(a) Based upon the criteria established by the county selection committee, the county commission shall be established by industry referenda within the county conducted in accordance with subdivision (d) and Section 13995.104, and shall include certain ex officio voting members provided for in subdivision (d).

(b) The county commission shall be a private, nonprofit corporation under the direction of a board of county commissioners. The activities and purposes of the county commission shall be to promote tourism to and within the County of Los Angeles through marketing and other promotional efforts.

(c) The board of county commissioners shall function as the board of directors for purposes of the Nonprofit Corporation Law (Division 2 (commencing with Section 5000) of Title 1 of the Corporations Code).

(d) The board of county commissioners shall consist of 24 members to be elected by industry category by referendum, from among individuals who are professionally active in the tourism industry, representing diverse elements of the industry. In addition, the board of county commissioners shall include the salaried chief executive officer of each convention and visitors bureau within Los Angeles County that operates either as a part of municipal government or under contract with any municipality within the county. The elected county commissioners need not be limited to representatives of assessed businesses.

(e) In the referendum process, regardless of the number of ballots received for a referendum, the nominee for each county commissioner slot with the most weighted votes, based upon assessment levels, from businesses within that industry category shall be elected county commissioner. Assessed businesses shall vote only for county commissioners representing their industry category.

(f) All elected county commissioners shall serve three-year terms, except that one-third of the county commissioners originally elected shall serve a one-year term, one-third shall serve a two-year term, and the remainder shall serve a three-year term. Every year thereafter, one-third of the county commissioners shall be elected by industry referendum. No county commissioner may serve for more than two consecutive terms.

(g) In the event that a county commissioner resigns, dies, or is removed from office during his or her term, the county commission shall appoint a replacement from the same industry category that the previous county commissioner represented, and that county commissioner shall fill the remaining term of the previous county commissioner.

(h) The county selection committee shall determine the initial slate of candidates for elected county commissioners. Thereafter, the county commissioners, by adopted resolution, shall nominate a slate of candidates, and shall include any additional candidates who may be placed on the referendum by assessed businesses under a procedure to be adopted by the county commission.

(i) The county commissioners shall annually, within 60 days before commencement of the fiscal year of the county commission, elect from among the county commissioners a chair, vice-chair, secretary, and chief financial officer.

(j) No person shall receive compensation as a county commissioner, but each county commissioner shall receive reimbursement from county assessments for reasonable expenses incurred while on authorized county commission business.

(Added by Stats. 2003, Ch. 229, Sec. 1.5. Effective January 1, 2004.)