(a) For the purposes of this section, “ex parte communication” means any oral or written communication between a member of the board and an interested person about a matter within the board’s jurisdiction that does not occur in a public hearing, workshop, or other official proceeding, or on the official record of the proceeding on the matter.

(b) For purposes of this section, “a matter within the board’s jurisdiction” means any action on a reclamation plan or financial assurance appealed pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section 2770, any review of an order setting administrative penalties pursuant to Section 2774.2, or any review of an appeal pursuant to Section 2775.

(c) A board member or any person, other than a staff member of the board, department, or any other state agency, who is acting in his or her official capacity and who intends to influence the decision of the board on a matter within the board’s jurisdiction, shall not conduct an ex parte communication, unless the board member or the person who engages in the communication with the board member discloses that communication in one of the following ways:

(1) The board member or the person fully discloses the communication and makes public the ex parte communication by providing a full report of the communication to the executive officer or, if the communication occurs within seven days of the next board hearing, to the board on the record of the proceeding of that hearing.

(2) When two or more board members receive substantially the same written communication or receive the same oral communication from the same party on the same matter, one of the board members fully discloses the communication on behalf of the other board member or members who received the communication and requests in writing that it be placed in the board’s official record of the proceeding.

(d) (1) The board shall adopt standard disclosure forms for reporting ex parte communications which shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following information:

(A) The date, time, and location of the communication.

(B) The identity of the person or persons initiating and the person or persons receiving the communication.

(C) A complete description of the content of the communication, including the complete text of any written material that was part of the communication.

(2) The executive officer shall place in the public record any report of an ex parte communication.

(e) Communications shall cease to be ex parte communications when fully disclosed and placed in the board’s official record.

(f) In addition to any other applicable penalty, a board member who knowingly violates this section is subject to a civil fine, not to exceed seven thousand five hundred dollars ($7,500). Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the court may award attorneys’ fees and costs to the prevailing party.

(g) Notwithstanding Section 11425.10 of the Government Code, the ex parte communications provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Article 7 (commencing with Section 11430.10) of Chapter 4.5 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code) do not apply to proceedings of the board under this code.

(Amended by Stats. 1995, Ch. 938, Sec. 81. Effective January 1, 1996. Operative July 1, 1997, by Sec. 98 of Ch. 938.)