Sale of animals at swap meets.

Existing law generally regulates the operation of swap meets, flea markets, and open-air markets where personal property is exchanged, sold, or offered for sale or exchange. Existing law also regulates food vendors operating at swap meets. This bill would authorize, subject to exceptions and commencing January 1, 2016, a swap meet operator to permit a vendor to offer animals for sale at a swap meet provided the local jurisdiction has adopted certain standards for the care and treatment of those animals during the time that the animals are present at the swap meet and transported to and from the swap meet. These provisions would not apply to the sale of a particular species of animal if a local jurisdiction has adopted a local ordinance prior to January 1, 2013, that applies specifically to the sale of that particular species of animal at swap meets. The bill would provide that a swap meet vendor who offers animals for sale at a swap meet in violation of the requirements of this bill would be guilty of an infraction punishable by a fine not to exceed $100 for the first violation, or for a 2nd or subsequent violation, a fine not to exceed $500. By creating new crimes, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.