County employees' retirement: personnel: Orange County.

The County Employees Retirement Law of 1937 (CERL) authorizes counties to establish retirement systems pursuant to its provisions in order to provide pension benefits to their employees. CERL authorizes the board of retirement and both the board of retirement and the board of investment to appoint administrative, technical, and clerical staff as required to accomplish the necessary work of the board. Under CERL, these appointments are generally required to be made from eligible lists created in accordance with the civil service system or merit system rules of the county. CERL, however, authorizes the retirement boards of specified counties to appoint assistant administrators and chief investment officers who, following appointment, are outside county charter, civil service, and merit system rules, except as specified. CERL provides that these administrators and officers are employees of the county, as specified, while serving at the pleasure of the appointing boards, and that they may be dismissed without cause. Existing law also applies these provisions to any county if the board of supervisors for that county, by resolution adopted by majority vote, makes those provisions applicable in the county. This bill would authorize the board of retirement for Orange County to appoint an administrator, assistant administrators, a chief investment officer, subordinate investment officers, senior management employees, legal counsel, and other specified employees. The bill would provide that the personnel appointed pursuant to these provisions would not be county employees subject to county civil service and merit system rules, and instead would be employees of the retirement system. The bill would provide that the compensation of personnel appointed pursuant to these provisions is an expense of administration of the retirement system. The bill would authorize the board of retirement and board of supervisors to enter into agreements as necessary and appropriate to carry out these provisions and would make related, conforming changes.