This part may be cited as the County Civil Service Enabling Law.

This part does not limit any powers conferred on any county by charter or any powers conferred on boards of supervisors of counties by subdivision (b) of Section 1 or Section 4 of Article XI of the California Constitution.

It is the intent of this part to enable any county to adopt such a limited civil service system as is adaptable to its size and type.

The board of supervisors of any county may contract with any other county or city, any state department, or any competent person or agency for the conducting of competitive examinations to ascertain the fitness of applicants for employment and for the performance of any other service in connection with personnel selection and administration.

Any county may by ordinance adopt a limited civil service system for any or all county officers and employees, except elective officers.

The ordinance adopting a civil service system shall not go into effect until the proposition of its approval has been submitted to a vote of the qualified electors of the county at a general or special election and has received the affirmative vote of a majority of the electors voting on the proposition. The proposition of approval shall call for a “yes” or “no” vote and shall read in substance as follows:

“Shall the resolution of the board of supervisors adopting a limited civil service system under the county civil service enabling law be approved?”

Any ordinance adopting a civil service system which was, prior to the effective date of this section, submitted to a vote of the qualified electors of the county at a general or special election and received the affirmative vote of a majority of the electors voting on the proposition for the approval of the ordinance, and all ordinances amending such ordinance, are hereby validated and confirmed and shall have the full legal effect of ordinances adopted by the board of supervisors and approved by the electors in the manner required by law and complying in every respect with laws relating to the adoption and approval of such ordinances, notwithstanding any defect, irregularity, omission or ministerial error in the adoption or approval thereof.

The ordinance creating the civil service system shall designate the appointive officers and employees to be placed in the system.

The minimum qualifications or standards prescribed for any class or grade of employment shall not be less than those prescribed for the class or grade of county officers and employees by the Legislature.

Upon the adoption of the civil service system, the board of supervisors shall appoint a civil service commission to assist in administering the system.

A county by ordinance may provide that the members of the civil service commission may be paid compensation for their attendance at each meeting of the commission in an amount to be fixed by the ordinance. In addition, the ordinance may provide that the members of the commission may also receive reasonable traveling expenses from their place of residence to the place of meeting of the commission and return. No payment of traveling expenses shall be made pursuant to this section for meetings of the commission held outside of the county.

A county may by ordinance provide that its civil service commission or equivalent body shall have the power to issue subpoenas and subpoenas duces tecum, and compensate persons subpoenaed. This power shall be exercised and enforced in the same manner as a similar power granted the board of supervisors in Article 9 (commencing with Section 25170) of Chapter 1 of Part 2 of Division 2 of this title is exercised and enforced; except that such power shall extend only to matters within the commission’s lawful jurisdiction, and that committees of the commission shall not have this power, and that reasonable fees or expenses or both may be provided for by commission regulation for any or all such witnesses regardless of which party subpoenaed them.

Subpoenas shall be signed by the chairman or secretary of the commission. Any member of the commission, or any person otherwise so empowered, may administer oaths to, or take affirmations from, witnesses before the commission.

The civil service commission shall consist of five members or, if so resolved by the board of supervisors, seven members, each of whom shall hold office for a term of four years and until his successor is appointed and qualified. The members shall be selected from among the qualified electors of the county. Vacancies occurring in the commission shall be filled by appointment by the board of supervisors for the remainder of the unexpired term only. The civil service commission may be designated as a merit board.

The terms of office of two members of the first civil service commission shall be one year. The terms of office of the other members of the first commission shall be two, three, and four years, respectively. If the commission is composed of seven members, the terms of office of all members of the first seven-member commission shall be fixed by lot at one year for two members, two years for two members, three years for two members, and four years for one member. The members shall determine by lot the relative order of the expiration of their terms.

The commission shall perform the duties and exercise the powers provided for in this part, and such additional powers and duties in relation thereto as the board of supervisors delegates to it.

Any person who:

1. Wilfully by himself or in cooperation with another person defeats, deceives, or obstructs any person with respect to his right of examination, application, or certification for employment under any county civil service system; or

2. Wilfully and falsely marks, grades, estimates, or reports upon the examination or proper standing of any person examined or certified under any county civil service system, or who aids in so doing, or makes any false representation concerning the same or the person examined; or

3. Wilfully furnishes to any person any special or secret information for the purpose of either improving or injuring the prospects or chances of any person examined, certified or to be examined or certified under any county civil service system, is guilty of a misdemeanor.

Any person who:

1. Impersonates another person or permits or aids in any manner any other person to impersonate him in connection with any examination, application, or request to be examined under any county civil service system; or

2. Furnishes or obtains examination questions or other examination material prepared and intended for use in any examination under any county civil service system before such examination; or

3. Uses any unfair means to cause or attempt to cause any eligible to waive any rights obtained under the civil service system of any county, is guilty of a misdemeanor.

Any county employee, or person whose name appears on any county employment list, who uses during duty hours, for training or target practice, any material which is not authorized therefor by the appointing power, shall be disciplined pursuant to the county civil service system.

For the purpose of facilitating the recruitment of professional and technically trained persons to fill positions for which there is a shortage of qualified applicants, a county may expend county funds to pay reasonable travel expenses of applicants for county employment in traveling, from any point within the continental United States, to and from the place or places at which the applicants are to be examined or interviewed. Such payments shall be authorized only upon a determination by the board of supervisors that the expenditure is necessary to recruit qualified persons needed by the county.

Any person who previously had permanent status in a civil service system of any county and who vacated his position to accept appointment to an elective position shall be reinstated to his former position in the same county if he so desires at the termination of such appointment, or term of office if his acceptance of such appointment was without a break in continuity of service and if such person does not run for election to succeed himself following his period of appointment.