Cal. Rev. & Tax. Code § 41098
(b) For purposes of this section, a person’s failure to make a timely return or payment shall be considered to be due to reasonable reliance on written advice from the department, only if the department finds that all of the following conditions are satisfied:
(3) The liability for surcharges applied to a particular activity or transaction which occurred before either of the following:
(c) Any person seeking relief under this section shall file with the department all of the following: