(a) The director of the commission shall be the permitting authority for the use of state-owned property and state employee services for the purpose of making commercial motion pictures. Each state agency, department, or commission having jurisdiction over a state property shall work with the commission to establish fees not to exceed the recovery of costs for state services and property maintenance and shall submit the proposed fees in writing to the commission explaining how the fees were calculated, consistent with this section. All fees established pursuant to this section shall be collected and recorded by the commission, and may be deposited in the Film Transfer Account, created in the Special Deposit Fund, or forwarded to the operating agency, department, or commission for reimbursement to recover costs.

(b) The director shall assure a “one-stop” permit process for applications for permission to use state-owned property for media production. In so doing, applications for permission to use state property for making media production shall be made to the director of the commission who, promptly upon receipt of such an application, shall contact the state agency having jurisdiction over the property specified in the application for the concurrence of the agency in the use of property. The denial of an application may be made on the basis of any of the following:

(1) The use would unduly interfere with the conduct of state business.

(2) Failure of the permittee to provide full insurance coverage and security deposit, if required by the Department of General Services, or the affected agency, sufficient to reimburse the state for any user-caused damage to the property and to provide adequate personal liability insurance coverage.

The use of state property shall be denied, if it is determined that the use would violate or be in conflict with existing provisions of statute or regulation by the director of the department, agency, or commission responding to a permit request.

(c) Any state agency having management and control over state property, the use of which is sought by an application, shall permit the property to be used, unless otherwise denied by the provisions of this section.

(d) Nothing in this section requires a state agency to take any action not authorized by law or to make any decision in a manner or by a method not authorized by law or which is prohibited by law.

(e) If in connection with the use of roads, highways, and freeways, the assistance, control, or protection by California Highway Patrol officers is desired, applications to the director to utilize services of California Highway Patrol officers during media production activities shall be made directly to the Commissioner of the California Highway Patrol. The commissioner may approve the application if employees are available and the agency is fully reimbursed for additional costs incurred. Applications to utilize California Highway Patrol employee services shall be approved or disapproved by the commissioner.

(f) The director, whenever feasible, shall approve or deny any application within 24 hours. In the event that the director of the department or agency having jurisdiction over the property specified in the application permit takes no action to disapprove the application within five working days, the application shall be deemed approved by the director. If the director of the department or agency determines that he or she is unable to concur or deny an application within five working days and so notifies the director within five working days of the application, the director shall then have a total of 10 days from receipt of the application to deny the application. In the event no action is taken by the director within the 10-day period, the application shall be deemed approved by the director.

(g) At least 30 days prior to adoption of state regulations, rules, written guidelines, or policies that would have clear, explicit, and definite implications for media production on state-owned property by a state agency, including any of that agency’s district or regional offices, other than for immediate health and safety purposes, the agency shall submit a written copy to the director. The commission shall review the proposal and report its findings to the submitting agency within five working days of receipt of the materials sent. The submitting agency shall consider the commission’s findings prior to final adoption of the regulations, rules, written guidelines, or policies, unless the commission’s findings are not made available to the submitting agency within the above prescribed time limits. Any and all findings made by the commission pursuant to this section shall be advisory. The submitting agency shall provide the commission with a final written copy of its adopted regulations, rules, written guidelines, or policies.

(Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 302, Sec. 9. (AB 3256) Effective January 1, 2019.)