The head of each department may make investigations and prosecute actions concerning:

At the request of a prosecuting attorney or the Attorney General, any agency, bureau, or department of this state, any other state, or the United States may assist in conducting an investigation of any unlawful activity that involves matters within or reasonably related to the jurisdiction of the agency, bureau, or department. This investigation may be made in cooperation with the prosecuting attorney or the Attorney General. The prosecuting attorney or the Attorney General may disclose documents or information acquired pursuant to the investigation to

another agency, bureau, or department if the agency, bureau, or department agrees to maintain the confidentiality of the documents or information received to the extent required by this article.

In connection with any investigation or action authorized by this article, the department head may do any of the following:

activity investigated or discovered, or to any governmental agency responsible for enforcing laws related to the unlawful activity investigated or discovered, if the Attorney General, prosecuting attorney, or agency to which the information or evidence is divulged agrees to maintain the confidentiality of the information received to the extent required by this article.

The head of a department may delegate the powers conferred upon him by this article to any officer of the department he authorizes to conduct the investigation or hearing.

Except in a report to the head of the department or when called upon to testify in any court or proceeding at law or as provided in Section 11180.5 or subdivisions (g) and (h) of Section 11181, an officer shall not divulge any information or evidence acquired by the officer from the interrogatory answers or subpoenaed private books, documents, papers, or other items described in subdivision (e) of Section 11181 of any person while acting or claiming to act under any authorization pursuant to this article, in respect to the confidential or private

transactions, property or business of any person. An officer who divulges information or evidence in violation of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and disqualified from acting in any official capacity in the department.

designated for that purpose by the head of the department. The person serving any process or a subpoena may receive compensation as is allowed by the head of the department not to exceed the fees prescribed by law for similar service. This compensation shall be paid in the manner provided in this article for the payment of the fees of witnesses.

described in this subdivision.

witness, as described in subdivision (b) of Section 11184, shall be given in the county in which the witness named in the subpoena has its principal executive or business office in this state or within 150 miles of that location.

described in subdivision (e) of Section 11181 at a location in the county in which the department head or the Attorney General maintains an office.

The superior court in the county in which any hearing is held or any investigation is conducted under the direction of the head of a department or the county in which testimony is designated to be given or documents or other items are designated to be produced, has jurisdiction to compel the attendance of witnesses, the giving of testimony, the answering without objection of interrogatories, and the production, inspection, and copying of papers, books, accounts, documents, and other items described in subdivision (e) of Section 11181 as required by any

subpoena issued by the department head.

subpoena to be produced, for an order compelling the person to answer the interrogatories or to attend and testify or produce and permit the inspection and copying of the papers or other items required by the subpoena before the officer named in the subpoena.

permit the inspection or copying of the papers or other items required by subpoena before the officer in the cause or proceeding named in the subpoena, or has refused to answer questions propounded to him or her in the course of the investigation or hearing.

any papers or other items described in subdivision (e) of Section 11181 as required by a subpoena, the witness shall state the objection and the validity of the objection shall be determined exclusively in a proceeding brought by the head of the department to compel compliance as provided in this section.

Upon the filing of the petition the court shall enter an order directing the person to appear before the court at a specified time and place and then and there show cause why the person has not attended, testified, answered interrogatories, or produced or permitted the inspection or copying of the papers or other items described in subdivision (e) of Section 11181 as required. A copy of the order shall be served upon the person in the manner provided for the service of a summons described in Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 413.10) of Title 5 of Part 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure. If it appears to the court that the subpoena was regularly issued, or the interrogatories were regularly promulgated, by the head of the department, the court shall enter an order that the person appear before the officer named

in the subpoena at the time and place fixed in the order and testify or produce and permit the inspection and copying of the required papers or other items described in subdivision (e) of Section 11181 as required or answer the interrogatories without objection. At the request of the department head, the court may issue any additional order to aid the implementation of the order enforcing compliance with the subpoena, including the issuance of a commission or letters rogatory in the manner provided for the enforcement of a deposition notice to a nonparty as described in Section 2026.010 or 2027.010 of the Code of Civil Procedure. Upon failure to obey the order, the person shall be dealt with as for contempt of court.

In any matter pending before a department head, the department head may cause the deposition of persons residing within or without the state to be taken by causing a petition to be filed in the Superior Court in the County of Sacramento reciting the nature of the matter pending, the name and residence of the person whose testimony is desired, and asking that an order be made requiring the person to appear and testify before an officer named in the petition for that purpose. Upon the filing of the petition the court may make an

order requiring the person to appear and testify 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. In the same manner the superior courts may compel the attendance of persons as witnesses, and the production of papers, books, accounts, and documents, under Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 1985) of Title 3 of Part 4 of the Code of Civil Procedure, and may punish for contempt.

Any party to any departmental hearing has the right to the attendance of witnesses in his behalf at the hearing or upon deposition upon making request therefor to the head of the department, designating the persons sought to be subpenaed, and depositing with the officer before whom the hearing is to be had the necessary fees and mileage.

Each witness, other than an officer or employee of the State or of a political subdivision of the State, who appears by order of the head of a department shall receive for his attendance the same fees and all witnesses shall receive the same mileage allowed by law to a witness in civil cases. The amounts shall be paid by the party at whose request the witness is subpenaed. The mileage, and fees, if any, of a witness subpenaed by the head of a department, but not at the request of a party, shall be paid from the funds appropriated for the use of the department in the same manner as other expenses of the department are paid.