(a) Upon receipt of a complaint containing sufficient information to warrant conducting an investigation, the commission shall investigate any business that advertises limousine-for-hire or passenger charter transportation service for compensation in motor vehicles. The commission shall, in a rulemaking or other appropriate procedure, adopt criteria that establishes the type of information, if contained in a complaint, that is sufficient to warrant an investigation. Pursuant to this investigation, the commission shall do all of the following:
(1) Determine which businesses, if any, are required to have in effect a passenger charter-party carrier certificate or permit pursuant to Section 5371 but do not have the required certificate or permit.
(2) Inform any business not having a required certificate or permit that it is in violation of law.
(3) Within 60 days of informing the business pursuant to paragraph (2), institute civil or criminal proceedings, or both, pursuant to Article 6 (commencing with Section 5411) or any other applicable law.
(b) For the purposes of this section, “advertises” includes the undertaking of any action described in subdivision (b) of Section 5386.
(Amended by Stats. 2007, Ch. 701, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2008.)