2023 California Code › Government Code - GOV › TITLE 3 - GOVERNMENT OF COUNTIES › DIVISION 4 - EMPLOYEES › PART 3 - RETIREMENT SYSTEMS › CHAPTER 3 - County Employees Retirement Law of 197 › ARTICLE 1 - General › Section 31484.5.

31484.5. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, whenever the governing body of a county or district has made a particular provision or provisions of this chapter providing for increased benefits applicable to such county or district through the adoption of an ordinance or resolution, such governing body may, at any time thereafter, adopt another ordinance or resolution terminating the applicability of such provision or provisions as to current employees of the county or district who elect by written notice filed with the board to have the applicability of such provision or provisions terminated as to them. This section is intended only to authorize the termination of those benefits which the governing body of a county or district elected to increase over the basic benefits or to make applicable in addition to the basic benefits pursuant to the provisions of this chapter. Nothing herein shall be construed as authorizing the governing body of a county or district to terminate the basic benefits required under the provisions of this chapter.
The governing board of a county or district, prior to adopting an ordinance or resolution allowing the termination of the applicability of any increased benefit provisions, shall provide written explanation of the effect and impact of such termination for each member requesting termination of the applicability of any such provisions.
The governing board shall require members requesting termination of the applicability of any provisions to sign an affidavit stating that such member has been fully informed regarding the effect of such termination, and understands that such termination of a provision or provisions is irrevocable. Such affidavit shall also state that the employee has chosen termination of the provision or provisions of the employee’s own free will and was not coerced into termination of any provision by the employer or any other person.
The governing body shall, in the ordinance or resolution granting current employees the option of electing to have the applicability of such provision or provisions terminated, specify the provision or provisions which shall be applicable to current employees making the election. Employees who elect to have such provision or provisions terminated, shall have their retirement allowance for service rendered after the effective date of election calculated on the basis of the provision made applicable by the governing body.
Except as otherwise provided herein, the retirement allowance for service rendered prior to the effective date of the election shall be calculated on the basis of the provision or provisions applicable during that period of service. Any employee who has made such an election shall not be eligible for retirement unless the employee meets the minimum requirements of the provision or provisions applicable at the date of retirement. Any employee who has made an election whereby the definition of “final compensation” in Section 31462.1 no longer applies, shall have the definition of “final compensation” in Section 31462 applied at the date of retirement regardless of previous service under the provisions of Section 31462.1. Any employee who has made an election whereby a cost-of-living adjustment provision of Article 16.5 (commencing with Section 31870) no longer applies shall have the cost-of-living adjustment provision, if any, specified by the governing body applied to all previous service at the date of retirement regardless of previous service under such other provision of Article 16.5. Any employee making such election shall be refunded all moneys contributed by that employee for those benefits, and such employee shall be deemed to thereby have waived and relinquished any right to such automatic cost-of-living benefits.
A current employee who has elected to have the applicability of such provision or provisions terminated may not rescind such an election unless the governing body of the county or district again makes the particular provision or provisions applicable to the county or district through the adoption of a subsequent ordinance or resolution. Any such election made by a current employee shall be binding upon the employee’s spouse and all others claiming benefits under such employee’s entitlement.
This section shall only be applicable to a county of the 10th class as described by Section 28031.
(Added by Stats. 1980, Ch. 442.)