2005 California Government Code Sections 24300-24308 CHAPTER 7. CONSOLIDATION OF OFFICES

24300.  By ordinance the board of supervisors may consolidate the
duties of certain of the county offices in one or more of these
combinations:
   (a) Sheriff and tax collector.
   (b) Auditor and recorder.
   (c) County clerk, auditor, and recorder.
   (d) County clerk and public administrator.
   (e) County clerk and recorder.
   (f) County clerk and auditor.
   (g) Treasurer and tax collector.
   (h) Treasurer and recorder.
   (i) Treasurer and assessor.
   (j) Treasurer and public administrator.
   (k) Public administrator and coroner.
   (l) District attorney and public administrator.
   (m) District attorney and coroner.
   (n) Sheriff and coroner.
   (o) Sheriff and public administrator.
   (p) County agricultural commissioner and county sealer of weights
and measures.
   (q) Road commissioner and surveyor. A county may create an office
entitled public works director, combining the duties of road
commissioner and surveyor and any other compatible duties not legally
required to be performed by another county officer.
   (r) County surveyor and director of transportation.
   By the ordinance that consolidates the duties of the appointive
county offices described in subdivision (p), notwithstanding Section
2122 and Sections 2181 to 2187, inclusive, of the Food and
Agricultural Code, and Sections 12200 and 12214 of the Business and
Professions Code, the board of supervisors may provide that the first
term only of the newly consolidated office expires when the first of
the remaining unexpired terms of the two unconsolidated offices
would have expired. Where a vacancy in either of the unconsolidated
offices exists the term of office of the newly consolidated office
shall be the longer of the remaining unexpired terms.
24300.5.  In addition to the duties of the county offices which may
be consolidated under the provisions of Section 24300, the board of
supervisors may by ordinance consolidate the offices of auditor,
controller, treasurer, tax collector, and director of finance.
24301.  If the duties of officers are consolidated pursuant to this
chapter, the board of supervisors, by ordinance, may elect to
separate the duties so consolidated, and reconsolidate them in any
other manner permitted by this chapter or separate the duties without
reconsolidation, and provide that the duties of each office shall be
performed by a separate person, if it deems the change to be in the
public interest.
24302.  When the duties of offices are united and consolidated, the
person elected to fill the united and consolidated offices shall take
the oath and give the bond required for each, discharge all the
duties pertaining to each, and receive the compensation of the
offices the duties of which are consolidated.
24303.  When there is an omission by the board of supervisors to
consolidate the duties of offices as authorized in this chapter and
to advertise the ordinance of consolidation, each office not so
consolidated shall be filled in the manner provided by law.
24304.  Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 24300, in counties
of the 13th to 58th classes, inclusive, the board of supervisors by
ordinance may consolidate the duties of certain of the county offices
in one or more of these combinations:
   (a) Sheriff and tax collector.
   (b) Auditor and recorder.
   (c) County clerk, auditor, and recorder.
   (d) County clerk and public administrator.
   (e) County clerk and recorder.
   (f) County clerk and auditor.
   (g) Treasurer and tax collector.
   (h) Treasurer and recorder.
   (i) Treasurer and assessor.
   (j) Treasurer and public administrator.
   (k) Public administrator and coroner.
   (l) District attorney and public administrator.
   (m) District attorney and coroner.
   (n) Sheriff and coroner.
   (o) Sheriff and public administrator.
   (p) County agricultural commissioner and county sealer of weights
and measures.
   (q) County clerk and tax collector.
   (r) Treasurer, tax collector, and recorder.
   (s) Sheriff, tax collector, and coroner.
   (t) Coroner and health officer.
   (u) Road commissioner and surveyor.  A county may create an office
entitled public works director, combining the duties of road
commissioner and surveyor and any other compatible duties not legally
required to be performed by another county officer.
   (v) Sheriff, coroner, and public administrator.
   (w) Treasurer, tax collector, and public administrator.
   (x) County clerk, assessor, and recorder.
   (y) Assessor and recorder.
   (z) Tax collector/county clerk and treasurer.
24304.1.  Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 24300, in
counties of the 11th class, the board of supervisors by ordinance may
consolidate the duties of certain of the county offices, in one or
both of these combinations:
   (a) County clerk, assessor, and recorder.
   (b) Sheriff, coroner, and public administrator.
24304.2.  Notwithstanding Section 24300, in Sonoma County and Tulare
County, the board of supervisors, by ordinance, may consolidate the
duties of the offices of Auditor-Controller and Treasurer-Tax
Collector into the elected office of Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax
Collector.
24305.  When the duties of officers are consolidated pursuant to
this chapter, the board of supervisors, by ordinance, may elect to
consolidate the budgets of the offices the duties of which are
consolidated.
24306.  If the board of supervisors in counties having a population
of 4,000,000 or more persons, consolidates two or more offices
pursuant to statute or charter, the occupant of the consolidated
office need not possess any of the qualifications required of the
occupant of any of the separate offices which are consolidated if:
   (a) No qualification applies to all of the offices consolidated;
and
   (b) The board finds that sufficient personnel possessing the
qualifications required are employed in the consolidated office to
assure that decisions made by the occupant of the office are based
upon competent professional advice.
   This section does not permit the occupant of such consolidated
office to practice any profession or trade for the practice of which
a license, permit or registration is required without such license,
permit, or registration.
24306.5.  In any county with a population of over 1,350,000 and not
over 1,420,000 as determined by the 1970 federal decennial census,
the board of supervisors may consolidate pursuant to ordinance or
charter two or more offices, including the office of health officer,
in order to integrate the delivery of health-related services within
the county.  The occupant of the consolidated office need not possess
any of the particular qualifications required of the occupant of any
of the separate offices that are consolidated if:
   (a) No qualification applies to all of the offices consolidated;
and
   (b) The board finds that sufficient personnel possessing the
particular qualifications required are employed in the consolidated
office to assure that decisions made by the occupant of the office
are based upon competent professional advice.  The enforcement duties
described in Sections 101030 and 101040 of the Health and Safety
Code shall be discharged by a licensed physician and surgeon with the
title of health officer.  The health officer's enforcement
responsibility is limited to decisions requiring technical medical
judgments.
   This section does not permit the occupant of the consolidated
office to practice any profession or trade for the practice of which
a license, permit or registration is required without the license,
permit, or registration.
24307.  In any county having a population of 4,000,000 or more, the
board of supervisors may designate any county officer as responsible
for all or any of the functions of acquiring, constructing, leasing,
managing and maintaining public buildings and facilities, which may
be consolidated into a single department or other organizational
unit.
   Such responsible county officer shall not be required to have any
special permit, registration, or license, provided that if such
functions include the practice of any profession or trade for which a
license, permit or registration is required, then the individual
directly involved in such practice shall possess or act only under
the supervision of someone who possesses the appropriate license,
permit, or registration.
   Where such responsibility is designated as described in this
section, civil engineering work done for the county in the
performance of such functions shall be accomplished under the
authority of the responsible officer acting through a registered
civil engineer.  Responsibility for other civil engineering work
shall remain with those officers currently designated.
24308.  (a) Notwithstanding Sections 24300 and 24304, the board of
supervisors of any county may organize, pursuant to ordinance or
charter, the delivery of any services for which county government is
responsible under state law, into departments or agencies that
provide multiple services, except those duties and responsibilities
of other elected county officials mandated by the California
Constitution or by statute.  Any county board of supervisors that
elects to organize the delivery of services may consolidate,
integrate, or separate duties and functions of county offices and
organizational units within departments, to the extent deemed
necessary by the board of supervisors.
   (b) All personnel, including the heads of units within departments
organized pursuant to this section and formed from units formerly
within other county departments, shall possess the particular
qualifications required by the statutes governing provision of the
services provided by those departments.  These qualifications include
standards of education and experience to assure competence
appropriate for the direction of the departments or the local
administration of county functions.
   (c) This section shall not permit the occupant of a consolidated,
integrated, or separated office to practice any profession or trade
for the practice of which a license, permit, or registration is
required, without that license, permit, or registration.
   (d) This section shall not be construed to affect any other
statutory or regulatory provision governing county services or
programs, however reorganized or renamed, except for the
organizational requirements specified in this section.  In no case
may a state department or agency reject a county plan required by the
Health and Safety Code or the Welfare and Institutions Code or
regulations enacted pursuant to either of those codes or impose
sanctions for any program or service due to the organization or
reorganization of county departments as authorized under this section
or Division 5 (commencing with Section 33200).  Prior to taking
action to reject a county plan or impose sanctions, the department or
agency shall inform the county board of supervisors in writing of
the deficiency.