In accordance with State Personnel Board rules, the following shall apply when an appointing power terminates a career executive assignment:

(a) An employee who at the time of his or her appointment to a career executive assignment was employed by the state and had permanent civil service status shall, if he or she so desires, be reinstated to a civil service position that is (1) not a career executive assignment and (2) that is at least at the same salary level as the last position that he or she held as a permanent or probationary employee. If the employee had completed a minimum of five years of state service, he or she may return to a position that is (1) at substantially the same salary level as the last position in which he or she had permanent or probationary status or (2) at a salary level that is at least two steps lower than that of the career executive position from which the employee is being terminated.

(b) Article 5 (commencing with Section 19140) of Chapter 5 of Part 2 shall apply to an employee who at the time of his or her appointment to a career executive assignment was not employed by the state but who had previously worked for the state and gained permanent civil service status.

(c) (1) An employee who at the time of his or her appointment to a career executive assignment was from outside civil service shall have the right to request a deferred examination for any open eligible list that his or her appointing power or the department has in existence at the time of the termination of the career executive assignment and for which he or she meets the minimum qualifications of the class to which he or she seeks appointment. Whether the employee takes a deferred examination or other open civil service examination, for purposes of evaluating whether he or she meets the minimum qualifications of the class to which he or she seeks appointment, related experience gained in a career executive assignment shall be considered as state civil service experience in a comparable class.

(2) A request for a deferred examination pursuant to paragraph (1) shall not be made later than 10 days after the effective date of the termination of the career executive assignment. The department or its designee shall administer the deferred examination within 30 days of the date of the request.

(Added by Stats. 2015, Ch. 322, Sec. 20. (SB 99) Effective September 22, 2015.)