Health and Safety Code section 11489
(a)
To the bona fide or innocent purchaser, conditional sales vendor, or mortgagee of the property, if any, up to the amount of their interest in the property, when the court declaring the forfeiture orders a distribution to that person.(b)
The balance, if any, to accumulate, and to be distributed and transferred quarterly in the following manner:(1)
To the state agency or local governmental entity for all expenditures made or incurred by it in connection with the sale of the property, including expenditures for any necessary costs of notice required by Section 11488.4, and for any necessary repairs, storage, or transportation of any property seized under this chapter.(2)
The remaining funds shall be distributed as follows:(A)
Sixty-five percent to the state, local, or state and local law enforcement entities that participated in the seizure distributed so as to reflect the proportionate contribution of each agency.(i)
Fifteen percent of the funds distributed pursuant to this subparagraph shall be deposited in a special fund maintained by the county, city, or city and county of any agency making the seizure or seeking an order for forfeiture. This fund shall be used for the sole purpose of funding programs designed to combat drug abuse and divert gang activity, and shall wherever possible involve educators, parents, community-based organizations and local businesses, and uniformed law enforcement officers. Those programs that have been evaluated as successful shall be given priority. These funds shall not be used to supplant any state or local funds that would, in the absence of this clause, otherwise be made available to the programs.(ii)
The actual distribution of funds set aside pursuant to clause (i) is to be determined by a panel consisting of the sheriff of the county, a police chief selected by the other chiefs in the county, and the district attorney and the chief probation officer of the county.(B)
Ten percent to the prosecutorial agency that processes the forfeiture action.(C)
Twenty-four percent to the General Fund. Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, the moneys are hereby continuously appropriated to the General Fund. Commencing January 1, 1995, all moneys deposited in the General Fund pursuant to this subparagraph, in an amount not to exceed ten million dollars ($10,000,000), shall be made available for school safety and security, upon appropriation by the Legislature, and shall be disbursed pursuant to Senate Bill 1255 of the 1993–94 Regular Session, as enacted.(D)
One percent to the Environmental Enforcement and Training Account, established in Section 14303 of the Penal Code.(c)
Notwithstanding Item 0820-101-469 of the Budget Act of 1985 (Chapter 111 of the Statutes of 1985), all funds allocated to the Department of Justice pursuant to subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) shall be deposited into the Department of Justice Special Deposit Fund–State Asset Forfeiture Account and used for the law enforcement efforts of the state or for state or local law enforcement efforts pursuant to Section 11493.(d)
All the funds distributed to the state or local governmental entity pursuant to subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) shall not supplant any state or local funds that would, in the absence of this subdivision, be made available to support the law enforcement and prosecutorial efforts of these agencies.(e)
This section shall become operative on January 1, 1994.
Source:
Section 11489, https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=HSC§ionNum=11489. (accessed Apr. 24, 2025).