(a) Each county shall develop a program that gives a preference to qualified applicants who are members of a disadvantaged group for the hiring of internship and student positions. The county shall determine the criteria for county agencies to participate in the program in accordance with this section.

(b) Any application for an internship or student assistant position with a county agency participating in the hiring preference program shall allow the applicant to identify that the applicant is eligible for a preference under this section, but the application shall not require the applicant to identify the specific category that entitles him or her for eligibility.

(c) The preferred selection process shall include an assessment of the applicant’s ability to perform the duties of the desired position.

(d) For the purpose of this section, the following terms apply:

(1) “Disadvantaged groups” includes, but is not limited to, foster youth, homeless youth, formerly homeless youth, and formerly incarcerated youth.

(2) “Foster youth” means any individual who meets, or has ever met, either of the following criteria:

(A) A child who was the subject of a petition filed pursuant to Section 300 of the Welfare and Institutions Code and was removed from his or her home by the juvenile court pursuant to Section 319 or 361 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(B) A child who was the subject of a petition filed pursuant to Section 602 of the Welfare and Institutions Code and was removed from his or her home by the juvenile court pursuant to Section 727 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(3) “Homeless youth” means an applicant up to 26 years of age who has been verified as a homeless child or youth, as defined in subsection (2) of Section 725 of the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 11434a(2)), by a homeless services provider, as defined in paragraph (3) of subdivision (d) of Section 103577 of the Health and Safety Code.

(4) “Formerly homeless youth” means an individual up to 26 years of age who was previously a homeless youth.

(5) “Formerly incarcerated youth” means an individual who has been sentenced to be incarcerated in, or in the custody of, the Division of Adult Operations in the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Division of Juvenile Justice in the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, or county jail and released from that incarceration or custody before the individual attained 21 years of age.

(6) “Preference” means priority over similarly qualified applicants for placement in the position.

(e) Nothing in this section creates a right to, or hiring preference for, a permanent civil service position.

(f) This section shall not apply to a charter county.

(Added by Stats. 2018, Ch. 878, Sec. 1. (AB 2830) Effective January 1, 2019.)