative fee shall be authorized to continue collecting that fee until the fee authorization becomes inoperative pursuant to subparagraph (C) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (a).

(3) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, including, but not limited to, Part 1 (commencing with Section 6001) to Part 1.7 (commencing with Section 7280), inclusive, of Division 2 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, the fees collected pursuant to this section, or another law whereby a local agency operating an airport requires a rental car company to collect a facility financing fee from its customers, are not subject to sales, use, or transaction taxes.

(n) (1) A rental company shall only advertise, quote, and charge a rental rate that includes the entire amount except taxes, a customer facility charge, if any, and a mileage charge, if any, that a renter must pay to hire or lease the vehicle for the period of time to which the rental rate applies. A rental company shall not charge in addition to the rental rate, taxes, a customer facility charge, if any, and a mileage charge, if any, any fee that is required to be paid by the renter as a condition of hiring or leasing the vehicle, including, but not limited to, required fuel or airport surcharges other than customer facility charges, nor a fee for transporting the renter to the location where the rented vehicle will be delivered to the renter.

(2) In addition to the rental rate, taxes, customer facility charges, if any, and mileage charges, if any, a rental company may charge for an item or service provided in connection with a particular rental transaction if the renter could have avoided incurring the charge by choosing not to obtain or utilize the optional item or service. Items and services for which the rental company may impose an additional charge include, but are not limited to, optional insurance and accessories requested by the renter, service charges incident to the renter’s optional return of the vehicle to a location other than the location where the vehicle was hired or leased, and charges for refueling the vehicle at the conclusion of the rental transaction in the event the renter did not return the vehicle with as much fuel as was in the fuel tank at the beginning of the rental. A rental company also may impose an additional charge based on reasonable age criteria established by the rental company.

(3) A rental company shall not charge a fee for authorized drivers in addition to the rental charge for an individual renter.

(4) If a rental company states a rental rate in print advertisement or in a telephonic, in-person, or computer-transmitted quotation, the rental company shall disclose clearly in that advertisement or quotation the terms of mileage conditions relating to the advertised or quoted rental rate, including, but not limited to, to the extent applicable, the amount of mileage and gas charges, the number of miles for which no charges will be imposed, and a description of geographic driving limitations within the United States and Canada.

(5) (A) When a rental rate is stated in an advertisement, quotation, or reservation in connection with a car rental at an airport where a customer facility charge is imposed, the rental company shall disclose clearly the existence and amount of the customer facility charge. For purposes of this subparagraph, advertisements include radio, television, other electronic media, and print advertisements. For purposes of this subparagraph, quotations and reservations include those that are telephonic, in-person, and computer-transmitted. If the rate advertisement is intended to include transactions at more than one airport imposing a customer facility charge, a range of fees may be stated in the advertisement. However, all rate advertisements that include car rentals at airport destinations shall clearly and conspicuously include a toll-free telephone number whereby a customer can be told the specific amount of the customer facility charge to which the customer will be obligated.

(B) If a person or entity other than a rental car company, including a passenger carrier or a seller of travel services, advertises or quotes a rate for a car rental at an airport where a customer facility charge is imposed, that person or entity shall, provided that he, she, or it is provided with information about the existence and amount of the fee, to the extent not specifically prohibited by federal law, clearly disclose the existence and amount of the fee in any telephonic, in-person, or computer-transmitted quotation at the time of making an initial quotation of a rental rate and at the time of making a reservation of a rental car. If a rental car company provides the person or entity with rate and customer facility charge information, the rental car company is not responsible for the failure of that person or entity to comply with this subparagraph when quoting or confirming a rate to a third person or entity.

(6) If a rental company delivers a vehicle to a renter at a location other than the location where the rental company normally carries on its business, the rental company shall not charge the renter an amount for the rental for the period before the delivery of the vehicle. If a rental company picks up a rented vehicle from a renter at a location other than the location where the rental company normally carries on its business, the rental company shall not charge the renter an amount for the rental for the period after the renter notifies the rental company to pick up the vehicle.

(o) A rental company shall not use, access, or obtain any information relating to the renter’s use of the rental vehicle that was obtained using electronic surveillance technology, except in the following circumstances:

(1) (A) When the equipment is used by the rental company only for the purpose of locating a stolen, abandoned, or missing rental vehicle after one of the following:

(i) The renter or law enforcement has informed the rental company that the vehicle is missing or has been stolen or abandoned.

(ii) The rental vehicle has not been returned following one week after the contracted return date, or by one week following the end of an extension of that return date.

(iii) The rental company discovers the rental vehicle has been stolen or abandoned, and, if stolen, it shall report the vehicle stolen to law enforcement by filing a stolen vehicle report, unless law enforcement has already informed the rental company that the vehicle is missing or has been stolen or abandoned.

(B) If electronic surveillance technology is activated pursuant to subparagraph (A), a rental company shall maintain a record, in either electronic or written form, of information relevant to the activation of that technology. That information shall include the rental agreement, including the return date, and the date and time the electronic surveillance technology was activated. The record shall also include, if relevant, a record of written or other communication with the renter, including communications regarding extensions of the rental, police reports, or other written communication with law enforcement officials. The record shall be maintained for a period of at least 12 months from the time the record is created and shall be made available upon the renter’s request. The rental company shall maintain and furnish explanatory codes necessary to read the record. A rental company shall not be required to maintain a record if electronic surveillance technology is activated to recover a rental vehicle that is stolen or missing at a time other than during a rental period.

(2) In response to a specific request from law enforcement pursuant to a subpoena or search warrant.

(3) This subdivision does not prohibit a rental company from equipping rental vehicles with GPS-based technology that provides navigation assistance to the occupants of the rental vehicle, if the rental company does not use, access, or obtain information relating to the renter’s use of the rental vehicle that was obtained using that technology, except for the purposes of discovering or repairing a defect in the technology and the information may then be used only for that purpose.

(4) This subdivision does not prohibit a rental company from equipping rental vehicles with electronic surveillance technology that allows for the remote locking or unlocking of the vehicle at the request of the renter, if the rental company does not use, access, or obtain information relating to the renter’s use of the rental vehicle that was obtained using that technology, except as necessary to lock or unlock the vehicle.

(5) This subdivision does not prohibit a rental company from equipping rental vehicles with electronic surveillance technology that allows the company to provide roadside assistance, such as towing, flat tire, or fuel services, at the request of the renter, if the rental company does not use, access, or obtain information relating to the renter’s use of the rental vehicle that was obtained using that technology except as necessary to provide the requested roadside assistance.

(6) This subdivision does not prohibit a rental company from obtaining, accessing, or using information from electronic surveillance technology for the sole purpose of determining the date and time the vehicle is returned to the rental company, and the total mileage driven and the vehicle fuel level of the returned vehicle. This paragraph, however, shall apply only after the renter has returned the vehicle to the rental company, and the information shall only be used for the purpose described in this paragraph.

(p) A rental company shall not use electronic surveillance technology to track a renter in order to impose fines or surcharges relating to the renter’s use of the rental vehicle.

(q) A renter may bring an action against a rental company for the recovery of damages and appropriate equitable relief for a violation of this section. The prevailing party shall be entitled to recover reasonable attorney’s fees and costs.

(r) A rental company that brings an action against a renter for loss due to theft of the vehicle shall bring the action in the county in which the renter resides or, if the renter is not a resident of this state, in the jurisdiction in which the renter resides.

(s) A waiver of any of the provisions of this section shall be void and unenforceable as contrary to public policy.

(t) (1) A rental company’s disclosure requirements shall be satisfied for renters who are enrolled in the rental company’s membership program if all of the following conditions are met:

(A) Prior to the enrollee’s first rental as a participant in the program, the renter receives, in writing, the following:

(i) All of the disclosures required by paragraph (1) of subdivision (g), including the terms and conditions of the rental agreement then in effect.

(ii) An Internet Web site address, as well as a contact number or address, where the enrollee can learn of changes to the rental agreement or to the laws of this state governing rental agreements since the effective date of the rental company’s most recent restatement of the rental agreement and distribution of that restatement to its members.

(B) At the commencement of each rental period, the renter is provided, on the rental record or the folder in which it is inserted, with a printed notice stating that he or she had either previously selected or declined an optional damage waiver and that the renter has the right to change preferences.

(C) At the commencement of each rental period, the rental company provides, on the rearview mirror, a hanger on which a statement is printed, in a box, in at least 12-point boldface type, notifying the renter that the collision damage waiver offered by the rental company may be duplicative of coverage that the customer maintains under his or her own policy of motor vehicle insurance. If it is not feasible to hang the statement from the rearview mirror, it shall be hung from the steering wheel.

The hanger shall provide the renter a box to initial if he or she (not his or her employer) has previously accepted or declined the collision damage waiver and that he or she now wishes to change his or her decision to accept or decline the collision damage waiver, as follows:


“â—» If I previously accepted the collision damage waiver, I now decline it.

 â—» If I previously declined the collision damage waiver, I now accept it.”


The hanger shall also provide a box for the enrollee to indicate whether this change applies to this rental transaction only or to all future rental transactions. The hanger shall also notify the renter that he or she may make that change, prior to leaving the lot, by returning the form to an employee designated to receive the form who is present at the lot where the renter takes possession of the car, to receive any change in the rental agreement from the renter.

(2) (A) This subdivision is not effective unless the employee designated pursuant to subparagraph (E) of paragraph (8) of subdivision (a) is actually present at the required location.

(B) This subdivision does not relieve the rental company from the disclosures required to be made within the text of a contract or holder in which the contract is placed; in or on an advertisement containing a rental rate; or in a telephonic, in-person, or computer-transmitted quotation or reservation.

(u) The amendments made to this section during the 2001-02 Regular Session of the Legislature do not affect litigation pending on or before January 1, 2003, alleging a violation of Section 22325 of the Business and Professions Code as it read at the time the action was commenced.

(v) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2020.

SEC. 5.7.  

Section 1936 of the Civil Code, as amended by Section 2 of Chapter 549 of the Statutes of 2013, is amended to read:

1936.  

(a) For the purpose of this section, the following definitions shall apply:

(1) “Rental company” means a person or entity in the business of renting passenger vehicles to the public.

(2) “Renter” means any person in a manner obligated under a contract for the lease or hire of a passenger vehicle from a rental company for a period of less than 30 days.

(3) “Authorized driver” means all of the following:

(A) The renter.

(B) The renter’s spouse if that person is a licensed driver and satisfies the rental company’s minimum age requirement.

(C) The renter’s employer or coworker if he or she is engaged in business activity with the renter, is a licensed driver, and satisfies the rental company’s minimum age requirement.

(D) A person expressly listed by the rental company on that renter’s contract as an authorized driver.

(4) (A) “Customer facility charge” means any fee, including an alternative fee, required by an airport to be collected by a rental company from a renter for any of the following purposes:

(i) To finance, design, and construct consolidated airport car rental facilities.

(ii) To finance, design, construct, and operate common-use transportation systems that move passengers between airport terminals and those consolidated car rental facilities, and acquire vehicles for use in that system.

(iii) To finance, design, and construct terminal modifications solely to accommodate and provide customer access to common-use transportation systems.

(B) The aggregate amount to be collected shall not exceed the reasonable costs, as determined by an audit, by an independent auditor, paid for by the airport, to finance, design, and construct those facilities. The auditor shall independently examine and substantiate the necessity for and the amount of the customer facility charge, including whether the airport’s actual or projected costs are supported and justified, any steps the airport may take to limit costs, potential alternatives for meeting the airport’s revenue needs other than the collection of the fee, and whether and to what extent car rental companies or other businesses or individuals using the facility or common-use transportation system may pay for the costs associated with these facilities and systems other than the fee from rental customers, or whether the airport did not comply with any provision of this subparagraph. Copies of the audit shall be provided to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Judiciary, the Assembly Committee on Transportation, and the Senate Committee on Transportation and Housing and shall be posted on the airport’s Internet Web site. In the case of a customer facility charge for a common-use transportation system, the audit also shall consider the reasonable costs of providing the transit system or busing network pursuant to clause (ii) of subparagraph (A). Any audit required by this subparagraph may be included as a part of an audit of an airport’s finances. Notwithstanding clause (iii) of subparagraph (A), the fees designated as a customer facility charge shall not be used to pay for terminal expansion, gate expansion, runway expansion, changes in hours of operation, or changes in the number of flights arriving or departing from the airport.

(C) Except as provided in subparagraph (D), the authorization given pursuant to this section for an airport to impose a customer facility charge shall become inoperative when the bonds used for financing are paid.

(D) If a bond or other form of indebtedness is not used for financing, or the bond or other form of indebtedness used for financing has been paid, the Oakland International Airport may require the collection of a customer facility charge for a period of up to 10 years from the imposition of the charge for the purposes allowed by, and subject to the conditions imposed by, this section.

(5) “Damage waiver” means a rental company’s agreement not to hold a renter liable for all or any portion of any damage or loss related to the rented vehicle, any loss of use of the rented vehicle, or any storage, impound, towing, or administrative charges.

(6) “Electronic surveillance technology” means a technological method or system used to observe, monitor, or collect information, including telematics, Global Positioning System (GPS), wireless technology, or location-based technologies. “Electronic surveillance technology” does not include event data recorders (EDR), sensing and diagnostic modules (SDM), or other systems that are used either:

(A) For the purpose of identifying, diagnosing, or monitoring functions related to the potential need to repair, service, or perform maintenance on the rental vehicle.

(B) As part of the vehicle’s airbag sensing and diagnostic system in order to capture safety systems-related data for retrieval after a crash has occurred or in the event that the collision sensors are activated to prepare the decisionmaking computer to make the determination to deploy or not to deploy the airbag.

(7) “Estimated time for replacement” means the number of hours of labor, or fraction thereof, needed to replace damaged vehicle parts as set forth in collision damage estimating guides generally used in the vehicle repair business and commonly known as “crash books.”

(8) “Estimated time for repair” means a good faith estimate of the reasonable number of hours of labor, or fraction thereof, needed to repair damaged vehicle parts.

(9) “Membership program” means a service offered by a rental company that permits customers to bypass the rental counter and go directly to the car previously reserved. A membership program shall meet all of the following requirements:

(A) The renter initiates enrollment by completing an application on which the renter can specify a preference for type of vehicle and acceptance or declination of optional services.

(B) The rental company fully discloses, prior to the enrollee’s first rental as a participant in the program, all terms and conditions of the rental agreement as well as all required disclosures.

(C) The renter may terminate enrollment at any time.

(D) The rental company fully explains to the renter that designated preferences, as well as acceptance or declination of optional services, may be changed by the renter at any time for the next and future rentals.

(E) An employee designated to receive the form specified in subparagraph (C) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (s) is present at the lot where the renter takes possession of the car, to receive any change in the rental agreement from the renter.

(10) “Passenger vehicle” means a passenger vehicle as defined in Section 465 of the Vehicle Code.

(b) Except as limited by subdivision (c), a rental company and a renter may agree that the renter will be responsible for no more than all of the following:

(1) Physical or mechanical damage to the rented vehicle up to its fair market value, as determined in the customary market for the sale of that vehicle, resulting from collision regardless of the cause of the damage.

(2) Loss due to theft of the rented vehicle up to its fair market value, as determined in the customary market for the sale of that vehicle, provided that the rental company establishes by clear and convincing evidence that the renter or the authorized driver failed to exercise ordinary care while in possession of the vehicle. In addition, the renter shall be presumed to have no liability for any loss due to theft if (A) an authorized driver has possession of the ignition key furnished by the rental company or an authorized driver establishes that the ignition key furnished by the rental company was not in the vehicle at the time of the theft, and (B) an authorized driver files an official report of the theft with the police or other law enforcement agency within 24 hours of learning of the theft and reasonably cooperates with the rental company and the police or other law enforcement agency in providing information concerning the theft. The presumption set forth in this paragraph is a presumption affecting the burden of proof which the rental company may rebut by establishing that an authorized driver committed, or aided and abetted the commission of, the theft.

(3) Physical damage to the rented vehicle up to its fair market value, as determined in the customary market for the sale of that vehicle, resulting from vandalism occurring after, or in connection with, the theft of the rented vehicle. However, the renter shall have no liability for any damage due to vandalism if the renter would have no liability for theft pursuant to paragraph (2).

(4) Physical damage to the rented vehicle up to a total of five hundred dollars ($500) resulting from vandalism unrelated to the theft of the rented vehicle.

(5) Actual charges for towing, storage, and impound fees paid by the rental company if the renter is liable for damage or loss.

(6) An administrative charge, which shall include the cost of appraisal and all other costs and expenses incident to the damage, loss, repair, or replacement of the rented vehicle.

(c) The total amount of the renter’s liability to the rental company resulting from damage to the rented vehicle shall not exceed the sum of the following:

(1) The estimated cost of parts which the rental company would have to pay to replace damaged vehicle parts. All discounts and price reductions or adjustments that are or will be received by the rental company shall be subtracted from the estimate to the extent not already incorporated in the estimate, or otherwise promptly credited or refunded to the renter.

(2) The estimated cost of labor to replace damaged vehicle parts, which shall not exceed the product of (A) the rate for labor usually paid by the rental company to replace vehicle parts of the type that were damaged and (B) the estimated time for replacement. All discounts and price reductions or adjustments that are or will be received by the rental company shall be subtracted from the estimate to the extent not already incorporated in the estimate, or otherwise promptly credited or refunded to the renter.

(3) (A) The estimated cost of labor to repair damaged vehicle parts, which shall not exceed the lesser of the following:

(i) The product of the rate for labor usually paid by the rental company to repair vehicle parts of the type that were damaged and the estimated time for repair.

(ii) The sum of the estimated labor and parts costs determined under paragraphs (1) and (2) to replace the same vehicle parts.

(B) All discounts and price reductions or adjustments that are or will be received by the rental company shall be subtracted from the estimate to the extent not already incorporated in the estimate, or otherwise promptly credited or refunded to the renter.

(4) For the purpose of converting the estimated time for repair into the same units of time in which the rental rate is expressed, a day shall be deemed to consist of eight hours.

(5) Actual charges for towing, storage, and impound fees paid by the rental company.

(6) The administrative charge described in paragraph (6) of subdivision (b) shall not exceed (A) fifty dollars ($50) if the total estimated cost for parts and labor is more than one hundred dollars ($100) up to and including five hundred dollars ($500), (B) one hundred dollars ($100) if the total estimated cost for parts and labor exceeds five hundred dollars ($500) up to and including one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500), and (C) one hundred fifty dollars ($150) if the total estimated cost for parts and labor exceeds one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500). An administrative charge shall not be imposed if the total estimated cost of parts and labor is one hundred dollars ($100) or less.

(d) (1) The total amount of an authorized driver’s liability to the rental company, if any, for damage occurring during the authorized driver’s operation of the rented vehicle shall not exceed the amount of the renter’s liability under subdivision (c).

(2) A rental company shall not recover from the renter or other authorized driver an amount exceeding the renter’s liability under subdivision (c).

(3) A claim against a renter resulting from damage or loss, excluding loss of use, to a rental vehicle shall be reasonably and rationally related to the actual loss incurred. A rental company shall mitigate damages where possible and shall not assert or collect a claim for physical damage which exceeds the actual costs of the repairs performed or the estimated cost of repairs, if the rental company chooses not to repair the vehicle, including all discounts and price reductions. However, if the vehicle is a total loss vehicle, the claim shall not exceed the total loss vehicle value established in accordance with procedures that are customarily used by insurance companies when paying claims on total loss vehicles, less the proceeds from salvaging the vehicle, if those proceeds are retained by the rental company.

(4) If insurance coverage exists under the renter’s applicable personal or business insurance policy and the coverage is confirmed during regular business hours, the renter may require that the rental company submit any claims to the renter’s applicable personal or business insurance carrier. The rental company shall not make any written or oral representations that it will not present claims or negotiate with the renter’s insurance carrier. For purposes of this paragraph, confirmation of coverage includes telephone confirmation from insurance company representatives during regular business hours. Upon request of the renter and after confirmation of coverage, the amount of claim shall be resolved between the insurance carrier and the rental company. The renter shall remain responsible for payment to the rental car company for any loss sustained that the renter’s applicable personal or business insurance policy does not cover.

(5) A rental company shall not recover from the renter or other authorized driver for an item described in subdivision (b) to the extent the rental company obtains recovery from another person.

(6) This section applies only to the maximum liability of a renter or other authorized driver to the rental company resulting from damage to the rented vehicle and not to the liability of another person.

(e) (1) Except as provided in subdivision (f), a damage waiver shall provide or, if not expressly stated in writing, shall be deemed to provide that the renter has no liability for damage, loss, loss of use, or a cost or expense incident thereto.

(2) Except as provided in subdivision (f), every limitation, exception, or exclusion to a damage waiver is void and unenforceable.

(f) A rental company may provide in the rental contract that a damage waiver does not apply under any of the following circumstances:

(1) Damage or loss results from an authorized driver’s (A) intentional, willful, wanton, or reckless conduct, (B) operation of the vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol in violation of Section 23152 of the Vehicle Code, (C) towing or pushing anything, or (D) operation of the vehicle on an unpaved road if the damage or loss is a direct result of the road or driving conditions.

(2) Damage or loss occurs while the vehicle is (A) used for commercial hire, (B) used in connection with conduct that could be properly charged as a felony, (C) involved in a speed test or contest or in driver training activity, (D) operated by a person other than an authorized driver, or (E) operated outside the United States.

(3) An authorized driver who has (A) provided fraudulent information to the rental company, or (B) provided false information and the rental company would not have rented the vehicle if it had instead received true information.

(g) (1) A rental company that offers or provides a damage waiver for any consideration in addition to the rental rate shall clearly and conspicuously disclose the following information in the rental contract or holder in which the contract is placed and, also, in signs posted at the place, such as the counter, where the renter signs the rental contract, and, for renters who are enrolled in the rental company’s membership program, in a sign that shall be posted in a location clearly visible to those renters as they enter the location where their reserved rental cars are parked or near the exit of the bus or other conveyance that transports the enrollee to a reserved car: (A) the nature of the renter’s liability, such as liability for all collision damage regardless of cause, (B) the extent of the renter’s liability, such as liability for damage or loss up to a specified amount, (C) the renter’s personal insurance policy or the credit card used to pay for the car rental transaction may provide coverage for all or a portion of the renter’s potential liability, (D) the renter should consult with his or her insurer to determine the scope of insurance coverage, including the amount of the deductible, if any, for which the renter is obligated, (E) the renter may purchase an optional damage waiver to cover all liability, subject to whatever exceptions the rental company expressly lists that are permitted under subdivision (f), and (F) the range of charges for the damage waiver.

(2) In addition to the requirements of paragraph (1), a rental company that offers or provides a damage waiver shall orally disclose to all renters, except those who are participants in the rental company’s membership program, that the damage waiver may be duplicative of coverage that the customer maintains under his or her own policy of motor vehicle insurance. The renter’s receipt of the oral disclosure shall be demonstrated through the renter’s acknowledging receipt of the oral disclosure near that part of the contract where the renter indicates, by the renter’s own initials, his or her acceptance or declination of the damage waiver. Adjacent to that same part, the contract also shall state that the damage waiver is optional. Further, the contract for these renters shall include a clear and conspicuous written disclosure that the damage waiver may be duplicative of coverage that the customer maintains under his or her own policy of motor vehicle insurance.

(3) The following is an example, for purposes of illustration and not limitation, of a notice fulfilling the requirements of paragraph (1) for a rental company that imposes liability on the renter for collision damage to the full value of the vehicle:

“NOTICE ABOUT YOUR FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND OPTIONAL DAMAGE WAIVER

You are responsible for all collision damage to the rented vehicle even if someone else caused it or the cause is unknown. You are responsible for the cost of repair up to the value of the vehicle, and towing, storage, and impound fees.

Your own insurance, or the issuer of the credit card you use to pay for the car rental transaction, may cover all or part of your financial responsibility for the rented vehicle. You should check with your insurance company, or credit card issuer, to find out about your coverage and the amount of the deductible, if any, for which you may be liable.

Further, if you use a credit card that provides coverage for your potential liability, you should check with the issuer to determine if you must first exhaust the coverage limits of your own insurance before the credit card coverage applies.

The rental company will not hold you responsible if you buy a damage waiver. But a damage waiver will not protect you if (list exceptions).”


(A) When the above notice is printed in the rental contract or holder in which the contract is placed, the following shall be printed immediately following the notice:


“The cost of an optional damage waiver is $____ for every (day or week).”


(B) When the above notice appears on a sign, the following shall appear immediately adjacent to the notice:


“The cost of an optional damage waiver is $____ to $____ for every (day or week), depending upon the vehicle rented.”


(h) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a rental company may sell a damage waiver subject to the following rate limitations for each full or partial 24-hour rental day for the damage waiver:

(1) For rental vehicles that the rental company designates as an “economy car,” “compact car,” or another term having similar meaning to the two smallest body-size categories of vehicles established by the Association of Car Rental Industry Systems Standards for North America, as of January 1, 2014, when offered for rental, the rate shall not exceed eleven dollars ($11).

(2) For rental vehicles that the rental company designates as an “intermediate car,” “standard car,” or “full-size car,” or another term having similar meaning to the next three body-size categories of vehicles established by the Association of Car Rental Industry Systems Standards for North America, as of January 1, 2014, and that are also either vehicles of the next model year, or not older than the previous year’s model, when offered for rental, the rate shall not exceed seventeen dollars ($17). For rental vehicles that are older than the previous year’s model year, the rate shall not exceed eleven dollars ($11).

(i) A rental company that disseminates in this state an advertisement containing a rental rate shall include in that advertisement a clearly readable statement of the charge for a damage waiver and a statement that a damage waiver is optional.

(j) (1) A rental company shall not require the purchase of a damage waiver, optional insurance, or another optional good or service.

(2) A rental company shall not engage in any unfair, deceptive, or coercive conduct to induce a renter to purchase the damage waiver, optional insurance, or another optional good or service, including conduct such as, but not limited to, refusing to honor the renter’s reservation, limiting the availability of vehicles, requiring a deposit, or debiting or blocking the renter’s credit card account for a sum equivalent to a deposit if the renter declines to purchase the damage waiver, optional insurance, or another optional good or service.

(k) (1) In the absence of express permission granted by the renter subsequent to damage to, or loss of, the vehicle, a rental company shall not seek to recover any portion of a claim arising out of damage to, or loss of, the rented vehicle by processing a credit card charge or causing a debit or block to be placed on the renter’s credit card account.

(2) A rental company shall not engage in any unfair, deceptive, or coercive tactics in attempting to recover or in recovering on any claim arising out of damage to, or loss of, the rented vehicle.

(l) (1) A customer facility charge may be collected by a rental company under the following circumstances:

(A) Collection of the fee by the rental company is required by an airport operated by a city, a county, a city and county, a joint powers authority, a special district, or the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority formed pursuant to Division 17 (commencing with Section 170000) of the Public Utilities Code.

(B) The fee is calculated on a per contract basis or as provided in paragraph (2).

(C) The fee is a user fee, not a tax imposed upon real property or an incident of property ownership under Article XIII D of the California Constitution.

(D) Except as otherwise provided in subparagraph (E), the fee shall be ten dollars ($10) per contract or the amount provided in paragraph (2).

(E) The fee for a consolidated rental car facility shall be collected only from customers of on-airport rental car companies. If the fee imposed by the airport is for both a consolidated rental car facility and a common-use transportation system, the fee collected from customers of on-airport rental car companies shall be ten dollars ($10) or the amount provided in paragraph (2), but the fee imposed on customers of off-airport rental car companies who are transported on the common-use transportation system is proportionate to the costs of the common-use transportation system only. The fee is uniformly applied to each class of on-airport or off-airport customers, provided that the airport requires off-airport customers to use the common-use transportation system. For purposes of this subparagraph, “on-airport rental car company” means a rental company operating under an airport property lease or an airport concession or license agreement whose customers use or will use the consolidated rental car facility and the collection of the fee as to those customers is consistent with subparagraph (C).

(F) Revenues collected from the fee do not exceed the reasonable costs of financing, designing, and constructing the facility and financing, designing, constructing, and operating any common-use transportation system, or acquiring vehicles for use in that system, and shall not be used for any other purpose.

(G) The fee is separately identified on the rental agreement.

(H) This paragraph does not apply to fees which are governed by Section 50474.1 of the Government Code or Section 57.5 of the San Diego Unified Port District Act (Chapter 67 of the First Extraordinary Session of the Statutes of 1962).

(I) For any airport seeking to require rental car companies to collect an alternative customer facility charge pursuant to paragraph (2), the following provisions apply:

(i) Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, the airport shall provide reports on an annual basis to the Senate and Assembly Committees on Judiciary detailing all of the following:

(I) The total amount of the customer facility charge collected.

(II) How the funds are being spent.

(III) The amount of and reason for any changes in the airport’s budget or financial needs for the facility or common-use transportation system.

(IV) Whether airport concession fees authorized by Section 1936.01 have increased since the prior report, if any.

(ii) (I) The airport shall complete the audit required by subparagraph (B) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) prior to the initial collection of the customer facility charge. Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, copies of the audit shall be provided to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Judiciary, the Assembly Committee on Transportation, and the Senate Committee on Transportation and Housing and shall be posted on the airport’s Internet Web site.

(II) Prior to any increase pursuant to paragraph (2), the airport shall update the information provided in the initial collection audit pursuant to subclause (I). Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, copies of the updated audit shall be provided to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Judiciary, the Assembly Committee on Transportation, and the Senate Committee on Transportation and Housing, and shall be posted on the airport’s Internet Web site.

(III) An audit shall be completed every three years after initial collection only if the customer facility charge is collected for the purpose of operating a common-use transportation system or to acquire vehicles for use in the system pursuant to clause (ii) of subparagraph (A) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (a). A regularly conducted audit of airport finances that includes the customer facility charge information, that satisfies the requirements of subparagraph (B) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (a), and is produced in accordance with the generally accepted accounting principles of the Government Accounting Standards Board, shall satisfy the requirements of this subclause. This obligation shall continue until the fee authorization becomes inoperative pursuant to subparagraph (C) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (a). Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, the information reported pursuant to this subclause shall be compiled into one document, shall be provided to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Judiciary, the Assembly Committee on Transportation, and the Senate Committee on Transportation and Housing and shall be posted on the airport’s Internet Web site accessible to the public. The information reported shall be contained within one easily accessible page contained within the airport’s Internet Web site.

(IV) This section shall not be construed to require an airport to audit a common-use transportation system not financed by a customer facility charge and used for the purposes permitted pursuant to clause (ii) of subparagraph (A) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (a).

(V) The airport shall post on the airport’s Internet Web site copies of the completed audits required by this clause for a period of six years following the audit’s completion.

(iii) Use of the bonds shall be limited to construction and design of the consolidated rental car facility, terminal modifications, and operating costs of the common-use transportation system, as specified in paragraph (4) of subdivision (a).

(2) Any airport may require rental car companies to collect an alternative customer facility charge under the following conditions:

(A) The airport first conducts a publicly noticed hearing pursuant to the Ralph M. Brown Act (Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 54950) of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 5 of the Government Code) to review the costs of financing the design and construction of a consolidated rental car facility and the design, construction, and operation of any common-use transportation system in which all of the following occur:

(i) The airport establishes the amount of revenue necessary to finance the reasonable cost to design and construct a consolidated rental car facility and to design, construct, and operate any common-use transportation system, or acquire vehicles for use in that system, based on evidence presented during the hearing.

(ii) The airport finds, based on evidence presented during the hearing, that the fee authorized in paragraph (1) will not generate sufficient revenue to finance the reasonable costs to design and construct a consolidated rental car facility and to design, construct, and operate any common-use transportation system, or acquire vehicles for use in that system.

(iii) The airport finds that the reasonable cost of the project requires the additional amount of revenue that would be generated by the proposed daily rate, including any rate increase, authorized pursuant to this paragraph.

(iv) The airport outlines each of the following:

(I) Steps it has taken to limit costs.

(II) Other potential alternatives for meeting its revenue needs other than the collection of the fee.

(III) The extent to which rental car companies or other businesses or individuals using the facility or common-use transportation system will pay for the costs associated with these facilities and systems other than the fee from rental customers.

(B) The airport may not require the fee authorized in this paragraph to be collected at any time that the fee authorized in paragraph (1) of this subdivision is being collected.

(C) Pursuant to the procedure set forth in this subdivision, the fee may be collected at a rate charged on a per-day basis subject to the following conditions:

(i) Commencing January 1, 2011, the amount of the fee may not exceed six dollars ($6) per day.

(ii) Commencing January 1, 2014, the amount of the fee may not exceed seven dollars and fifty cents ($7.50) per day.

(iii) Commencing January 1, 2017, and thereafter, the amount of the fee may not exceed nine dollars ($9) per day.

(iv) At no time shall the fee authorized in this paragraph be collected from any customer for more than five days for each individual rental car contract.

(v) An airport subject to this paragraph shall initiate the process for obtaining the authority to require or increase the alternative fee no later than January 1, 2018. Any airport that obtains the authority to require or increase an alternative fee shall be authorized to continue collecting that fee until the fee authorization becomes inoperative pursuant to subparagraph (C) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (a).

(3) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, including, but not limited to, Part 1 (commencing with Section 6001) to Part 1.7 (commencing with Section 7280), inclusive, of Division 2 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, the fees collected pursuant to this section, or another law whereby a local agency operating an airport requires a rental car company to collect a facility financing fee from its customers, are not subject to sales, use, or transaction taxes.

(m) (1) A rental company shall only advertise, quote, and charge a rental rate that includes the entire amount except taxes, a customer facility charge, if any, and a mileage charge, if any, that a renter must pay to hire or lease the vehicle for the period of time to which the rental rate applies. A rental company shall not charge in addition to the rental rate, taxes, a customer facility charge, if any, and a mileage charge, if any, any fee that is required to be paid by the renter as a condition of hiring or leasing the vehicle, including, but not limited to, required fuel or airport surcharges other than customer facility charges, nor a fee for transporting the renter to the location where the rented vehicle will be delivered to the renter.

(2) In addition to the rental rate, taxes, customer facility charges, if any, and mileage charges, if any, a rental company may charge for an item or service provided in connection with a particular rental transaction if the renter could have avoided incurring the charge by choosing not to obtain or utilize the optional item or service. Items and services for which the rental company may impose an additional charge include, but are not limited to, optional insurance and accessories requested by the renter, service charges incident to the renter’s optional return of the vehicle to a location other than the location where the vehicle was hired or leased, and charges for refueling the vehicle at the conclusion of the rental transaction in the event the renter did not return the vehicle with as much fuel as was in the fuel tank at the beginning of the rental. A rental company also may impose an additional charge based on reasonable age criteria established by the rental company.

(3) A rental company shall not charge a fee for authorized drivers in addition to the rental charge for an individual renter.

(4) If a rental company states a rental rate in print advertisement or in a telephonic, in-person, or computer-transmitted quotation, the rental company shall disclose clearly in that advertisement or quotation the terms of mileage conditions relating to the advertised or quoted rental rate, including, but not limited to, to the extent applicable, the amount of mileage and gas charges, the number of miles for which no charges will be imposed, and a description of geographic driving limitations within the United States and Canada.

(5) (A) When a rental rate is stated in an advertisement, quotation, or reservation in connection with a car rental at an airport where a customer facility charge is imposed, the rental company shall disclose clearly the existence and amount of the customer facility charge. For purposes of this subparagraph, advertisements include radio, television, other electronic media, and print advertisements. For purposes of this subparagraph, quotations and reservations include those that are telephonic, in-person, and computer-transmitted. If the rate advertisement is intended to include transactions at more than one airport imposing a customer facility charge, a range of fees may be stated in the advertisement. However, all rate advertisements that include car rentals at airport destinations shall clearly and conspicuously include a toll-free telephone number whereby a customer can be told the specific amount of the customer facility charge to which the customer will be obligated.

(B) If a person or entity other than a rental car company, including a passenger carrier or a seller of travel services, advertises or quotes a rate for a car rental at an airport where a customer facility charge is imposed, that person or entity shall, provided that he, she, or it is provided with information about the existence and amount of the fee, to the extent not specifically prohibited by federal law, clearly disclose the existence and amount of the fee in any telephonic, in-person, or computer-transmitted quotation at the time of making an initial quotation of a rental rate and at the time of making a reservation of a rental car. If a rental car company provides the person or entity with rate and customer facility charge information, the rental car company is not responsible for the failure of that person or entity to comply with this subparagraph when quoting or confirming a rate to a third person or entity.

(6) If a rental company delivers a vehicle to a renter at a location other than the location where the rental company normally carries on its business, the rental company shall not charge the renter an amount for the rental for the period before the delivery of the vehicle. If a rental company picks up a rented vehicle from a renter at a location other than the location where the rental company normally carries on its business, the rental company shall not charge the renter an amount for the rental for the period after the renter notifies the rental company to pick up the vehicle.

(n) A rental company shall not use, access, or obtain any information relating to the renter’s use of the rental vehicle that was obtained using electronic surveillance technology, except in the following circumstances:

(1) (A) When the equipment is used by the rental company only for the purpose of locating a stolen, abandoned, or missing rental vehicle after one of the following:

(i) The renter or law enforcement has informed the rental company that the vehicle is missing or has been stolen or abandoned.

(ii) The rental vehicle has not been returned following one week after the contracted return date, or by one week following the end of an extension of that return date.

(iii) The rental company discovers the rental vehicle has been stolen or abandoned, and, if stolen, it shall report the vehicle stolen to law enforcement by filing a stolen vehicle report, unless law enforcement has already informed the rental company that the vehicle is missing or has been stolen or abandoned.

(B) If electronic surveillance technology is activated pursuant to subparagraph (A), a rental company shall maintain a record, in either electronic or written form, of information relevant to the activation of that technology. That information shall include the rental agreement, including the return date, and the date and time the electronic surveillance technology was activated. The record shall also include, if relevant, a record of written or other communication with the renter, including communications regarding extensions of the rental, police reports, or other written communication with law enforcement officials. The record shall be maintained for a period of at least 12 months from the time the record is created and shall be made available upon the renter’s request. The rental company shall maintain and furnish explanatory codes necessary to read the record. A rental company shall not be required to maintain a record if electronic surveillance technology is activated to recover a rental vehicle that is stolen or missing at a time other than during a rental period.

(2) In response to a specific request from law enforcement pursuant to a subpoena or search warrant.

(3) This subdivision does not prohibit a rental company from equipping rental vehicles with GPS-based technology that provides navigation assistance to the occupants of the rental vehicle, if the rental company does not use, access, or obtain information relating to the renter’s use of the rental vehicle that was obtained using that technology, except for the purposes of discovering or repairing a defect in the technology and the information may then be used only for that purpose.

(4) This subdivision does not prohibit a rental company from equipping rental vehicles with electronic surveillance technology that allows for the remote locking or unlocking of the vehicle at the request of the renter, if the rental company does not use, access, or obtain information relating to the renter’s use of the rental vehicle that was obtained using that technology, except as necessary to lock or unlock the vehicle.

(5) This subdivision does not prohibit a rental company from equipping rental vehicles with electronic surveillance technology that allows the company to provide roadside assistance, such as towing, flat tire, or fuel services, at the request of the renter, if the rental company does not use, access, or obtain information relating to the renter’s use of the rental vehicle that was obtained using that technology except as necessary to provide the requested roadside assistance.

(6) This subdivision does not prohibit a rental company from obtaining, accessing, or using information from electronic surveillance technology for the sole purpose of determining the date and time the vehicle is returned to the rental company, and the total mileage driven and the vehicle fuel level of the returned vehicle. This paragraph, however, shall apply only after the renter has returned the vehicle to the rental company, and the information shall only be used for the purpose described in this paragraph.

(o) A rental company shall not use electronic surveillance technology to track a renter in order to impose fines or surcharges relating to the renter’s use of the rental vehicle.

(p) A renter may bring an action against a rental company for the recovery of damages and appropriate equitable relief for a violation of this section. The prevailing party shall be entitled to recover reasonable attorney’s fees and costs.

(q) A rental company that brings an action against a renter for loss due to theft of the vehicle shall bring the action in the county in which the renter resides or, if the renter is not a resident of this state, in the jurisdiction in which the renter resides.

(r) A waiver of any of the provisions of this section shall be void and unenforceable as contrary to public policy.

(s) (1) A rental company’s disclosure requirements shall be satisfied for renters who are enrolled in the rental company’s membership program if all of the following conditions are met:

(A) Prior to the enrollee’s first rental as a participant in the program, the renter receives, in writing, the following:

(i) All of the disclosures required by paragraph (1) of subdivision (g), including the terms and conditions of the rental agreement then in effect.

(ii) An Internet Web site address, as well as a contact number or address, where the enrollee can learn of changes to the rental agreement or to the laws of this state governing rental agreements since the effective date of the rental company’s most recent restatement of the rental agreement and distribution of that restatement to its members.

(B) At the commencement of each rental period, the renter is provided, on the rental record or the folder in which it is inserted, with a printed notice stating that he or she had either previously selected or declined an optional damage waiver and that the renter has the right to change preferences.

(C) At the commencement of each rental period, the rental company provides, on the rearview mirror, a hanger on which a statement is printed, in a box, in at least 12-point boldface type, notifying the renter that the collision damage waiver offered by the rental company may be duplicative of coverage that the customer maintains under his or her own policy of motor vehicle insurance. If it is not feasible to hang the statement from the rearview mirror, it shall be hung from the steering wheel.

The hanger shall provide the renter a box to initial if he or she (not his or her employer) has previously accepted or declined the collision damage waiver and that he or she now wishes to change his or her decision to accept or decline the collision damage waiver, as follows:


“If I previously accepted the collision damage waiver, I now decline it.

If I previously declined the collision damage waiver, I now accept it.”


The hanger shall also provide a box for the enrollee to indicate whether this change applies to this rental transaction only or to all future rental transactions. The hanger shall also notify the renter that he or she may make that change, prior to leaving the lot, by returning the form to an employee designated to receive the form who is present at the lot where the renter takes possession of the car, to receive any change in the rental agreement from the renter.

(2) (A) This subdivision is not effective unless the employee designated pursuant to subparagraph (E) of paragraph (8) of subdivision (a) is actually present at the required location.

(B) This subdivision does not relieve the rental company from the disclosures required to be made within the text of a contract or holder in which the contract is placed; in or on an advertisement containing a rental rate; or in a telephonic, in-person, or computer-transmitted quotation or reservation.

(t) The amendments made to this section during the 2001-02 Regular Session of the Legislature do not affect litigation pending on or before January 1, 2003, alleging a violation of Section 22325 of the Business and Professions Code as it read at the time the action was commenced.

(u) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2020.

SEC. 6.  

Section 1942.2 of the Civil Code is amended to read:

1942.2.  

A tenant who has made a payment to a utility pursuant to Section 777, 777.1, 10009, 10009.1, 12822, 12822.1, 16481, or 16481.1 of the Public Utilities Code, or to a district pursuant to Section 60371 of the Government Code, may deduct the payment from the rent as provided in that section.

SEC. 7.  

Section 415.46 of the Code of Civil Procedure is amended to read:

415.46.  

(a) In addition to the service of a summons and complaint in an action for unlawful detainer upon a tenant and subtenant, if any, as prescribed by this article, a prejudgment claim of right to possession may also be served on any person who appears to be or who may claim to have occupied the premises at the time of the filing of the action. Service upon occupants shall be made pursuant to subdivision (c) by serving a copy of a prejudgment claim of right to possession, as specified in subdivision (f), attached to a copy of the summons and complaint at the same time service is made upon the tenant and subtenant, if any.

(b) Service of the prejudgment claim of right to possession in this manner shall be effected by a marshal, sheriff, or registered process server.

(c) (1) When serving the summons and complaint upon a tenant and subtenant, if any, the marshal, sheriff, or registered process server shall make a reasonably diligent effort to ascertain whether there are other adult occupants of the premises who are not named in the summons and complaint by inquiring of the person or persons who are being personally served, or any person of suitable age and discretion who appears to reside upon the premises, whether there are other occupants of the premises.

(2) If the identity of such an occupant is disclosed to the officer or process server and the occupant is present at the premises, the officer or process server shall serve that occupant with a copy of the prejudgment claim of right to possession attached to a copy of the summons and complaint. If personal service cannot be made upon that occupant at that time, service may be effected by leaving a copy of a prejudgment claim of right to possession attached to a copy of the summons and complaint addressed to that occupant with a person of suitable age and discretion at the premises, affixing the same so that it is not readily removable in a conspicuous place on the premises in a manner most likely to give actual notice to that occupant, and sending the same addressed to that occupant by first-class mail.

(3) In addition to the service on an identified occupant, or if no occupant is disclosed to the officer or process server, or if substituted service is made upon the tenant and subtenant, if any, the officer or process server shall serve a prejudgment claim of right to possession for all other persons who may claim to occupy the premises at the time of the filing of the action by leaving a copy of a prejudgment claim of right to possession attached to a copy of the summons and complaint at the premises at the same time service is made upon the tenant and subtenant, if any, affixing the same so that it is not readily removable in a conspicuous place on the premises so that it is likely to give actual notice to an occupant, and sending the same addressed to “all occupants in care of the named tenant” to the premises by first-class mail.

(4) The person serving process shall state the date of service on the prejudgment claim of right to possession form. However, the absence of the date of service on the prejudgment claim of right to possession does not invalidate the claim.

(d) Proof of service under this section shall be filed with the court and shall include a statement that service was made pursuant to this section. Service on occupants in accordance with this section shall not alter or affect service upon the tenant or subtenant, if any.

(e) (1) If an owner or his or her agent has directed and obtained service of a prejudgment claim of right to possession in accordance with this section, no occupant of the premises, whether or not that occupant is named in the judgment for possession, may object to the enforcement of that judgment as prescribed in Section 1174.3.

(2) In any action for unlawful detainer resulting from a foreclosure sale of a rental housing unit pursuant to Section 1161a, paragraph (1) shall not limit the right of any tenant or subtenant of the property to file a prejudgment claim of right of possession pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 1174.25 at any time before judgment, or to object to enforcement of a judgment for possession as prescribed in Section 1174.3, regardless of whether the tenant or subtenant was served with a prejudgment claim of right to possession.

(f) The prejudgment claim of right to possession shall be made on the following form:

PRINTER PLEASE NOTE: TIP-IN MATERIAL TO BE INSERTED

[4 pages]

SEC. 8.  

Section 1174.25 of the Code of Civil Procedure is amended to read:

1174.25.  

(a) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), an occupant who is served with a prejudgment claim of right to possession in accordance with Section 415.46 may file a claim as prescribed in Section 415.46, with the court within 10 days of the date of service of the prejudgment claim of right to possession as shown on the return of service, which period shall include Saturday and Sunday but exclude all other judicial holidays. If the last day for filing the claim falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the filing period shall be extended to and including the next court day. Filing the prejudgment claim of right to possession shall constitute a general appearance for which a fee shall be collected as provided in Section 70614 of the Government Code. Section 68511.3 of the Government Code applies to the prejudgment claim of right to possession.

(2) In an action as described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (e) of Section 415.46, an occupant may file a prejudgment claim of right to possession at any time before judgment is entered.

(b) At the time of filing, the claimant shall be added as a defendant in the action for unlawful detainer and the clerk shall notify the plaintiff that the claimant has been added as a defendant in the action by mailing a copy of the claim filed with the court to the plaintiff with a notation so indicating. The claimant shall answer or otherwise respond to the summons and complaint within five days, including Saturdays and Sundays, but excluding all other judicial holidays, after filing the prejudgment claim of possession. Thereafter, the name of the claimant shall be added to any pleading, filing or form filed in the action for unlawful detainer.

SEC. 9.  

Section 1174.3 of the Code of Civil Procedure is amended to read:

1174.3.  

(a) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), unless a prejudgment claim of right to possession has been served upon occupants in accordance with Section 415.46, any occupant not named in the judgment for possession who occupied the premises on the date of the filing of the action may object to enforcement of the judgment against that occupant by filing a claim of right to possession as prescribed in this section. A claim of right to possession may be filed at any time after service or posting of the writ of possession pursuant to subdivision (a) or (b) of Section 715.020, up to and including the time at which the levying officer returns to effect the eviction of those named in the judgment of possession. Filing the claim of right to possession shall constitute a general appearance for which a fee shall be collected as provided in Section 70614 of the Government Code. Section 68511.3 of the Government Code applies to the claim of right to possession. An occupant or tenant who is named in the action shall not be required to file a claim of right to possession to protect that occupant’s right to possession of the premises.

(2) In an action as described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (e) of Section 415.46, an occupant may file a claim of right to possession at any time up to and including the time at which the levying officer returns to effect the eviction of those named in the judgment of possession, without regard to whether a prejudgment claim of right to possession has been served upon the occupant.

(b) The court issuing the writ of possession of real property shall set a date or dates when the court will hold a hearing to determine the validity of objections to enforcement of the judgment specified in subdivision (a). An occupant of the real property for which the writ is issued may make an objection to eviction to the levying officer at the office of the levying officer or at the premises at the time of the eviction.

If a claim of right to possession is completed and presented to the sheriff, marshal, or other levying officer, the officer shall forthwith (1) stop the eviction of occupants at the premises, and (2) provide a receipt or copy of the completed claim of right of possession to the claimant indicating the date and time the completed form was received, and (3) deliver the original completed claim of right to possession to the court issuing the writ of possession of real property.

(c) A claim of right to possession is effected by any of the following:

(1) Presenting a completed claim form in person with identification to the sheriff, marshal, or other levying officer as prescribed in this section, and delivering to the court within two court days after its presentation, an amount equal to 15 days’ rent together with the appropriate fee or form for proceeding in forma pauperis. Upon receipt of a claim of right to possession, the sheriff, marshal, or other levying officer shall indicate thereon the date and time of its receipt and forthwith deliver the original to the issuing court and a receipt or copy of the claim to the claimant and notify the plaintiff of that fact. Immediately upon receipt of an amount equal to 15 days’ rent and the appropriate fee or form for proceeding in forma pauperis, the court shall file the claim of right to possession and serve an endorsed copy with the notice of the hearing date on the plaintiff and the claimant by first-class mail. The court issuing the writ of possession shall set and hold a hearing on the claim not less than five nor more than 15 days after the claim is filed with the court.

(2) Presenting a completed claim form in person with identification to the sheriff, marshal, or other levying officer as prescribed in this section, and delivering to the court within two court days after its presentation, the appropriate fee or form for proceeding in forma pauperis without delivering the amount equivalent to 15 days’ rent. In this case, the court shall immediately set a hearing on the claim to be held on the fifth day after the filing is completed. The court shall notify the claimant of the hearing date at the time the claimant completes the filing by delivering to the court the appropriate fee or form for proceeding in forma pauperis, and shall notify the plaintiff of the hearing date by first-class mail. Upon receipt of a claim of right to possession, the sheriff, marshal, or other levying officer shall indicate thereon the date and time of its receipt and forthwith deliver the original to the issuing court and a receipt or copy of the claim to the claimant and notify the plaintiff of that fact.

(d) At the hearing, the court shall determine whether there is a valid claim of possession by the claimant who filed the claim, and the court shall consider all evidence produced at the hearing, including, but not limited to, the information set forth in the claim. The court may determine the claim to be valid or invalid based upon the evidence presented at the hearing. The court shall determine the claim to be invalid if the court determines that the claimant is an invitee, licensee, guest, or trespasser. If the court determines the claim is invalid, the court shall order the return to the claimant of the amount of the 15 days’ rent paid by the claimant, if that amount was paid pursuant to paragraph (1) or (3) of subdivision (c), less a pro rata amount for each day that enforcement of the judgment was delayed by reason of making the claim of right to possession, which pro rata amount shall be paid to the landlord. If the court determines the claim is valid, the amount equal to 15 days’ rent paid by the claimant shall be returned immediately to the claimant.

(e) If, upon hearing, the court determines that the claim is valid, then the court shall order further proceedings as follows:

(1) If the unlawful detainer is based upon a curable breach, and the claimant was not previously served with a proper notice, if any notice is required, then the required notice may at the plaintiff’s discretion be served on the claimant at the hearing or thereafter. If the claimant does not cure the breach within the required time, then a supplemental complaint may be filed and served on the claimant as defendant if the plaintiff proceeds against the claimant in the same action. For the purposes of this section only, service of the required notice, if any notice is required, and of the supplemental complaint may be made by first-class mail addressed to the claimant at the subject premises or upon his or her attorney of record and, in either case, Section 1013 shall otherwise apply. Further proceedings on the merits of the claimant’s continued right to possession after service of the Summons and Supplemental Complaint as prescribed by this subdivision shall be conducted pursuant to this chapter.

(2) In all other cases, the court shall deem the unlawful detainer Summons and Complaint to be amended on their faces to include the claimant as defendant, service of the Summons and Complaint, as thus amended, may at the plaintiff’s discretion be made at the hearing or thereafter, and the claimant thus named and served as a defendant in the action shall answer or otherwise respond within five days thereafter.

(f) If a claim is made without delivery to the court of the appropriate filing fee or a form for proceeding in forma pauperis, as prescribed in this section, the claim shall be immediately deemed denied and the court shall so order. Upon the denial of the claim, the court shall immediately deliver an endorsed copy of the order to the levying officer and shall serve an endorsed copy of the order on the plaintiff and claimant by first-class mail.

(g) If the claim of right to possession is denied pursuant to subdivision (f), or if the claimant fails to appear at the hearing or, upon hearing, if the court determines that there are no valid claims, or if the claimant does not prevail at a trial on the merits of the unlawful detainer action, the court shall order the levying officer to proceed with enforcement of the original writ of possession of real property as deemed amended to include the claimant, which shall be effected within a reasonable time not to exceed five days. Upon receipt of the court’s order, the levying officer shall enforce the writ of possession of real property against any occupant or occupants.

(h) The claim of right to possession shall be made on the following form:

PRINTER PLEASE NOTE: TIP-IN MATERIAL TO BE INSERTED

[3 pages]

SEC. 10.  

Section 1501.5 of the Code of Civil Procedure is amended to read:

1501.5.  

(a) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, property received by the state under this chapter shall not permanently escheat to the state.

(b) The Legislature finds and declares that this section is declaratory of the existing law and sets forth the intent of the Legislature regarding the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act (Chapter 1809, Statutes of 1959) and all amendments thereto and revisions thereof. Any opinions, rulings, orders, judgments, or other statements to the contrary by any court are erroneous and inconsistent with the intent of the Legislature.

(c) It is the intent of the Legislature that property owners be reunited with their property. In making changes to the unclaimed property program, the Legislature intends to adopt a more expansive notification program that will provide all of the following:

(1) Notification by the state to all owners of unclaimed property prior to escheatment.

(2) A more expansive postescheatment policy that takes action to identify those owners of unclaimed property.

(3) A waiting period of not less than seven years from delivery of property to the state prior to disposal of any unclaimed property deemed to have no commercial value.

SEC. 11.  

Section 1571 of the Code of Civil Procedure is amended to read:

1571.  

(a) The Controller may at reasonable times and upon reasonable notice examine the records of any person if the Controller has reason to believe that the person is a holder who has failed to report property that should have been reported pursuant to this chapter.

(b) When requested by the Controller, the examination shall be conducted by any licensing or regulating agency otherwise empowered by the laws of this state to examine the records of the holder. For the purpose of determining compliance with this chapter, the Commissioner of Business Oversight is vested with full authority to examine the records of any banking organization and any savings association doing business within this state but not organized under the laws of or created in this state.

(c) Following a public hearing, the Controller shall adopt guidelines as to the policies and procedures governing the activity of third-party auditors who are hired by the Controller.

(d) Following a public hearing, the Controller shall adopt guidelines, on or before July 1, 1999, establishing forms, policies, and procedures to enable a person to dispute or appeal the results of any record examination conducted pursuant to this section.

SEC. 12.  

Section 2025.510 of the Code of Civil Procedure is amended to read:

2025.510.  

(a) Unless the parties agree otherwise, the testimony at a deposition recorded by stenographic means shall be transcribed.

(b)  The party noticing the deposition shall bear the cost of the transcription, unless the court, on motion and for good cause shown, orders that the cost be borne or shared by another party.

(c) Notwithstanding subdivision (b) of Section 2025.320, any other party or the deponent, at the expense of that party or deponent, may obtain a copy of the transcript.

(d) If the deposition officer receives a request from a party for an original or a copy of the deposition transcript, or any portion thereof, and the full or partial transcript will be available to that party prior to the time the original or copy would be available to any other party, the deposition officer shall immediately notify all other parties attending the deposition of the request, and shall, upon request by any party other than the party making the original request, make that copy of the full or partial deposition transcript available to all parties at the same time.

(e) Stenographic notes of depositions shall be retained by the reporter for a period of not less than eight years from the date of the deposition, where no transcript is produced, and not less than one year from the date on which the transcript is produced. The notes may be either on paper or electronic media, as long as it allows for satisfactory production of a transcript at any time during the periods specified.

(f) At the request of any other party to the action, including a party who did not attend the taking of the deposition testimony, any party who records or causes the recording of that testimony by means of audio or video technology shall promptly do both of the following:

(1) Permit that other party to hear the audio recording or to view the video recording.

(2) Furnish a copy of the audio or video recording to that other party on receipt of payment of the reasonable cost of making that copy of the recording.

(g) If the testimony at the deposition is recorded both stenographically and by audio or video technology, the stenographic transcript shall be the official record of that testimony for the purpose of the trial and any subsequent hearing or appeal.

(h) (1) The requesting attorney or party appearing in propria persona shall timely pay the deposition officer or the entity providing the services of the deposition officer for the transcription or copy of the transcription described in subdivision (b) or (c), and any other deposition product or service that is requested either orally or in writing.

(2) This subdivision shall apply unless responsibility for the payment is otherwise provided by law or unless the deposition officer or entity is notified in writing at the time the services or products are requested that the party or another identified person will be responsible for payment.

(3) This subdivision does not prohibit or supersede an agreement between an attorney and a party allocating responsibility for the payment of deposition costs to the party.

(4) Nothing in the case of Serrano v. Stefan Merli Plastering Co., Inc. (2008) 162 Cal.App.4th 1014 shall be construed to alter the standards by which a court acquires personal jurisdiction over a nonparty to an action.

(5) The requesting attorney or party appearing in propria persona, upon the written request of a deposition officer who has obtained a final judgment for payment of services provided pursuant to this subdivision, shall provide to the deposition officer an address that can be used to effectuate service for the purpose of Section 708.110 in the manner specified in Section 415.10.

(i) For purposes of this section, “deposition product or service” means any product or service provided in connection with a deposition that qualifies as shorthand reporting, as described in Section 8017 of the Business and Professions Code, and any product or service derived from that shorthand reporting.

SEC. 13.  

Section 912 of the Evidence Code is amended to read:

912.  

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the right of any person to claim a privilege provided by Section 954 (lawyer-client privilege), 966 (lawyer referral service-client privilege), 980 (privilege for confidential marital communications), 994 (physician-patient privilege), 1014 (psychotherapist-patient privilege), 1033 (privilege of penitent), 1034 (privilege of clergy member), 1035.8 (sexual assault counselor-victim privilege), 1037.5 (domestic violence counselor-victim privilege), or 1038 (human trafficking caseworker-victim privilege) is waived with respect to a communication protected by the privilege if any holder of the privilege, without coercion, has disclosed a significant part of the communication or has consented to disclosure made by anyone. Consent to disclosure is manifested by any statement or other conduct of the holder of the privilege indicating consent to the disclosure, including failure to claim the privilege in any proceeding in which the holder has legal standing and the opportunity to claim the privilege.

(b) Where two or more persons are joint holders of a privilege provided by Section 954 (lawyer-client privilege), 966 (lawyer referral service-client privilege), 994 (physician-patient privilege), 1014 (psychotherapist-patient privilege), 1035.8 (sexual assault counselor-victim privilege), 1037.5 (domestic violence counselor-victim privilege), or 1038 (human trafficking caseworker-victim privilege), a waiver of the right of a particular joint holder of the privilege to claim the privilege does not affect the right of another joint holder to claim the privilege. In the case of the privilege provided by Section 980 (privilege for confidential marital communications), a waiver of the right of one spouse to claim the privilege does not affect the right of the other spouse to claim the privilege.

(c) A disclosure that is itself privileged is not a waiver of any privilege.

(d) A disclosure in confidence of a communication that is protected by a privilege provided by Section 954 (lawyer-client privilege), 966 (lawyer referral service-client privilege), 994 (physician-patient privilege), 1014 (psychotherapist-patient privilege), 1035.8 (sexual assault counselor-victim privilege), 1037.5 (domestic violence counselor-victim privilege), or 1038 (human trafficking caseworker-victim privilege), when disclosure is reasonably necessary for the accomplishment of the purpose for which the lawyer, lawyer referral service, physician, psychotherapist, sexual assault counselor, domestic violence counselor, or human trafficking caseworker was consulted, is not a waiver of the privilege.

SEC. 14.  

Section 917 of the Evidence Code is amended to read:

917.  

(a) If a privilege is claimed on the ground that the matter sought to be disclosed is a communication made in confidence in the course of the lawyer-client, lawyer referral service-client, physician-patient, psychotherapist-patient, clergy-penitent, husband-wife, sexual assault counselor-victim, domestic violence counselor-victim, or human trafficking caseworker-victim relationship, the communication is presumed to have been made in confidence and the opponent of the claim of privilege has the burden of proof to establish that the communication was not confidential.

(b) A communication between persons in a relationship listed in subdivision (a) does not lose its privileged character for the sole reason that it is communicated by electronic means or because persons involved in the delivery, facilitation, or storage of electronic communication may have access to the content of the communication.

(c) For purposes of this section, “electronic” has the same meaning provided in Section 1633.2 of the Civil Code.

SEC. 15.  

Section 1038.2 of the Evidence Code is amended to read:

1038.2.  

(a)  As used in this article, “victim” means any person who is a “trafficking victim” as defined in Section 236.1 of the Penal Code.

(b) As used in this article, “human trafficking caseworker” means any of the following:

(1) A person who is employed by any organization providing the programs specified in Section 18294 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, whether financially compensated or not, for the purpose of rendering advice or assistance to victims of human trafficking, who has received specialized training in the counseling of human trafficking victims, and who meets one of the following requirements:

(A) Has a master’s degree in counseling or a related field; or has one year of counseling experience, at least six months of which is in the counseling of human trafficking victims.

(B) Has at least 40 hours of training as specified in this paragraph and is supervised by an individual who qualifies as a counselor under subparagraph (A), or is a psychotherapist, as defined in Section 1010. The training, supervised by a person qualified under subparagraph (A), shall include, but need not be limited to, the following areas: history of human trafficking, civil and criminal law as it relates to human trafficking, societal attitudes toward human trafficking, peer counseling techniques, housing, public assistance, and other financial resources available to meet the financial needs of human trafficking victims, and referral services available to human trafficking victims. A portion of this training must include an explanation of privileged communication.

(2) A person who is employed by any organization providing the programs specified in Section 13835.2 of the Penal Code, whether financially compensated or not, for the purpose of counseling and assisting human trafficking victims, and who meets one of the following requirements:

(A) Is a psychotherapist as defined in Section 1010, has a master’s degree in counseling or a related field, or has one year of counseling experience, at least six months of which is in rape assault counseling.

(B) Has the minimum training for human trafficking counseling required by guidelines established by the employing agency pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 13835.10 of the Penal Code, and is supervised by an individual who qualifies as a counselor under subparagraph (A). The training, supervised by a person qualified under subparagraph (A), shall include, but not be limited to, law, victimology, counseling techniques, client and system advocacy, and referral services. A portion of this training must include an explanation of privileged communication.

(c) As used in this article, “confidential communication” means information transmitted between the victim and the caseworker in the course of their relationship and in confidence by a means which, so far as the victim is aware, discloses the information to no third persons other than those who are present to further the interests of the victim in the consultation or those to whom disclosures are reasonably necessary for the transmission of the information or an accomplishment of the purposes for which the human trafficking counselor is consulted. It includes all information regarding the facts and circumstances involving all incidences of human trafficking.

(d) As used in this article, “holder of the privilege” means the victim when he or she has no guardian or conservator, or a guardian or conservator of the victim when the victim has a guardian or conservator.

SEC. 16.  

Section 504 of the Family Code is amended to read:

504.  

A confidential marriage license is valid only for a period of 90 days after its issuance by the county clerk.

SEC. 17.  

Section 831.7 of the Government Code is amended to read:

831.7.  

(a) Neither a public entity nor a public employee is liable to any person who participates in a hazardous recreational activity, including any person who assists the participant, or to any spectator who knew or reasonably should have known that the hazardous recreational activity created a substantial risk of injury to himself or herself and was voluntarily in the place of risk, or having the ability to do so failed to leave, for any damage or injury to property or persons arising out of that hazardous recreational activity.

(b) As used in this section, “hazardous recreational activity” means a recreational activity conducted on property of a public entity that creates a substantial, as distinguished from a minor, trivial, or insignificant, risk of injury to a participant or a spectator.

“Hazardous recreational activity” also means:

(1) Water contact activities, except diving, in places where, or at a time when, lifeguards are not provided and reasonable warning thereof has been given, or the injured party should reasonably have known that there was no lifeguard provided at the time.

(2) Any form of diving into water from other than a diving board or diving platform, or at any place or from any structure where diving is prohibited and reasonable warning thereof has been given.

(3) Animal riding, including equestrian competition, archery, bicycle racing or jumping, bicycle motocross, mountain bicycling, boating, cross-country and downhill skiing, hang gliding, kayaking, motorized vehicle racing, off-road motorcycling or four-wheel driving of any kind, orienteering, pistol and rifle shooting, rock climbing, rocketeering, rodeo, self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) diving, spelunking, skydiving, sport parachuting, paragliding, body contact sports, surfing, trampolining, tree climbing, tree rope swinging, waterskiing, white water rafting, and windsurfing. For the purposes of this subdivision, “mountain bicycling” does not include riding a bicycle on paved pathways, roadways, or sidewalks. For the purpose of this paragraph, “body contact sports” means sports in which it is reasonably foreseeable that there will be rough bodily contact with one or more participants.

(c) (1) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), this section does not limit liability that would otherwise exist for any of the following:

(A) Failure of the public entity or employee to guard or warn of a known dangerous condition or of another hazardous recreational activity known to the public entity or employee that is not reasonably assumed by the participant as inherently a part of the hazardous recreational activity out of which the damage or injury arose.

(B) Damage or injury suffered in any case where permission to participate in the hazardous recreational activity was granted for a specific fee. For the purpose of this subparagraph, “specific fee” does not include a fee or consideration charged for a general purpose such as a general park admission charge, a vehicle entry or parking fee, or an administrative or group use application or permit fee, as distinguished from a specific fee charged for participation in the specific hazardous recreational activity out of which the damage or injury arose.

(C) Injury suffered to the extent proximately caused by the negligent failure of the public entity or public employee to properly construct or maintain in good repair any structure, recreational equipment or machinery, or substantial work of improvement utilized in the hazardous recreational activity out of which the damage or injury arose.

(D) Damage or injury suffered in any case where the public entity or employee recklessly or with gross negligence promoted the participation in or observance of a hazardous recreational activity. For purposes of this subparagraph, promotional literature or a public announcement or advertisement that merely describes the available facilities and services on the property does not in itself constitute a reckless or grossly negligent promotion.

(E) An act of gross negligence by a public entity or a public employee that is the proximate cause of the injury.

(2) Nothing in this subdivision creates a duty of care or basis of liability for personal injury or damage to personal property.

(d) Nothing in this section limits the liability of an independent concessionaire, or any person or organization other than the public entity, whether or not the person or organization has a contractual relationship with the public entity to use the public property, for injuries or damages suffered in any case as a result of the operation of a hazardous recreational activity on public property by the concessionaire, person, or organization.

SEC. 18.  

Section 1456 of the Government Code is repealed.

SEC. 19.  

Section 6103 of the Government Code is amended to read:

6103.  

(a) Neither the state nor any county, city, district, or other political subdivision, nor any public officer or body, acting in his or her official capacity on behalf of the state, or any county, city, district, or other political subdivision, shall pay or deposit any fee for the filing of any document or paper, for the performance of any official service, or for the filing of any stipulation or agreement that may constitute an appearance in any court by any other party to the stipulation or agreement. This section does not apply to civil jury fees or civil jury deposits. This section does not apply to the State Compensation Insurance Fund or where a public officer is acting with reference to private assets or obligations that have come under that officer’s jurisdiction by virtue of his or her office, or where it is specifically provided otherwise. No fee shall be charged for the filing of a confession of judgment in favor of any of the public agencies named in this section.

(b) No fee shall be charged any of the public agencies named in this section to defray the costs of reporting services by court reporters. Such fees shall be recoverable as costs as provided in Section 6103.5.

(c) This section shall apply to probate referees, as described in Part 12 (commencing with Section 400) of Division 2 of the Probate Code.

SEC. 20.  

Section 8214.15 of the Government Code is amended to read:

8214.15.  

(a) In addition to any commissioning or disciplinary sanction, a violation of subdivision (f), (i), (l), (m), or (p) of Section 8214.1, or a willful violation of subdivision (d) of Section 8214.1, is punishable by a civil penalty not to exceed one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500).

(b) In addition to any commissioning or disciplinary sanction, a violation of subdivision (h), (j), or (k) of Section 8214.1, or a negligent violation of subdivision (d) of Section 8214.1 is punishable by a civil penalty not to exceed seven hundred fifty dollars ($750).

(c) The civil penalty may be imposed by the Secretary of State if a hearing is not requested pursuant to Section 8214.3. If a hearing is requested, the hearing officer shall make the determination.

(d) Any civil penalties collected pursuant to this section shall be transferred to the General Fund. It is the intent of the Legislature that to the extent General Fund moneys are raised by penalties collected pursuant to this section, that money shall be made available to the Secretary of State’s office to defray its costs of investigating and pursuing commissioning and monetary remedies for violations of the notary public law.

SEC. 21.  

Section 60371 of the Government Code is amended to read:

60371.  

(a) If a district furnishes residential light, heat, water, or power through a master meter, or furnishes individually metered service in a single-family dwelling, multiunit residential structure, mobilehome park, or farm labor camp and the owner, manager, or farm labor employer is the customer of record, the district shall make every good faith effort to inform the actual users of the services, by means of written notice, when the account is in arrears, that service will be terminated in 10 days. The written notice shall further inform the actual users that they have the right to become customers of the district without being required to pay the amount due on the delinquent account. The notice shall be in English and in the languages listed in Section 1632 of the Civil Code.

(b) The district is not required to make service available to the actual users unless each actual user agrees to the terms and conditions of service, and meets the requirements of the district’s rules and tariffs. However, if one or more actual users are willing and able to assume responsibility for the subsequent charges to the account to the satisfaction of the district, or if there is a physical means, legally available to the district, of selectively terminating service to those actual users who have not met the requirements of the district’s rules and tariffs, the district shall make service available to the actual users who have met those requirements.

(c)  If prior service for a period of time is a condition for establishing credit with the district, residence and proof of prompt payment of rent for that period of time is a satisfactory equivalent.

(d) Any actual user who becomes a customer of the district pursuant to this section whose periodic payments, such as rental payments, include charges for residential light, heat, water, or power, where these charges are not separately stated, may deduct from the periodic payment each payment period all reasonable charges paid to the district for those services during the preceding payment period.

SEC. 22.  

Section 68085.1 of the Government Code, as amended by Section 18 of Chapter 41 of the Statutes of 2012, is amended to read:

68085.1.  

(a) This section applies to all fees and fines that are collected on or after January 1, 2006, under all of the following:

(1) Sections 177.5, 209, 403.060, 491.150, 631.3, 683.150, 704.750, 708.160, 724.100, 1134, 1161.2, 1218, and 1993.2 of, subdivision (g) of Section 411.20 and subdivisions (c) and (g) of Section 411.21 of, subdivision (b) of Section 631 of, and Chapter 5.5 (commencing with Section 116.110) of Title 1 of Part 1 of, the Code of Civil Procedure.

(2) Section 3112 of the Family Code.

(3) Section 31622 of the Food and Agricultural Code.

(4) Subdivision (d) of Section 6103.5, Sections 68086 and 68086.1, subdivision (d) of Section 68511.3, Sections 68926.1 and 69953.5, and Chapter 5.8 (commencing with Section 70600).

(5) Section 103470 of the Health and Safety Code.

(6) Subdivisions (b) and (c) of Section 166 and Section 1214.1 of the Penal Code.

(7) Sections 1835, 1851.5, 2343, 7660, and 13201 of the Probate Code.

(8) Sections 14607.6 and 16373 of the Vehicle Code.

(9) Section 71386 of this code, Sections 304, 7851.5, and 9002 of the Family Code, and Section 1513.1 of the Probate Code, if the reimbursement is for expenses incurred by the court.

(10) Section 3153 of the Family Code, if the amount is paid to the court for the cost of counsel appointed by the court to represent a child.

(b) On and after January 1, 2006, each superior court shall deposit all fees and fines listed in subdivision (a), as soon as practicable after collection and on a regular basis, into a bank account established for this purpose by the Administrative Office of the Courts. Upon direction of the Administrative Office of the Courts, the county shall deposit civil assessments under Section 1214.1 of the Penal Code and any other money it collects under the sections listed in subdivision (a) as soon as practicable after collection and on a regular basis into the bank account established for this purpose and specified by the Administrative Office of the Courts. The deposits shall be made as required by rules adopted by, and financial policies and procedures authorized by, the Judicial Council under subdivision (a) of Section 77206. Within 15 days after the end of the month in which the fees and fines are collected, each court, and each county that collects any fines or fees under subdivision (a), shall provide the Administrative Office of the Courts with a report of the fees by categories as specified by the Administrative Office of the Courts. The Administrative Office of the Courts and any court may agree upon a time period greater than 15 days, but in no case more than 30 days after the end of the month in which the fees and fines are collected. The fees and fines listed in subdivision (a) shall be distributed as provided in this section.

(c) (1) Within 45 calendar days after the end of the month in which the fees and fines listed in subdivision (a) are collected, the Administrative Office of the Courts shall make the following distributions:

(A) To the small claims advisory services, as described in subdivision (f) of Section 116.230 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

(B) To dispute resolution programs, as described in subdivision (b) of Section 68085.3 and subdivision (b) of Section 68085.4.

(C) To the county law library funds, as described in Sections 116.230 and 116.760 of the Code of Civil Procedure, subdivision (b) of Section 68085.3, subdivision (b) of Section 68085.4, and Section 70621 of this code, and Section 14607.6 of the Vehicle Code.

(D) To the courthouse construction funds in the Counties of Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Francisco, as described in Sections 70622, 70624, and 70625.

(E) Commencing July 1, 2011, to the Trial Court Trust Fund, as described in subdivision (e) of Section 70626, to be used by the Judicial Council to implement and administer the civil representation pilot program under Section 68651.

(2) If any distribution under this subdivision is delinquent, the Administrative Office of the Courts shall add a penalty to the distribution as specified in subdivision (i).

(d) Within 45 calendar days after the end of the month in which the fees and fines listed in subdivision (a) are collected, the amounts remaining after the distributions in subdivision (c) shall be transmitted to the State Treasury for deposit in the Trial Court Trust Fund and other funds as required by law. This remittance shall be accompanied by a remittance advice identifying the collection month and the appropriate account in the Trial Court Trust Fund or other fund to which it is to be deposited. Upon the receipt of any delinquent payment required under this subdivision, the Controller shall calculate a penalty as provided under subdivision (i).

(e) From the money transmitted to the State Treasury under subdivision (d), the Controller shall make deposits as follows:

(1) Into the State Court Facilities Construction Fund, the Judges’ Retirement Fund, and the Equal Access Fund, as described in subdivision (c) of Section 68085.3 and subdivision (c) of Section 68085.4.

(2) Into the Health Statistics Special Fund, as described in subdivision (b) of Section 70670 of this code and Section 103730 of the Health and Safety Code.

(3) Into the Family Law Trust Fund, as described in Section 70674.

(4) Into the Immediate and Critical Needs Account of the State Court Facilities Construction Fund, established in Section 70371.5, as described in Sections 68085.3, 68085.4, and 70657.5, and subdivision (e) of Section 70617.

(5) The remainder of the money shall be deposited into the Trial Court Trust Fund.

(f) The amounts collected by each superior court under Section 116.232, subdivision (g) of Section 411.20, and subdivision (g) of Section 411.21 of the Code of Civil Procedure, Sections 304, 3112, 3153, 7851.5, and 9002 of the Family Code, subdivision (d) of Section 6103.5, subdivision (d) of Section 68511.3 and Sections 68926.1, 69953.5, 70627, 70631, 70640, 70661, 70678, and 71386 of this code, and Sections 1513.1, 1835, 1851.5, and 2343 of the Probate Code shall be added to the monthly apportionment for that court under subdivision (a) of Section 68085.

(g) If any of the fees provided in subdivision (a) are partially waived by court order or otherwise reduced, and the fee is to be divided between the Trial Court Trust Fund and any other fund or account, the amount of the reduction shall be deducted from the amount to be distributed to each fund in the same proportion as the amount of each distribution bears to the total amount of the fee. If the fee is paid by installment payments, the amount distributed to each fund or account from each installment shall bear the same proportion to the installment payment as the full distribution to that fund or account does to the full fee. If a court collects a fee that was incurred before January 1, 2006, under a provision that was the predecessor to one of the paragraphs contained in subdivision (a), the fee may be deposited as if it were collected under the paragraph of subdivision (a) that corresponds to the predecessor of that paragraph and distributed in prorated amounts to each fund or account to which the fee in subdivision (a) must be distributed.

(h) Except as provided in Sections 470.5 and 6322.1 of the Business and Professions Code, and Sections 70622, 70624, and 70625 of this code, an agency shall not take action to change the amounts allocated to any of the funds described in subdivision (c), (d), or (e).

(i) The amount of the penalty on any delinquent payment under subdivision (c) or (d) shall be calculated by multiplying the amount of the delinquent payment at a daily rate equivalent to 112 percent per month for the number of days the payment is delinquent. The penalty shall be paid from the Trial Court Trust Fund. Penalties on delinquent payments under subdivision (d) shall be calculated only on the amounts to be distributed to the Trial Court Trust Fund and the State Court Facilities Construction Fund, and each penalty shall be distributed proportionately to the funds to which the delinquent payment was to be distributed.

(j) If a delinquent payment under subdivision (c) or (d) results from a delinquency by a superior court under subdivision (b), the court shall reimburse the Trial Court Trust Fund for the amount of the penalty. Notwithstanding Section 77009, any penalty on a delinquent payment that a court is required to reimburse pursuant to this section shall be paid from the court operations fund for that court. The penalty shall be paid by the court to the Trial Court Trust Fund no later than 45 days after the end of the month in which the penalty was calculated. If the penalty is not paid within the specified time, the Administrative Office of the Courts may reduce the amount of a subsequent monthly allocation to the court by the amount of the penalty on the delinquent payment.

(k) If a delinquent payment under subdivision (c) or (d) results from a delinquency by a county in transmitting fees and fines listed in subdivision (a) to the bank account established for this purpose, as described in subdivision (b), the county shall reimburse the Trial Court Trust Fund for the amount of the penalty. The penalty shall be paid by the county to the Trial Court Trust Fund no later than 45 days after the end of the month in which the penalty was calculated.

(l) This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2017, and, as of January 1, 2018, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that becomes operative on or before January 1, 2018, deletes or extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed.

SEC. 23.  

Section 68631 of the Government Code is amended to read:

68631.  

An initial fee waiver shall be granted by the court at any stage of the proceedings at both the appellate and trial court levels if an applicant meets the standards of eligibility and application requirements under Sections 68632 and 68633. An initial fee waiver excuses the applicant from paying fees for the first pleading or other paper, and other court fees and costs, including assessments for court investigations under Section 1513, 1826, or 1851 of the Probate Code, as specified in rules adopted by the Judicial Council, unless the court orders the applicant to make partial payments under subdivision (c) of Section 68632, subdivision (d) of Section 68636, or subdivision (e) of Section 68637. Under circumstances set forth in Section 68636, the court may reconsider the initial fee waiver and order the fee waiver withdrawn for future fees and costs or deny the fee waiver retroactively. At the end of the case, the court may recover fees and costs that were initially waived under circumstances set forth in Section 68637. Upon establishment of a conservatorship or guardianship, the court may collect all or part of any fees waived pursuant to this section and Section 68632 from the estate of the conservatee or ward, if the court finds that the estate has the ability to pay the fees, or a portion thereof, immediately, over a period of time, or under some other equitable agreement, without using moneys that normally would pay for the common necessaries of life for the applicant and the applicant’s family.

SEC. 24.  

Section 68631.5 is added to the Government Code, to read:

68631.5.  

For purposes of this article, a conservatee, ward, or person for whom a conservatorship or guardianship is sought, shall be deemed the “applicant,” and the conservator, guardian, or person or persons seeking to establish the conservatorship or guardianship shall be deemed the “petitioner.” In those cases, the petitioner is responsible for completing all forms and providing all information required under this article.

SEC. 25.  

Section 68632 of the Government Code is amended to read:

68632.  

Permission to proceed without paying court fees and costs because of an applicant’s financial condition shall be granted initially to all of the following persons:

(a) An applicant who is receiving public benefits under one or more of the following programs:

(1) Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and State Supplementary Payment (SSP) (Article 5 (commencing with Section 12200) of Chapter 3 of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code).

(2) California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids Act (CalWORKs) (Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 11200) of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code) or a federal Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (Tribal TANF) grant program (Section 10553.25 of the Welfare and Institutions Code).

(3) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Chapter 51 (commencing with Section 2011) of Title 7 of the United States Code) or the California Food Assistance Program (Chapter 10.1 (commencing with Section 18930) of Part 6 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code).

(4) County Relief, General Relief (GR), or General Assistance (GA) (Part 5 (commencing with Section 17000) of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code).

(5) Cash Assistance Program for Aged, Blind, and Disabled Legal Immigrants (CAPI) (Chapter 10.3 (commencing with Section 18937) of Part 6 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code).

(6) In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) (Article 7 (commencing with Section 12300) of Chapter 3 of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code).

(7) Medi-Cal (Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 14000) of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code).

(b) An applicant whose monthly income is 125 percent or less of the current poverty guidelines updated periodically in the Federal Register by the United States Department of Health and Human Services under the authority of paragraph (2) of Section 9902 of Title 42 of the United States Code.

(c) An applicant who, as individually determined by the court, cannot pay court fees without using moneys that normally would pay for the common necessaries of life for the applicant and the applicant’s family. Only if a trial court finds that an applicant under this subdivision can pay a portion of court fees, or can pay court fees over a period of time, or under some other equitable arrangement, without using moneys that normally would pay for the common necessaries of life for the applicant and the applicant’s family, the court may grant a partial initial fee waiver using the notice and hearing procedures set forth in paragraph (5) of subdivision (e) of Section 68634. “Common necessaries of life,” as used in this article, shall be interpreted consistently with the use of that term in paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 706.051 of the Code of Civil Procedure, as that paragraph read prior to January 1, 2012.

(d) A person who files a petition for appointment of a fiduciary in a guardianship or conservatorship, or files pleadings as the appointed fiduciary of a conservatee or ward, when the financial condition of the conservatee or ward meets the standards for a fee waiver pursuant to subdivision (a), (b), or (c).

SEC. 26.  

Section 1569.698 of the Health and Safety Code is amended to read:

1569.698.  

(a) The State Fire Marshal has proposed that the State Building Standards Commission adopt building standards to provide for locked and secured perimeters in residential care facilities for the elderly that care for persons with dementia:

(1) It is acknowledged that these building standards will not become effective until October 1, 1996.

(2) It is the policy of the State Building Standards Commission that building standards be adopted exclusively into the California Building Standards Code and not into state statute.

(3) However, in recognition of the immediate need of residential care facilities for the elderly caring for persons with dementia to provide a secured environment, it is the intent of the Legislature that the building standards for locked and secured perimeters proposed by the State Fire Marshal for adoption in the 1994 California Building Standards Code, as set forth in Section 1569.699, be effective upon the date this article becomes operative.

(b) (1) Upon the filing of emergency regulations with the Secretary of State pursuant to subdivision (c), a residential care facility for the elderly that cares for people with dementia may utilize secured perimeter fences or locked exit doors, if it meets the requirements for additional safeguards required by those regulations.

(2) For the purposes of this article, dementia includes Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders, diagnosed by a physician, that increase the tendency to wander and that decrease hazard awareness and the ability to communicate.

(3) It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this article that residential care facilities for the elderly have options for the security of persons with dementia who are residents of those facilities that are in addition to existing security exceptions made for individual residents. It is the further intent of the Legislature that these additional options shall include the use of waivers of certain building standards relating to fire safety, to be issued by the state department with the approval of the State Fire Marshal, to permit the care of a target group of persons with dementia by means of secured perimeter fences, or the use of locked exterior doors. Each waiver request shall include a facility plan of operation that addresses elements of care to be identified by the department in regulations and demonstrates the facility’s ability to meet the safety needs of persons with dementia.

(4) The department shall adopt regulations that ensure that staff for secured perimeter facilities receive appropriate and adequate training in the care of residents with dementia.

(5) Nothing in this section is intended to prohibit residential care facilities for the elderly from accepting or retaining persons with dementia whose needs can be fully met using care options permitted by existing law and regulations.

(6) It is not the intent of the Legislature to authorize an increase in the level of care provided in a residential care facility for the elderly or to establish a supplemental rate structure based on the services provided in the facility.

(7) All admissions to residential care facilities for the elderly shall continue to be voluntary on the part of the resident or with the lawful consent of the resident’s legal conservator.

(c) The department shall adopt regulations to implement subdivision (b) in accordance with those provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act contained in Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code. The initial adoption of any emergency regulations following the effective date of the act amending this section during the 1995-96 Regular Legislative Session shall be deemed to be an emergency and necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, or general welfare. Emergency regulations adopted pursuant to this subdivision shall remain in effect for no more than 180 days.

(d) In addition to the security options authorized by subdivision (b), residential care facilities for the elderly that accept or retain as residents persons with dementia, and that choose to utilize the security options of egress-control devices of the time-delay type in addition to secured perimeter fences or locked exit doors, shall comply with Section 1569.699, or regulations adopted by the State Building Standards Commission, whichever is operative.

(e) A residential care facility for the elderly shall not utilize special egress-control devices of the time-delay type, secured perimeter fences, or locked exit doors unless the facility meets the requirements of Section 1569.699 or the Building Standards Commission adopts building standards to implement this section.

(f) Any person who is not a conservatee and is entering a locked or secured perimeter facility pursuant to this section, shall sign a statement of voluntary entry. The facility shall retain the original statement and shall send a copy of the statement to the department.

SEC. 27.  

Section 11163.3 of the Penal Code is amended to read:

11163.3.  

(a) A county may establish an interagency domestic violence death review team to assist local agencies in identifying and reviewing domestic violence deaths, including homicides and suicides, and facilitating communication among the various agencies involved in domestic violence cases. Interagency domestic violence death review teams have been used successfully to ensure that incidents of domestic violence and abuse are recognized and that agency involvement is reviewed to develop recommendations for policies and protocols for community prevention and intervention initiatives to reduce and eradicate the incidence of domestic violence.

(b) For purposes of this section, “abuse” has the meaning set forth in Section 6203 of the Family Code and “domestic violence” has the meaning set forth in Section 6211 of the Family Code.

(c) A county may develop a protocol that may be used as a guideline to assist coroners and other persons who perform autopsies on domestic violence victims in the identification of domestic violence, in the determination of whether domestic violence contributed to death or whether domestic violence had occurred prior to death, but was not the actual cause of death, and in the proper written reporting procedures for domestic violence, including the designation of the cause and mode of death.

(d) County domestic violence death review teams shall be comprised of, but not limited to, the following:

(1) Experts in the field of forensic pathology.

(2) Medical personnel with expertise in domestic violence abuse.

(3) Coroners and medical examiners.

(4) Criminologists.

(5) District attorneys and city attorneys.

(6) Domestic violence shelter service staff and battered women’s advocates.

(7) Law enforcement personnel.

(8) Representatives of local agencies that are involved with domestic violence abuse reporting.

(9) County health department staff who deal with domestic violence victims’ health issues.

(10) Representatives of local child abuse agencies.

(11) Local professional associations of persons described in paragraphs (1) to (10), inclusive.

(e) An oral or written communication or a document shared within or produced by a domestic violence death review team related to a domestic violence death review is confidential and not subject to disclosure or discoverable by a third party. An oral or written communication or a document provided by a third party to a domestic violence death review team, or between a third party and a domestic violence death review team, is confidential and not subject to disclosure or discoverable by a third party. Notwithstanding the foregoing, recommendations of a domestic violence death review team upon the completion of a review may be disclosed at the discretion of a majority of the members of the domestic violence death review team.

(f) Each organization represented on a domestic violence death review team may share with other members of the team information in its possession concerning the victim who is the subject of the review or any person who was in contact with the victim and any other information deemed by the organization to be pertinent to the review. Any information shared by an organization with other members of a team is confidential. This provision shall permit the disclosure to members of the team of any information deemed confidential, privileged, or prohibited from disclosure by any other statute.

(g) Written and oral information may be disclosed to a domestic violence death review team established pursuant to this section. The team may make a request in writing for the information sought and any person with information of the kind described in paragraph (2) may rely on the request in determining whether information may be disclosed to the team.

(1) An individual or agency that has information governed by this subdivision shall not be required to disclose information. The intent of this subdivision is to allow the voluntary disclosure of information by the individual or agency that has the information.

(2) The following information may be disclosed pursuant to this subdivision:

(A) Notwithstanding Section 56.10 of the Civil Code, medical information.

(B) Notwithstanding Section 5328 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, mental health information.

(C) Notwithstanding Section 15633.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, information from elder abuse reports and investigations, except the identity of persons who have made reports, which shall not be disclosed.

(D) Notwithstanding Section 11167.5 of the Penal Code, information from child abuse reports and investigations, except the identity of persons who have made reports, which shall not be disclosed.

(E) State summary criminal history information, criminal offender record information, and local summary criminal history information, as defined in Sections 11075, 11105, and 13300 of the Penal Code.

(F) Notwithstanding Section 11163.2 of the Penal Code, information pertaining to reports by health practitioners of persons suffering from physical injuries inflicted by means of a firearm or of persons suffering physical injury where the injury is a result of assaultive or abusive conduct, and information relating to whether a physician referred the person to local domestic violence services as recommended by Section 11161 of the Penal Code.

(G) Notwithstanding Section 827 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, information in any juvenile court proceeding.

(H) Information maintained by the Family Court, including information relating to the Family Conciliation Court Law pursuant to Section 1818 of the Family Code, and Mediation of Custody and Visitation Issues pursuant to Section 3177 of the Family Code.

(I) Information provided to probation officers in the course of the performance of their duties, including, but not limited to, the duty to prepare reports pursuant to Section 1203.10 of the Penal Code, as well as the information on which these reports are based.

(J) Notwithstanding Section 10850 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, records of in-home supportive services, unless disclosure is prohibited by federal law.

(3) The disclosure of written and oral information authorized under this subdivision shall apply notwithstanding Sections 2263, 2918, 4982, and 6068 of the Business and Professions Code, or the lawyer-client privilege protected by Article 3 (commencing with Section 950) of Chapter 4 of Division 8 of the Evidence Code, the physician-patient privilege protected by Article 6 (commencing with Section 990) of Chapter 4 of Division 8 of the Evidence Code, the psychotherapist-patient privilege protected by Article 7 (commencing with Section 1010) of Chapter 4 of Division 8 of the Evidence Code, the sexual assault counselor-victim privilege protected by Article 8.5 (commencing with Section 1035) of Chapter 4 of Division 8 of the Evidence Code, the domestic violence counselor-victim privilege protected by Article 8.7 (commencing with Section 1037) of Chapter 4 of Division 8 of the Evidence Code, and the human trafficking caseworker-victim privilege protected by Article 8.8 (commencing with Section 1038) of Chapter 4 of Division 8 of the Evidence Code.

SEC. 27.5.  

Section 1513.1 of the Probate Code is amended to read:

1513.1.  

(a) Each court or county shall assess (1) the parent, parents, or other person charged with the support and maintenance of the ward or proposed ward, and (2) the guardian, proposed guardian, or the estate of the ward or proposed ward, for court or county expenses incurred for any investigation or review conducted by the court investigator, probation officer, or domestic relations investigator. Subject to Section 68631 of the Government Code, the court may order reimbursement to the court or to the county in the amount of the assessment, unless the court finds that all or any part of the assessment would impose a hardship on the ward or the ward’s estate. A county may waive any or all of an assessment against the guardianship on the basis of hardship. There shall be a rebuttable presumption that the assessment would impose a hardship if the ward is receiving Medi-Cal benefits.

(b) Any amount chargeable as state-mandated local costs incurred by a county for the cost of the investigation or review shall be reduced by any assessments actually collected by the county pursuant to subdivision (a) during that fiscal year.

SEC. 28.  

Section 1811 of the Probate Code is amended to read:

1811.  

(a) Subject to Sections 1813 and 1813.1, the spouse, domestic partner, or an adult child, parent, brother, or sister of the proposed conservatee may nominate a conservator in the petition or at the hearing on the petition.

(b) Subject to Sections 1813 and 1813.1, the spouse, domestic partner, or a parent of the proposed conservatee may nominate a conservator in a writing signed either before or after the petition is filed and that nomination remains effective notwithstanding the subsequent legal incapacity or death of the spouse, domestic partner, or parent.

SEC. 29.  

Section 1812 of the Probate Code is amended to read:

1812.  

(a) Subject to Sections 1810, 1813, and 1813.1, the selection of a conservator of the person or estate, or both, is solely in the discretion of the court and, in making the selection, the court is to be guided by what appears to be for the best interests of the proposed conservatee.

(b) Subject to Sections 1810, 1813, and 1813.1, of persons equally qualified in the opinion of the court to appointment as conservator of the person or estate or both, preference is to be given in the following order:

(1) The spouse or domestic partner of the proposed conservatee or the person nominated by the spouse or domestic partner pursuant to Section 1811.

(2) An adult child of the proposed conservatee or the person nominated by the child pursuant to Section 1811.

(3) A parent of the proposed conservatee or the person nominated by the parent pursuant to Section 1811.

(4) A brother or sister of the proposed conservatee or the person nominated by the brother or sister pursuant to Section 1811.

(5) Any other person or entity eligible for appointment as a conservator under this code or, if there is no person or entity willing to act as a conservator, under the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(c) The preference for any nominee for appointment under paragraphs (2), (3), and (4) of subdivision (b) is subordinate to the preference for any other parent, child, brother, or sister in that class.

SEC. 30.  

Section 1813 of the Probate Code is amended to read:

1813.  

(a) (1) The spouse of a proposed conservatee may not petition for the appointment of a conservator for a spouse or be appointed as conservator of the person or estate of the proposed conservatee unless the petitioner alleges in the petition for appointment as conservator, and the court finds, that the spouse is not a party to any action or proceeding against the proposed conservatee for legal separation of the parties, dissolution of marriage, or adjudication of nullity of their marriage. However, if the court finds by clear and convincing evidence that the appointment of the spouse, who is a party to an action or proceeding against the proposed conservatee for legal separation of the parties, dissolution of marriage, or adjudication of nullity of their marriage, or has obtained a judgment in any of these proceedings, is in the best interests of the proposed conservatee, the court may appoint the spouse.

(2) Prior to making this appointment, the court shall appoint counsel to consult with and advise the conservatee, and to report to the court his or her findings concerning the suitability of appointing the spouse as conservator.

(b) The spouse of a conservatee shall disclose to the conservator, or if the spouse is the conservator, shall disclose to the court, the filing of any action or proceeding against the conservatee for legal separation of the parties, dissolution of marriage, or adjudication of nullity of the marriage, within 10 days of the filing of the action or proceeding by filing a notice with the court and serving the notice according to the notice procedures under this title. The court may, upon receipt of the notice, set the matter for hearing on an order to show cause why the appointment of the spouse as conservator, if the spouse is the conservator, should not be terminated and a new conservator appointed by the court.

SEC. 30.5.  

Section 1851.5 of the Probate Code is amended to read:

1851.5.  

Each court shall assess each conservatee in the county for any investigation or review conducted by a court investigator with respect to that person. Subject to Section 68631 of the Government Code, the court may order reimbursement to the court for the amount of the assessment, unless the court finds that all or any part of the assessment would impose a hardship on conservatee or the conservatee’s estate. There shall be a rebuttable presumption that the assessment would impose a hardship if the conservatee is receiving Medi-Cal benefits.

SEC. 31.  

Section 2356.5 of the Probate Code is amended to read:

2356.5.  

(a) The Legislature hereby finds and declares:

(1) That people with dementia, as defined in the last published edition of the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,” should have a conservatorship to serve their unique and special needs.

(2) That, by adding powers to the probate conservatorship for people with dementia, their unique and special needs can be met. This will reduce costs to the conservatee and the family of the conservatee, reduce costly administration by state and county government, and safeguard the basic dignity and rights of the conservatee.

(3) That it is the intent of the Legislature to recognize that the administration of psychotropic medications has been, and can be, abused by caregivers and, therefore, granting powers to a conservator to authorize these medications for the treatment of dementia requires the protections specified in this section.

(b) Notwithstanding any other law, a conservator may authorize the placement of a conservatee in a secured perimeter residential care facility for the elderly operated pursuant to Section 1569.698 of the Health and Safety Code, and which has a care plan that meets the requirements of Section 87705 of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations, upon a court’s finding, by clear and convincing evidence, of all of the following:

(1) The conservatee has dementia, as defined in the last published edition of the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.”

(2) The conservatee lacks the capacity to give informed consent to this placement and has at least one mental function deficit pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 811, and this deficit significantly impairs the person’s ability to understand and appreciate the consequences of his or her actions pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 811.

(3) The conservatee needs or would benefit from a restricted and secure environment, as demonstrated by evidence presented by the physician or psychologist referred to in paragraph (3) of subdivision (f).

(4) The court finds that the proposed placement in a locked facility is the least restrictive placement appropriate to the needs of the conservatee.

(c) Notwithstanding any other law, a conservator of a person may authorize the administration of medications appropriate for the care and treatment of dementia, upon a court’s finding, by clear and convincing evidence, of all of the following:

(1) The conservatee has dementia, as defined in the last published edition of the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.”

(2) The conservatee lacks the capacity to give informed consent to the administration of medications appropriate to the care of dementia, and has at least one mental function deficit pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 811, and this deficit or deficits significantly impairs the person’s ability to understand and appreciate the consequences of his or her actions pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 811.

(3) The conservatee needs or would benefit from appropriate medication as demonstrated by evidence presented by the physician or psychologist referred to in paragraph (3) of subdivision (f).

(d) Pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 2355, in the case of a person who is an adherent of a religion whose tenets and practices call for a reliance on prayer alone for healing, the treatment required by the conservator under subdivision (c) shall be by an accredited practitioner of that religion in lieu of the administration of medications.

(e) A conservatee who is to be placed in a facility pursuant to this section shall not be placed in a mental health rehabilitation center as described in Section 5675 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, or in an institution for mental disease as described in Section 5900 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(f) A petition for authority to act under this section shall be governed by Section 2357, except:

(1) The conservatee shall be represented by an attorney pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 1470) of Part 1.

(2) The conservatee shall be produced at the hearing, unless excused pursuant to Section 1893.

(3) The petition shall be supported by a declaration of a licensed physician, or a licensed psychologist within the scope of his or her licensure, regarding each of the findings required to be made under this section for any power requested, except that the psychologist has at least two years of experience in diagnosing dementia.

(4) The petition may be filed by any of the persons designated in Section 1891.

(g) The court investigator shall annually investigate and report to the court every two years pursuant to Sections 1850 and 1851 if the conservator is authorized to act under this section. In addition to the other matters provided in Section 1851, the conservatee shall be specifically advised by the investigator that the conservatee has the right to object to the conservator’s powers granted under this section, and the report shall also include whether powers granted under this section are warranted. If the conservatee objects to the conservator’s powers granted under this section, or the investigator determines that some change in the powers granted under this section is warranted, the court shall provide a copy of the report to the attorney of record for the conservatee. If no attorney has been appointed for the conservatee, one shall be appointed pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 1470) of Part 1. The attorney shall, within 30 days after receiving this report, do one of the following:

(1) File a petition with the court regarding the status of the conservatee.

(2) File a written report with the court stating that the attorney has met with the conservatee and determined that the petition would be inappropriate.

(h) A petition to terminate authority granted under this section shall be governed by Section 2359.

(i) Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect a conservatorship of the estate of a person who has dementia.

(j) Nothing in this section shall affect the laws that would otherwise apply in emergency situations.

(k) Nothing in this section shall affect current law regarding the power of a probate court to fix the residence of a conservatee or to authorize medical treatment for any conservatee who has not been determined to have dementia.

SEC. 32.  

Section 6401 of the Probate Code is amended to read:

6401.  

(a) As to community property, the intestate share of the surviving spouse is the one-half of the community property that belongs to the decedent under Section 100.

(b) As to quasi-community property, the intestate share of the surviving spouse is the one-half of the quasi-community property that belongs to the decedent under Section 101.

(c) As to separate property, the intestate share of the surviving spouse is as follows:

(1) The entire intestate estate if the decedent did not leave any surviving issue, parent, brother, sister, or issue of a deceased brother or sister.

(2) One-half of the intestate estate in the following cases:

(A) Where the decedent leaves only one child or the issue of one deceased child.

(B) Where the decedent leaves no issue, but leaves a parent or parents or their issue or the issue of either of them.

(3) One-third of the intestate estate in the following cases:

(A) Where the decedent leaves more than one child.

(B) Where the decedent leaves one child and the issue of one or more deceased children.

(C) Where the decedent leaves issue of two or more deceased children.

SEC. 32.5.  

Section 6402 of the Probate Code is amended to read:

6402.  

Except as provided in Section 6402.5, the part of the intestate estate not passing to the surviving spouse, under Section 6401, or the entire intestate estate if there is no surviving spouse, passes as follows:

(a) To the issue of the decedent, the issue taking equally if they are all of the same degree of kinship to the decedent, but if of unequal degree those of more remote degree take in the manner provided in Section 240.

(b) If there is no surviving issue, to the decedent’s parent or parents equally.

(c) If there is no surviving issue or parent, to the issue of the parents or either of them, the issue taking equally if they are all of the same degree of kinship to the decedent, but if of unequal degree those of more remote degree take in the manner provided in Section 240.

(d) If there is no surviving issue, parent or issue of a parent, but the decedent is survived by one or more grandparents or issue of grandparents, to the grandparent or grandparents equally, or to the issue of those grandparents if there is no surviving grandparent, the issue taking equally if they are all of the same degree of kinship to the decedent, but if of unequal degree those of more remote degree take in the manner provided in Section 240.

(e) If there is no surviving issue, parent or issue of a parent, grandparent or issue of a grandparent, but the decedent is survived by the issue of a predeceased spouse, to that issue, the issue taking equally if they are all of the same degree of kinship to the predeceased spouse, but if of unequal degree those of more remote degree take in the manner provided in Section 240.

(f) If there is no surviving issue, parent or issue of a parent, grandparent or issue of a grandparent, or issue of a predeceased spouse, but the decedent is survived by next of kin, to the next of kin in equal degree, but where there are two or more collateral kindred in equal degree who claim through different ancestors, those who claim through the nearest ancestor are preferred to those claiming through an ancestor more remote.

(g) If there is no surviving next of kin of the decedent and no surviving issue of a predeceased spouse of the decedent, but the decedent is survived by the parents of a predeceased spouse or the issue of those parents, to the parent or parents equally, or to the issue of those parents if both are deceased, the issue taking equally if they are all of the same degree of kinship to the predeceased spouse, but if of unequal degree those of more remote degree take in the manner provided in Section 240.

SEC. 33.  

Section 21189.2 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:

21189.2.  

The Judicial Council shall report to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2017, on the effects of this chapter on the administration of justice.

SEC. 34.  

Chapter 4.2 (commencing with Section 10830) of Part 2 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is repealed.

SEC. 34.5.  

Sections 5.2 and 5.7 of this bill incorporate amendments to Section 1936 of the Civil Code proposed by both this bill and Assembly Bill 1981. They shall only become operative if (1) both bills are enacted and become effective on or before January 1, 2015, (2) each bill amends Section 1936 of the Civil Code, and (3) this bill is enacted after Assembly Bill 1981, in which case Sections 5 and 5.5 of this bill shall not become operative.

SEC. 35.  

No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because a local agency or school district has the authority to levy service charges, fees, or assessments sufficient to pay for the program or level of service mandated by this act, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code.



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