Article 2. Investigations And Hearings of California Government Code >> Division 5. >> Title 2. >> Part 2. >> Chapter 2. >> Article 2.

The board may hold hearings and make investigations concerning all matters relating to the enforcement and effect of this part and rules prescribed under this part. It may inspect any state institution, office, or other place of employment affected by this part to ascertain whether this part and the board rules are obeyed. The board shall make investigations and hold hearings at the direction of the Governor or the Legislature or upon the petition of an employee or a citizen concerning the enforcement and effect of this part and to enforce the observance of Article VII of the Constitution and of this part and the rules made under this part.

Such hearings and investigations may be conducted by the board, any member, or any authorized representative of the board. Any authorized person conducting such hearing or investigation may administer oaths, subpoena and require the attendance of witnesses and the production of books or papers, and cause the depositions of witnesses residing within or without the state to be taken in the manner prescribed by law for like depositions in civil cases in the superior court of this state under Title 4 (commencing with Section 2016.010) of Part 4 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

(a) If a hearing or investigation is conducted by the board or its authorized representative in regard to an appeal by an employee, the hearing or investigation shall be commenced within a reasonable time after the filing of the appeal. For appeals from actions resulting in the termination of an employee, if an evidentiary hearing has not commenced within six months of the filing of the appeal, the employee may make a written request for a priority hearing by the board. Upon receipt of the written request, the board shall schedule an evidentiary hearing within 60 days of the request at a hearing location designated by the board.
  (b) The board shall render its decision within a reasonable time after the conclusion of the hearing or investigation, except that the period from the filing of the appeal to the decision of the board shall not exceed six months.
  (c) The provisions described in subdivision (b) relating to the six-month period for a decision may be waived by the employee but if not so waived, a failure to render a timely decision is an exhaustion of all available administrative remedies.
  (d) The board may order all of, or a portion of, any hearing to be conducted using electronic media pursuant to board rules.

(a) The board shall determine the total cost to the state of maintaining and operating the hearing office of the board, in advance or upon any other basis as it may determine, utilizing information from the state agencies for which services are provided by the hearing office.
  (b) The board shall be reimbursed for the entire cost of hearings conducted by the hearing office pursuant to statutes administered by the board, or by interagency agreement. The board may bill the appropriate state agencies for the costs incurred in conducting hearings involving employees of those state agencies, and employees of the California State University pursuant to Sections 89535 to 89542, inclusive, of the Education Code, and may bill the state departments having responsibility for the overall administration of grant-in-aid programs for the costs incurred in conducting hearings involving employees not administering their own merit systems pursuant to Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 19800) of Part 2.5. All costs collected by the board pursuant to this section shall be used only for purposes of maintaining and operating the hearing office of the board.
  (c) Pursuant to Section 11255, the Controller shall transfer to the board, pursuant to Section 18675, any moneys owed to the board by any state agency or department for charges determined by the board as specified in subdivisions (a) and (b).

(a) Subpoenas and subpoenas duces tecum may be issued for attendance at a hearing and for production of documents at any reasonable time and place. However, a subpoena shall not be issued to compel attendance of any witness who does not reside within 100 miles of the place where the hearing or investigation is held unless it is shown to the satisfaction of a member of the board, the executive officer, or the person authorized to conduct the investigation or hearing, by affidavit stating the facts, that the witness is a material witness. That statewide subpoena shall be served at least five days prior to the date of hearing.
  (b) Subpoenas and subpoenas duces tecum shall be issued by the board or its authorized representative at the request of a party.
  (c) The process extends to all parts of the state and shall be served in accordance with Sections 1987 and 1988 of the Code of Civil Procedure and the service provisions of subdivisions (a) and (b) of Section 68097.1 of the Government Code. A subpoena or subpoena duces tecum may also be delivered by certified mail return receipt requested or by messenger. Service by messenger shall be effected when the witness acknowledges receipt of the subpoena to the sender, by telephone, by mail, or in person, and identifies himself or herself either by reference to date of birth and driver's license number or Department of Motor Vehicles identification number, or the sender may verify receipt of the subpoena by obtaining other identifying information from the recipient. The sender shall make a written notation of the acknowledgment. A subpoena issued and acknowledged pursuant to this section has the same force and effect as a subpoena personally served. Failure to comply with a subpoena issued and acknowledged pursuant to this section may be punished as a contempt and the subpoena may so state.
  (d) No witness is obliged to attend unless the witness is a resident of the state at the time of service.
  (e) The custodian of documents that are the subject of a subpoena duces tecum may satisfy the subpoena by delivery of the documents or a copy of the documents, or by making the documents available for inspection or copying, together with an affidavit in compliance with Section 1561 of the Evidence Code.

(a) A person served with a subpoena or a subpoena duces tecum may object to its terms by a motion for a protective order, including a motion to quash made orally to the board or its authorized representative or in writing.
  (b) The objection shall be resolved by the board or its authorized representative on terms and conditions that he or she declares. The board or its authorized representative may make any other order that is appropriate to protect the parties or the witness from unreasonable or oppressive demands, including violations of the right to privacy.

If a witness does not reside within 100 miles of the place where the hearing or investigation is held, is out of the state or is too infirm to attend the hearing or investigation, any party thereto at his or her own expense may cause his or her deposition to be taken. If a "statewide" subpoena has been issued and served on a witness, his or her deposition shall not be used as evidence, but he or she shall be personally present at any hearing or investigation at which he or she is a witness. If the presence of any other witness cannot be procured at the time of the hearing or investigation, the deposition of that witness may be used in evidence by either party or the board.

Witnesses at a hearing or investigation are entitled to the same fees as are allowed witnesses in civil cases in courts of record. An officer serving a subpoena to secure the attendance of those witnesses shall receive the same mileage as for the service by him or her of a writ or paper for the state. The fees and mileage, except in dismissal or other punitive proceedings where the service is requested by the accused, need not be prepaid. If a witness is subpoenaed by a state agency or its representative, the Controller shall draw his or her warrant for payment of fees and mileage when the amount is duly proved by affidavit or otherwise to the satisfaction of the Controller. The Controller may charge such warrant against any proper fund of that state agency. If a witness is subpoenaed by the accused or any person other than a state agency, his or her fees and mileage shall be paid by that person and are not proper charges against any state fund.

(a) All hearings and investigations authorized by this part shall be governed by this part and by rules of practice and procedure adopted by the board. In the conduct of any hearing or investigation any informality in any proceeding or in the manner of taking testimony shall not invalidate any order, decision, or rule made, approved, or confirmed by the board.
  (b) During the investigation or hearing of a complaint of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation of a state employee, the board hearing officer, the departmental hearing officer, the board investigator, or the departmental investigator shall give due consideration to current laws and decisions applicable to the state civil service in arriving at a recommended decision. The recommended decisions of the hearing officer and the board shall include references to those laws and decisions applied.

When ordered to do so, a witness shall not be excused from testifying or from producing any documentary evidence in that investigation or hearing upon the ground that the testimony or documentary evidence required of the witness may tend to incriminate or subject the witness to penalty or forfeiture, provided the witness has been granted use and derivative use, or transactional immunity by the appropriate law enforcement authority.

A person who claims and is granted immunity prior to testimony or the production of books or papers, shall not be prosecuted, punished, or subjected to any penalty or forfeiture for or on account of any act, transaction, matter, or thing concerning which he or she shall, under oath, have testified or produced documentary evidence in any such hearing or investigation, except for perjury committed in so testifying.

Any person served with a subpena to appear and testify or to produce books or papers issued in the course of any such investigation or hearing who disobeys or neglects to obey such subpena is guilty of a misdemeanor.

The board and any person authorized by it to conduct a hearing or investigation is the head of a department within the meaning of Article 2, Chapter 2, Part 1, Division 3, Title 2.

The remedy provided in Sections 11186 to 11188 inclusive is cumulative, and does not impair or interfere with either the power of the board or its authorized representative to conduct the hearing or investigation to enforce the attendance of witnesses and the production of books or papers or the power of any party to seek court enforcement of a subpoena issued by the board or its authorized representative.

Whenever any matter is pending before the board involving a dispute between one or more employees and an appointing power and the parties to such dispute agree upon a settlement or adjustment thereof, the terms of such settlement or adjustment may be submitted to the board, and if approved by the board, the disposition of the matter in accordance with the terms of such adjustment or settlement shall become final and binding upon the parties.

Whenever any employee, department, or other person, actively interested in a matter before the board and in connection with which it is holding a hearing, requests that the board make findings, then the board shall make findings if the request is made at any time prior to the time the board takes the matter under submission.

(a) Whenever any employee, department, or other person actively interested in a matter before the board and for which a hearing will be or has been held, requests that the board prepare a transcript, the board may establish reasonable fees for the preparation, production, and dissemination of that transcript.
  (b) The fee established by the board pursuant to subdivision (a) shall not exceed the prevailing rate or cost for a transcript, but shall in no event exceed the actual cost of preparation, production, and dissemination of a transcript.