The Director of Developmental Services may be appointed as either guardian or conservator of the person and estate, or person or estate, of any developmentally disabled person, who is either of the following:

Any reference in this article to the Director of Health shall be deemed a reference to the Director of Developmental Services.

Unless exceptions are expressly made in this article, the provisions of Division 4 (commencing with Section 1400) of the Probate Code shall apply to guardianship and conservatorship appointments made under this article.

No appointment of both the Director of Developmental Services and a private guardian or conservator shall be made for the same person and estate, or person or estate. The Director of Developmental Services may be appointed as provided in this article to succeed an existing guardian or conservator upon the death, resignation or removal of such guardian or conservator.

No costs or fees shall be charged or received by the county clerk for the filing of any conservatorship or guardianship petition as provided in this article, or for any official services performed by him in the course of the proceeding under this article.

The Director of Developmental Services shall file an official bond in no event less than twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000), which bond shall inure to the joint benefit of the several guardianship or conservatorship estates and the State of California, and the Director of Developmental Services shall not be required to file bonds in individual cases.

The appointment by the court of the Director of Developmental Services as conservator or guardian shall be by the title of his office. The authority of the Director of Developmental Services as conservator or guardian shall cease upon the termination of his term of office as such Director of Developmental Services and his authority shall vest in his successor or successors in office without further court proceedings. The Director of Developmental Services shall not resign as conservator or guardian unless his resignation is approved by the court.

The Director of Developmental Services shall:

The Director of Developmental Services, when acting as adviser, may provide advice and guidance to the developmentally disabled person without prior appointment by a court. The provision for such services shall not be dependent upon a finding of incompetency, nor shall it abrogate any civil right otherwise possessed by the developmentally disabled person.

The Director of Developmental Services shall have the same powers and duties as those established for guardians and conservators in Division 4 (commencing with Section 1400) of the Probate Code and shall succeed the State Director of Health as guardian or conservator of developmentally disabled individuals for whom the State Director of Health was appointed guardian or conservator.

It is the intent of this article that the director, when acting as guardian or conservator of the person of a developmentally disabled person, shall maintain close contact with the developmentally disabled person no matter where the person is living in this state; shall act as a wise parent would act in caring for the parent’s developmentally disabled child; shall permit and encourage maximum self-reliance on the part of the developmentally disabled person under their protection; and shall work with regional centers and the person, to the greatest extent possible, to develop and implement less restrictive alternatives to conservatorship.

The director shall provide for at least an annual review in writing of the physical, mental, and social condition of each developmentally disabled person for whom he has been appointed conservator or guardian, or for whom he is otherwise acting in his official capacity under this article. These records shall be confidential but may be made available to persons approved by the director or the court.

director or their designee if they are dissatisfied with a regional center’s performance in carrying out its responsibilities under this section.

The director shall receive such reasonable fees for his services as guardian or conservator of the estate as the court allows and such fees shall be paid into the General Fund of the State Treasury.

This article does not authorize the care, treatment, or supervision or any control over any developmentally disabled person without the written consent of his parent or guardian or conservator.