(a) Any person who provides information which materially contributes to the imposition of a civil penalty or criminal fine against any person for violating this chapter shall be paid a reward pursuant to regulations adopted by the department under subdivision (f). The reward shall be equal to 10 percent of the amount of the civil penalty or criminal fine collected by the department, district attorney, or city attorney. The department shall pay the award to the person who provides information which results in the imposition of a civil penalty, and the county shall pay the award to the person who provides information which results in the imposition of a criminal fine. No reward paid pursuant to this subdivision shall exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000).
(b) No informant shall be eligible for a reward for a violation known to the department, unless the information materially contributes to the imposition of criminal or civil penalties for a violation specified in this section.
(c) If there is more than one informant for a single violation, the first notification received by the department shall be eligible for the reward. If the notifications are postmarked on the same day or telephoned notifications are received on the same day, the reward shall be divided equally among those informants.
(d) Public officers and employees of the United States, the State of California, or counties and cities in California are not eligible for the reward pursuant to subdivision (a), unless reporting those violations does not relate in any manner to their responsibilities as public officers or employees.
(e) An informant who is an employee of a business and who provides information that the business violated this chapter is not eligible for a reward if the employee intentionally or negligently caused the violation or if the employee’s primary and regular responsibilities included investigating the violation, unless the business knowingly caused the violation.
(f) The department shall adopt regulations which establish procedures for the receipt and review of claims for payment of rewards. All decisions concerning the eligibility for an award and the materiality of the provided information shall be made pursuant to these regulations. In each case brought under subdivision (a), the department, the office of the city attorney, or the district attorney, whichever office brings the action, shall determine whether the information materially contributed to the imposition of civil or criminal penalties for violations of this chapter.
(g) The department shall continuously publicize the availability of the rewards pursuant to this section for persons who provide information pursuant to this section.
(h) Claims may be submitted only for those referrals made on or after January 1, 1982.
(Amended by Stats. 1986, Ch. 248, Sec. 149.)