(a) Upon a finding by a two-thirds vote of the membership of the commission that the operation of this chapter has not tended to effectuate its declared purposes, the commission may recommend to the director that the operation of this chapter be suspended. However, any suspension shall not become effective until the expiration of the current marketing year.
(b) The director shall, upon receipt of the recommendation, or may, after a public hearing to review a petition filed with the director requesting a suspension signed by not less than 20 percent of the producers by number who produced not less than 20 percent of the gross dollar value of flowers in the immediately preceding marketing year, hold a referendum among the producers to determine if the operations of the commission shall be suspended. However, the director shall not hold a referendum as a result of the petition unless the petitioner shows, by a preponderance of evidence, that the operation of this chapter has not tended to effectuate its declared purposes.
(c) The director shall establish a referendum period, which shall not be less than 10 days nor more than 60 days in duration. The director may prescribe additional procedures as may be necessary to conduct the referendum. At the close of the established referendum period, the director shall tabulate the ballots filed during the period. The director shall suspend the operation of this chapter if the director finds that at least 40 percent of the total number of producers from the list established by the director have participated in the referendum and either one of the following has occurred:
(1) Sixty-five precent or more of the producers who voted in the referendum voted in favor of suspension, and the producers so voting marketed a majority of the total gross dollar value of flowers in the preceding marketing year by all of the producers who voted in the referendum.
(2) A majority of the producers who voted in the referendum voted in favor of suspension, and the producers so voting marketed 65 percent or more of the total gross dollar value of flowers in the preceding marketing year by all of the producers who voted in the referendum.
(Added by Stats. 1990, Ch. 495, Sec. 1. Effective August 10, 1990.)