County employee retirement: boards.

(1) The County Employees Retirement Law of 1937 sets forth the membership composition for boards of retirement, as specified. Under that law, the retirement board in specified counties is comprised of 9 members and an alternate member who is the candidate for the 7th member from the group of safety members, under specified provisions, that is not represented by a board member who received the highest number of votes for all candidates in that group, except as specified. The alternate member has, unless prohibited by a resolution or regulation of the board, the same rights, privileges, responsibilities, and access to closed sessions, as the 2nd, 3rd, 7th, and 8th member and the right to hold positions on committees of the board independent of the 2nd, 3rd, 7th, or 8th member, and to participate in the deliberations of the board or its committees, as specified. This bill would delete the authority of the board to prohibit, by a resolution or regulation of the board, a member from having the same rights, privileges, responsibilities, and access to closed sessions as the 2nd, 3rd, 7th, or 8th member, or from holding positions on committees of the board, and participating in board or committee deliberations, as described above. The bill would authorize the alternate 7th member to participate in the deliberations of the board on any of its committees to which the alternate 7th member has been appointed regardless of whether the 2nd, 3rd, 7th, or 8th member is present. The bill would require the board to cause an election to be held at the earliest possible date to fill a vacancy for the duration of the current term, except as specified, if there is a vacancy in the 2nd, 3rd, 7th, 8th, or alternate 7th member position. It would limit candidacy for the 7th member and alternate member positions, as specified. The bill would require the board of supervisors to forgo an election in specified circumstances when there is only one candidate. The bill would also make various changes in terminology and delete obsolete references. (2) Existing law prescribes the manner of appointing an alternate retired member to the office of the 8th member of the board of retirement. If there is a vacancy with respect to the 8th member, existing law requires that the alternate retired member fill the vacancy until a successor qualifies. Existing law authorizes the alternate retired member to hold positions on committees of the board independent of the 8th member and to participate in the deliberations of the board or its committees regardless of whether the 8th member is present, unless prohibited by resolution or regulation of the board. This bill would instead require the alternate retired member to fill the vacancy with respect to the 8th member for the remainder of the 8th member's term of office. The bill would also require the board of retirement to, by majority vote, appoint a replacement alternate member, in the same manner as prescribed for the initial appointment of an alternate retired member, who shall serve until the expiration of the current term of the current member. The alternate retired member would have the same rights, privileges, responsibilities, and access to closed sessions as the 8th member, except as specified. The bill would also delete the authority of the board to prohibit the alternate retired member from holding positions on committees of the board or participating in the deliberations of the board or any of its committees to which the alternate retired member has been appointed, as described above. The bill would also make changes in terminology. (3) Existing law permits the board of supervisors in a county in which the assets of the retirement system exceed $800,000,000 to establish a board of investments, to consist of 9 members of specified classifications, which is responsible for the investments of the retirement system. Existing law prescribes the terms for the members of the board of investments. This bill would prescribe a process for filling vacancies in specified positions on a board of investments, as described above. The bill would require the board to cause an election to be held at the earliest possible date to fill those vacancies, except as specified, with a replacement member to serve for the duration of the current term, unless the remaining portion is 6 months or less, in which case a single election would be authorized to be held to fill the position for the vacant term position and the succeeding term. The bill would require the board of supervisors to forgo an election in specified circumstances when there is only one candidate. The bill would also delete obsolete references and establish the initial term of a person appointed as a 9th member.