Food and Agricultural Code, 1967

The advisory board must be made up of producers, handlers, or both, depending on whether the marketing order directly affects producers, handlers, or both.

Raisin marketing orders or agreements under this chapter must provide for, and the director must appoint, a representative for cooperative bargaining associations to the advisory board.

The director may appoint one person, if recommended by the advisory board, so long as the person is neither a producer nor a handler.

A member of an advisory board can recover actual expenses for authorized duties and may receive up to $50 per day in compensation with the board’s approval.

The director may authorize an advisory board to enter contracts, hire needed personnel, incur certain expenses, and receive, invest, and disburse funds.

An advisory board’s duties are administrative only, and it may only carry out the listed tasks, including administering the marketing order with the director’s approval.

Each advisory board must report annually to the industry members subject to its marketing order about the order’s activities and program, including income, expenses, fund balance, and progress toward program goals, as prescribed by the director.

Members, alternate members, and employees of an advisory board are not individually liable for the board’s contracts or agreements.

An advisory board may set up committees or subcommittees, but only with the director’s approval, and it may assign board members or alternates to serve on them.

The director may authorize special committees or subcommittees, and must appoint their members and alternate members.

An advisory board may invite people to its meetings in an advisory role, and the director may pay their necessary expenses if the board requests it, subject to the same rate limit as advisory board members.

Committee actions need final approval from the advisory board, and committee members and alternate members can be reimbursed for actual expenses incurred while acting in their authorized roles.

The Legislature states that producers or handlers appointed to advisory boards are meant to represent a particular agricultural industry and that this representation serves the public interest.

Advisory boards using teleconference meetings must follow notice, location, attendance, agenda, and guideline requirements.

A marketing order issued by the director may include only the kinds of provisions listed in this article, except where Sections 58657 and 58747 provide otherwise.

A marketing order may address surplus control for a commodity and may create a stabilization fund, funded by assessments on producers, handlers, or both.

A marketing order may limit the total quantity of a commodity that can be marketed, processed, distributed, or otherwise handled, but the limit must use a uniform rule for all regulated persons and cannot go below the quantity the director finds reasonably necessary to meet consumer demand.