The department, after notice and hearing, may refuse to issue, or may suspend or revoke, a vehicle salesperson’s license when it makes any of the following findings and determinations:

(a) The applicant or licensee has outstanding an unsatisfied final court judgment rendered in connection with an activity licensed under this division.

(b) The applicant or licensee has failed to pay funds or property received in the course of employment to a dealer entitled thereto.

(c) The applicant or licensee has failed to surrender possession of, or failed to return, a vehicle to a dealer lawfully entitled thereto upon termination of employment.

(d) A cause for refusal, suspension, or revocation exists under any provision of Sections 11302 to 11909, inclusive.

(e) The applicant was previously the holder of an occupational license issued by another state authorizing the same or similar activities of a license issued under this division and that license was revoked or suspended for cause and was never reissued, or was suspended for cause, and the terms of suspension have not been fulfilled.

(f) The applicant or licensee has acted as a dealer by purchasing or selling vehicles while employed by a licensed dealer without reporting that fact to the dealer or without utilizing the report of sale documents issued to the dealer.

(g) The applicant or licensee has concurrently acted as a vehicle salesperson and engaged in that activity for, or on behalf of, more than one licensed dealer unless all of the licensed dealers for whom that salesperson works have common controlling ownership. Nothing in this section restricts the number of dealerships of which a person may be an owner, officer, or director, or precludes a vehicle salesperson from working for more than one dealer, provided that all of the licensed dealers for whom that salesperson works have common controlling ownership. For purposes of this subdivision, dealers have common controlling ownership when more than 50 percent of the ownership interests in each dealer are held by the same person or persons, either directly or through one or more wholly owned subsidiary entities.

(h) The applicant or licensee has acted as a vehicle salesperson without having first complied with Section 11812.

(i) The applicant or licensee was a managerial employee of a dealer during the time a person under the direction or control of the managerial employee committed wrongful acts which resulted in the suspension or revocation of the dealer’s license.

(j) The applicant or licensee has acted as a dealer by purchasing or selling any vehicle and using the license, report of sale books, purchase drafts, financial institution accounts, or other supplies of a dealer to facilitate that purchase or sale, when the applicant or licensee is not acting on behalf of that dealer.

(Amended by Stats. 2010, Ch. 483, Sec. 4. (SB 1004) Effective January 1, 2011.)