6600-6633
LABOR CODE
SECTION 6600-6633
6600. Any employer served with a citation or notice pursuant to Section 6317, or a notice of proposed penalty under this part, or any other person obligated to the employer as specified in subdivision (b) of Section 6319, may appeal to the appeals board within 15 working days from the receipt of such citation or such notice with respect to violations alleged by the division, abatement periods, amount of proposed penalties, and the reasonableness of the changes required by the division to abate the condition. 6600.5. Any employer served with a special order or any action order by the division pursuant to Section 6308, or any other person obligated to the employer as specified in subdivision (b) of Section 6319, may appeal to the appeals board within 15 working days from the receipt of the order with respect to the action ordered by the division, abatement periods, the reasonableness of the changes required by the division to abate the condition. 6601. If within 15 working days from receipt of the citation or notice of civil penalty issued by the division, the employer fails to notify the appeals board that he intends to contest the citation or notice of proposed penalty, and no notice contesting the abatement period is filed by any employee or representative of the employee within such time, the citation or notice of proposed penalty shall be deemed a final order of the appeals board and not subject to review by any court or agency. The 15-day period may be extended by the appeals board for good cause. 6601.5. If, within 15 working days from receipt of a special order, or action order by the division, the employer fails to notify the appeals board that he or she intends to contest the order, and no notice contesting the abatement period is filed by any employee or representative of the employee within that time, the order shall be deemed a final order of the appeals board and not subject to review by any court or agency. The 15-day period may be extended by the appeals board for good cause. 6602. If an employer notifies the appeals board that he or she intends to contest a citation issued under Section 6317, or notice of proposed penalty issued under Section 6319, or order issued under Section 6308, or if, within 15 working days of the issuance of a citation or order any employee or representative of an employee files a notice with the division or appeals board alleging that the period of time fixed in the citation or order for the abatement of the violation is unreasonable, the appeals board shall afford an opportunity for a hearing. The appeals board shall thereafter issue a decision, based on findings of fact, affirming, modifying or vacating the division's citation, order, or proposed penalty, or directing other appropriate relief. 6603. (a) The rules of practice and procedure adopted by the appeals board shall be consistent with Article 8 (commencing with Section 11435.05) of Chapter 4.5 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of, and Sections 11507, 11507.6, 11507.7, 11513, 11514, 11515, and 11516 of, the Government Code, and shall provide affected employees or representatives of affected employees an opportunity to participate as parties to a hearing under Section 6602. (b) The superior courts shall have jurisdiction over contempt proceedings, as provided in Article 12 (commencing with Section 11455.10) of Chapter 4.5 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code. 6604. The appeals board may, in accordance with rules of practice and procedure which it shall adopt, direct and order a hearing officer: (a) To try the issues in any proceeding before it, whether of fact or of law, and make and file a finding, order, or decision based thereon. (b) To hold hearings and ascertain facts necessary to enable the appeals board to determine any proceeding or to make any order or decision that the appeals board is authorized to make, or necessary for the information of the appeals board. 6605. The appeals board may appoint one or more hearing officers in any proceeding, as it may deem necessary or advisable, and may defer, remove to itself, or transfer to a hearing officer the proceedings on any appeal. Any hearing officer appointed by the appeals board has the powers, jurisdiction, and authority granted by law, by the order of appointment, and by the rules of the appeals board. 6606. Any party to the proceeding may object to the reference of the proceeding to a particular hearing officer upon any one or more of the grounds specified in Section 641 of the Code of Civil Procedure and such objection shall be heard and disposed of by the appeals board. Affidavits may be read and witnesses examined as to such objections. 6607. Before entering upon his duties, the hearing officer shall be sworn, before an officer authorized to administer oaths, faithfully and fairly to hear and determine the matters and issues referred to him, to make just findings and to report according to his understanding. In any proceedings under this chapter, the hearing officer shall have the power to administer oaths and affirmations and to certify official acts. 6608. The appeals board or a hearing officer shall, within 30 days after the case is submitted, make and file findings upon all facts involved in the appeal and file an order or decision. Together with the findings or the decision, there shall be served upon all the parties to the proceedings a summary of the evidence received and relied upon and the reasons or grounds upon which the decision was made. 6609. Within 30 days after the filing of the findings, decision, or order, the appeals board may confirm, adopt, modify or set aside the findings, order, or decision of a hearing officer and may, with or without further proceedings, and with or without notice, enter its order, findings, or decision based upon the record in the case. 6610. Any notice, order, or decision required by this part to be served upon any person either before, during, or after the institution of any proceeding before the appeals board, shall be served in the manner provided by Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 1010) of Title 14 of Part 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure, unless otherwise directed by the appeals board. In the latter event the document shall be served in accordance with the order or direction of the appeals board. The appeals board may, in the cases mentioned in the Code of Civil Procedure, order service to be made by publication of notice of time and place of hearing. Where service is ordered to be made by publication the date of the hearing shall be fixed at more than 30 days from the date of filing the application. 6611. (a) If the employer fails to appear, the appeals board may dismiss the appeal or may take action upon the employer's express admissions or upon other evidence, and affidavits may be used without any notice to the employer. Where the burden of proof is upon the employer to establish the appeals board action sought, the appeals board may act without taking evidence. Nothing in this section shall be construed to deprive the employer of the right to make any showing by way of mitigation. (b) The appeal may be reinstated by the appeals board upon a showing of good cause by the employer for his failure to appear. 6612. No informality in any proceeding or in the manner of taking testimony shall invalidate any order, decision, or finding made and filed as specified in this division. No order, decision, or finding shall be invalidated because of the admission into the record, and use as proof of any fact in dispute of any evidence not admissible under the common law or statutory rules of evidence and procedure. 6613. The appeals board, a hearing officer, or any party to the action or proceeding, may, in any investigation or hearing before the appeals board, cause the deposition of witnesses residing within or without the state to be taken in the manner prescribed by law for like depositions in civil actions in the superior courts of this state under Title 4 (commencing with Section 2016.010) of Part 4 of the Code of Civil Procedure. To that end the attendance of witnesses and the production of records may be required. Depositions may be taken outside the state before any officer authorized to administer oaths. The appeals board or a hearing officer in any proceeding before the appeals board may cause evidence to be taken in other jurisdictions before the agency authorized to hear similar matters in such other jurisdictions. 6614. (a) At any time within 30 days after the service of any final order or decision made and filed by the appeals board or a hearing officer, any party aggrieved directly or indirectly by any final order or decision, made and filed by the appeals board or a hearing officer under any provision contained in this division, may petition the appeals board for reconsideration in respect to any matters determined or covered by the final order or decision and specified in the petition for reconsideration. Such petition shall be made only within the time and in the manner specified in this chapter. (b) At any time within 30 days after the filing of an order or decision made by a hearing officer and the accompanying report, the appeals board may, on its own motion, grant reconsideration. 6615. No cause of action arising out of any final order or decision made and filed by the appeals board or a hearing officer shall accrue in any court to any person until and unless the appeals board on its own motion sets aside such final order or decision and removes such proceeding to itself or such person files a petition for reconsideration, and such reconsideration is granted or denied. Nothing herein contained shall prevent the enforcement of any such final order or decision, in the manner provided in this division. 6616. The petition for reconsideration shall set forth specifically and in full detail the grounds upon which the petitioner considers the final order or decision made and filed by the appeals board or a hearing officer to be unjust or unlawful, and every issue to be considered by the appeals board. The petition shall be verified upon oath in the manner required for verified pleadings in courts of record and shall contain a general statement of any evidence or other matters upon which the applicant relies in support thereof. 6617. The petition for reconsideration may be based upon one or more of the following grounds and no other: (a) That by such order or decision made and filed by the appeals board or hearing officer, the appeals board acted without or in excess of its powers. (b) That the order or decision was procured by fraud. (c) That the evidence does not justify the findings of fact. (d) That the petitioner has discovered new evidence material to him, which he could not, with reasonable diligence, have discovered and produced at the hearing. (e) That the findings of fact do not support the order or decision. 6618. The petitioner for reconsideration shall be deemed to have finally waived all objections, irregularities, and illegalities concerning the matter upon which the reconsideration is sought other than those set forth in the petition for reconsideration. 6619. A copy of the petition for reconsideration shall be served forthwith upon all parties by the person petitioning for reconsideration. Any party may file an answer thereto within 30 days thereafter. Such answer shall likewise be verified. The appeals board may require the petition for reconsideration to be served on other persons designated by it. 6620. Upon the filing of a petition for reconsideration, or having granted reconsideration upon its own motion, the appeals board may, with or without further proceedings and with or without notice affirm, rescind, alter, or amend the order or decision made and filed by the appeals board or hearing officer on the basis of the evidence previously submitted in the case, or may grant reconsideration and direct the taking of additional evidence. Notice of the time and place of any hearing on reconsideration shall be given to the petitioner and adverse parties and to such other persons as the appeals board orders. 6621. If at the time of granting reconsideration, it appears to the satisfaction of the appeals board that no sufficient reason exists for taking further testimony, the appeals board may affirm, rescind, alter or amend the order or decision made and filed by the appeals board or hearing officer and may, without further proceedings, without notice, and without setting a time and place for further hearing, enter its findings, order or decision based upon the record in the case. 6622. After the taking of additional evidence and a consideration of all of the facts the appeals board may affirm, rescind, alter, or amend the original order or decision. An order or decision made following reconsideration which affirms, rescinds, alters, or amends the original order or decision shall be made by the appeals board but shall not affect any right or the enforcement of any right arising from or by virture of the original order or decision unless so ordered by the appeals board. 6623. Any decision of the appeals board granting or denying a petition for reconsideration or affirming, rescinding, altering, or amending the original findings, order, or decision following reconsideration shall be made by the appeals board and not by a hearing officer and shall be in writing, signed by a majority of the appeals board members assigned thereto, and shall state the evidence relied upon and specify in detail the reasons for the decision. 6624. A petition for reconsideration is deemed to have been denied by the appeals board unless it is acted upon within 45 days from the date of filing. The appeals board may, upon good cause being shown therefor, extend the time within which it may act upon that petition for not exceeding 15 days. 6625. The filing of a petition for reconsideration shall suspend for a period of 10 days the order or decision affected, insofar as it applies to the parties to the petition, unless otherwise ordered by the appeals board. The appeals board upon the terms and conditions which it by order directs, may stay, suspend, or postpone the order or decision during the pendency of the reconsideration. 6626. Nothing contained in this chapter shall be construed to prevent the appeals board, on petition of an aggrieved party or on its own motion, from granting reconsideration of an original order or decision made and filed by the appeals board within the same time specified for reconsideration of an original order or decision. 6627. Any person affected by an order or decision of the appeals board may, within the time limit specified in this section, apply to the superior court of the county in which he resides, for a writ of mandate, for the purpose of inquiring into and determining the lawfulness of the original order or decision or of the order or decision following reconsideration. The application for writ of mandate must be made within 30 days after a petition for reconsideration is denied, or, if a petition is granted or reconsideration is had on the appeals board's own motion, within 30 days after the filing of the order or decision following reconsideration. 6628. The writ of mandate shall be made returnable at a time and place then or thereafter specified by court order and shall direct the appeals board to certify its record in the case to the court within the time therein specified. No new or additional evidence shall be introduced in such court, but the cause shall be heard on the record of the appeals board, as certified to by it. 6629. The review by the court shall not be extended further than to determine, based upon the entire record which shall be certified by the appeals board, whether: (a) The appeals board acted without or in excess of its powers. (b) The order or decision was procured by fraud. (c) The order or decision was unreasonable. (d) The order or decision was not supported by substantial evidence. (e) If findings of fact are made, such findings of fact support the order or decision under review. Nothing in this section shall permit the court to hold a trial de novo, to take evidence, or to exercise its independent judgment on the evidence. 6630. The findings and conclusions of the appeals board on questions of fact are conclusive and final and are not subject to review. Such questions of fact shall include ultimate facts and the findings and conclusions of the appeals board. The appeals board and each party to the action or proceeding before the appeals board shall have the right to appear in the mandate proceeding. Upon the hearing, the court shall enter judgment either affirming or annulling the order or decision, or the court may remand the case for further proceedings before the appeals board. 6631. The provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure relating to writs of mandate shall, so far as applicable, apply to proceedings in the courts under the provisions of this part. A copy of every pleading filed pursuant to the terms of this part shall be served on the appeals board and upon every party who entered an appearance in the action before the appeals board and whose interest therein is adverse to the party filing such pleading. 6632. No court of this state, except the Supreme Court, the courts of appeal, and the superior court to the extent herein specified, has jurisdiction to review, reverse, correct, or annul any order or rule, or decision of the appeals board, or to suspend or delay the operation or execution thereof, or to restrain, enjoin, or interfere with the appeals board in the performance of its duties. 6633. The filing of a petition for, or the pendency of, a writ of mandate shall not of itself stay or suspend the operation of any order, rule or decision of the appeals board, but the court before which the petition is filed may stay or suspend, in whole or in part, the operation of the order or decision of the appeals board subject to review, upon the terms and conditions which it by order directs.