Article 15. Conversion Of Proceeding of California Government Code >> Division 3. >> Title 2. >> Part 1. >> Chapter 4.5. >> Article 15.

(a) Subject to any applicable regulation adopted under Section 11470.50, at any point in an agency proceeding the presiding officer or other agency official responsible for the proceeding:
  (1) May convert the proceeding to another type of agency proceeding provided for by statute if the conversion is appropriate, is in the public interest, and does not substantially prejudice the rights of a party.
  (2) Shall convert the proceeding to another type of agency proceeding provided for by statute, if required by regulation or statute.
  (b) A proceeding of one type may be converted to a proceeding of another type only on notice to all parties to the original proceeding.

If the presiding officer or other agency official responsible for the original proceeding would not have authority over the new proceeding to which it is to be converted, the agency head shall appoint a successor to preside over or be responsible for the new proceeding.

To the extent practicable and consistent with the rights of parties and the requirements of this article relating to the new proceeding, the record of the original agency proceeding shall be used in the new agency proceeding.

After a proceeding is converted from one type to another, the presiding officer or other agency official responsible for the new proceeding shall do all of the following:
  (a) Give additional notice to parties or other persons necessary to satisfy the statutory requirements relating to the new proceeding.
  (b) Dispose of the matters involved without further proceedings if sufficient proceedings have already been held to satisfy the statutory requirements relating to the new proceeding.
  (c) Conduct or cause to be conducted any additional proceedings necessary to satisfy the statutory requirements relating to the new proceeding, and allow the parties a reasonable time to prepare for the new proceeding.

An agency may adopt regulations to govern the conversion of one type of proceeding to another. The regulations may include an enumeration of the factors to be considered in determining whether and under what circumstances one type of proceeding will be converted to another.