Any person who violates any provision of this article, or any regulation adopted pursuant to this article, is liable for a penalty in an amount not less than one hundred dollars ($100) and not to exceed one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) for each separate violation. The penalties provided in this section are in addition to the remedies or penalties available under all other laws of this state.
Every civil or administrative action brought under this article at the request of the director shall be brought by the Attorney General in the name of the people of the State of California, in any court of competent jurisdiction, or through the Office of Administrative Hearings pursuant to Section 737, except that, when the civil action is to be filed in a small claims court, the director may bring the action.
The amount of penalty that is assessed pursuant to this section on each count of violation shall be based upon the nature of the violation and the seriousness of the effect of the violation upon the implementation of the purposes and provisions of this article. Any sum that is recovered under this section shall be deposited in the State Treasury to the credit of the Harbors and Watercraft Revolving Fund.
(Amended by Stats. 2000, Ch. 508, Sec. 6. Effective January 1, 2001.)