California Code, Harbors and Navigation Code - HNC § 1159.2

(a) The vessel shall pay a board operations surcharge, the purpose of which is to fully compensate the board and the Transportation Agency for the official services, staff services, and incidental expenses of the board and agency.  The amount of the surcharge shall be 7.5 percent of all pilotage fees charged by pilots pursuant to Sections 1190 and 1191 unless the board establishes, with the approval of the Department of Finance, a lesser percentage, not to exceed any percentage consistent with subdivision (d).

(b) The surcharge shall be billed and collected by the pilots.  The pilots shall pay all surcharges collected by them to the board monthly or at a later time that the board may direct.

(c) The board shall quarterly review its ongoing and anticipated expenses and adjust the surcharge to reflect any changes that have occurred since the last adjustment.

(d) The board operations surcharge shall not represent a percentage significantly more than that required to support the board and any costs of the Transportation Agency related to the administration of the board pursuant to subdivision (a) in addition to the maintenance of a reasonable reserve.