(a) There is hereby created in the department the California Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Committee.

(b) The committee shall be composed of 17 members. Fourteen producer representatives shall be appointed by the secretary from nominations received from each district. District representation shall be determined by the secretary on a proportional basis equal to the production history of each district for the previous two years. The secretary shall also strive to appoint producers representing the different varieties of citrus fruit produced in California.

(c) One member shall be a public member, appointed by the secretary from the nominees recommended by the committee.

(d) Two members shall be citrus nursery operators, one representing northern California, defined as counties in the San Joaquin Valley and north but not including counties on the coast who shall be represented by a southern California designee, and one representing southern California, appointed by the secretary from the nominees recommended by the committee.

(e) (1) The initial members of the committee shall be appointed within 30 days of the enactment of this article. The members shall serve staggered terms. The terms of the members of the committee shall expire as follows:

(A) Two members on September 30, 2010.

(B) Five members on September 30, 2011.

(C) Five members on September 30, 2012.

(D) Five members on September 30, 2013.

(2) The members of the committee shall allocate the initial terms among themselves by lot or other method.

(f) Appointments to the committee shall be for terms of four years. Vacancies shall be immediately filled by the secretary based on recommendations from the committee for the unexpired portion of the terms in which they occur.

(g) The secretary and other appropriate individuals, including, but not limited to, county agricultural commissioners, pest control advisors, and representatives of the University of California and California State University systems, as determined by the secretary, in consultation with the committee, shall be nonvoting ex officio members of the committee.

(h) Committee members may be compensated for reasonable expenses actually incurred in the performance of their duties, as determined by the secretary after consultation with the committee.

(i) The committee shall meet at the request of the secretary, the committee chairperson, or upon the request of three committee members.

(j) The committee shall appoint a chairperson, one or more vice chairpersons, and any other officers it deems necessary.

(k) The Legislature finds and declares that persons appointed to the committee are intended to represent and further the interests of the citrus industry, and that this representation and furtherance is intended to serve the public interest. Accordingly, the Legislature finds that, with respect to persons who are appointed to the committee, the citrus industry is tantamount to, and constitutes, the public generally within the meaning of Section 87103 of the Government Code.

(Added by Stats. 2009, Ch. 426, Sec. 1. (AB 281) Effective October 11, 2009. Conditionally inoperative as provided in Section 5927.)