Where an endowment care mausoleum or mausoleum-columbarium is operated within an endowment care cemetery and the cemetery corporations or cemetery authorities owning or operating each merge and consolidate into one cemetery authority or corporation, the endowment care funds established by each may be consolidated and merged into one endowment care fund. Such merger shall be accomplished by the execution of a declaration of trust by the successor cemetery authority or corporation, which declaration shall provide:

(a)  That the assets of each endowment care fund shall be merged and consolidated into one endowment care fund which shall be held and administered by the directors of the successor cemetery authority or the trustees appointed by them for the care, maintenance, and embellishment of both cemeteries in accordance with the provisions of this code.

(b)  That the income from such endowment care funds shall be used for the general care, maintenance, and embellishment for the cemetery as a whole, or, if the income from such consolidated fund is to be divided between such mausoleum or mausoleum-columbarium and cemetery, the proportion or manner in which it is to be divided.

(c)  That it accepts and will administer all special care funds for the purpose for which they were established and in accordance with the provisions of this code.

The declaration of trust shall be approved by all of the trustees of each endowment care fund and by the directors of the cemetery authority or corporation appointing such trustees, which approval shall be endorsed upon such declaration of trust. The declaration of trust shall not be effective unless and until approved by the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau.

An executed copy of such declaration of trust so approved shall be filed with the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau and in the office of the cemetery authority or corporation owning or operating such cemetery, where it shall be available for inspection by any owner of property therein.

Upon approval of the declaration of trust by the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau, the assets and liabilities of such endowment care funds shall be deemed merged and consolidated into one endowment care fund, and the trustees of, or appointed by, the cemetery authority or corporation handling such funds shall be immediately vested with the title to all of the assets and subject to all of the liabilities thereof. The trustees of the endowment care funds which have been thus merged or consolidated shall be relieved of any obligations or duties arising subsequent to such merger or consolidation.

(Amended by Stats. 2000, Ch. 568, Sec. 258. Effective January 1, 2001.)