(a) The superior court in and for the county wherein any person has engaged or is about to engage in any act which constitutes a violation of Section 7523 may, upon a petition filed by the bureau with the approval of the director, issue an injunction or other appropriate order restraining this conduct and may impose civil fines not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000). The proceedings under this section shall be governed by Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 525) of Title 7 of Part 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure, except that there shall be no requirement to allege facts necessary to show or tending to show lack of adequate remedy at law or irreparable injury.
(b) The superior court for the county in which any person has engaged in any act which constitutes a violation of Section 7523 may, upon a petition filed by the bureau with the approval of the director, order this person to make restitution to persons injured as a result of the violation.
(c) The court may order a person subject to an injunction or restraining order, provided for in subdivision (a), or subject to an order requiring restitution pursuant to subdivision (b), to reimburse the bureau for expenses incurred by the bureau in its investigation related to its petition.
(d) A proceeding to impose the fine specified in subdivision (a) and enjoin the unlicensed operation may be brought in any court of competent jurisdiction in the name of the people of the State of California by the Attorney General or by any district attorney or city attorney, or with the consent of the district attorney, the city prosecutor in any city or city and county having a full-time city prosecutor for the jurisdiction in which the violation occurred. If the action is brought by the district attorney, the penalty collected shall be paid to the treasurer of the county in which the judgment is entered. If the action is brought by a city attorney or city prosecutor, one-half of the penalty collected shall be paid to the treasurer of the city in which the judgment was entered and one-half to the treasurer of the county in which the judgment was entered. If the action is brought by the Attorney General, all of the penalty collected shall be deposited in the Private Security Services Fund.
(e) The remedy provided for by this section shall be in addition to any other remedy provided for in this chapter.
(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 377, Sec. 8. (SB 609) Effective January 1, 2020.)