(a) A plea or verdict of guilty or a conviction following a plea of nolo contendere made to a charge substantially related to the qualifications, functions, and duties of a service dealer is deemed to be a conviction within the meaning of this article. The director may suspend, revoke, or place on probation a registration, or may deny registration, when the time for appeal has elapsed, or the judgment of conviction has been affirmed on appeal or when an order granting probation is made suspending the imposition of sentence, irrespective of a subsequent order under Section 1203.4 of the Penal Code allowing that person to withdraw his or her plea of guilty and to enter a plea of not guilty, or setting aside the verdict of guilty, or dismissing the accusation, information, or indictment.
(b) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2023.
(Amended (as amended by Stats. 2014, Ch. 428, Sec. 12) by Stats. 2018, Ch. 578, Sec. 17. (SB 1483) Effective January 1, 2019. Section operative January 1, 2023, by its own provisions.)