Article 6. Probationary Period of California Government Code >> Division 5. >> Title 2. >> Part 2. >> Chapter 5. >> Article 6.

(a) The board shall establish for each class the length of the probationary period. The probationary period that shall be served upon appointment shall be six months unless the board establishes a longer period of not more than one year.
  (b) By rule, the board may:
  (1) Increase the length of individual probationary periods by adding periods of time to any periods of time an employee, while serving as a probationer, is absent from his or her position.
  (2) Require an additional probationary period not to exceed the length of the probationary period of the class in which the probationer was appointed when the probationary employee returns after an extended period of absence and the remainder of the probationary period is insufficient to evaluate his or her current performance.
  (c) Upon written agreement between an appointing power and an employee who alleges that he or she has a disability, as defined in Section 12926, subject to approval of the agreement by the board, the employee's probationary period may be extended for a period, not to exceed six months, to allow the appointing power to provide a reasonable accommodation to the employee and the employee to demonstrate, before the probationary period ends, the ability to perform satisfactorily the essential functions of the position with reasonable accommodation. Nothing in this subdivision may relieve an appointing power from complying with applicable law requiring reasonable accommodation or prohibiting discrimination based on disability, and no employee, as a condition of an agreement to extend the probationary period, may be required to waive or release any rights he or she may have under applicable law requiring reasonable accommodation or prohibiting discrimination based on disability.

The service of a probationary period is required under the following circumstances: (a) when an employee enters or is promoted in the state civil service by permanent appointment from an employment list, (b) upon reinstatement after a break in continuity of service resulting from a permanent separation, or (c) after any other type of appointment situation not specifically excepted from the probationary period requirement by statute or by board rule.

During the probationary period the appointing power shall evaluate the work and efficiency of a probationer in the manner and at such periods as the department rules may require.

(a) Any probationer may be rejected by the appointing power during the probationary period for reasons relating to the probationer's qualifications, the good of the service, or failure to demonstrate merit, efficiency, fitness, and moral responsibility, but he or she shall not be rejected for any cause constituting prohibited discrimination as set forth in Sections 19700 to 19703, inclusive.
  (b) A rejection during probationary period is effected by the service upon the probationer of a written notice of rejection which shall include: (A) an effective date for the rejection that shall not be later than the last day of the probationary period; and (B) a statement of the reasons for the rejection. Service of the notice shall be made prior to the effective date of the rejection, as defined by board rule for service of notices of adverse actions. Notice of rejection shall be served prior to the conclusion of the prescribed probationary period. The probationary period may be extended when necessary to provide the full notice period required by board rule. Within 15 days after the effective date of the rejection, a copy thereof shall be filed with the board.

The board at the written request of a rejected probationer, filed within 15 calendar days of the effective date of rejection, may investigate with or without a hearing the reasons for rejection. After investigation, the board may do any of the following:
  (a) Affirm the action of the appointing power.
  (b) Modify the action of the appointing power.
  (c) Restore the name of the rejected probationer to the employment list for certification to any position within the class; provided, that his or her name shall not be certified to the agency by which he or she was rejected, except with the concurrence of the appointing power of that agency.
  (d) Restore him or her to the position from which he or she was rejected, but this shall be done only if the board determines, after a hearing, that there is no substantial evidence to support the reason or reasons for rejection, or that the rejection was made in fraud or bad faith. At the hearing, the rejected probationer shall have the burden of proof. Subject to rebuttal by the rejected probationer, it shall be presumed that the rejection was free from fraud and bad faith and that the statement of reasons therefor in the notice of rejection is true.

The board, upon the written request of a probationer who has been rejected for medical reasons only, may restore the name of the rejected probationer to the employment list from which his name originally was certified if the list is still in existence and the board determines after medical examination that he meets the required medical standards.

The board, upon the written request of a probationer who has been rejected after appointment from a general re-employment list, shall restore the name of the rejected probationer to the re-employment list from which his name was originally certified. His name shall not again be certified to the agency by which he was rejected except with the consent of the appointing power.

Subject to board rule an appointing power may cancel or withdraw a notice of rejection of a probationer.

If the board restores a rejected probationer to his or her position it shall direct the payment of salary to the employee for such period of time as the rejection was improperly in effect. Salary shall not be authorized or paid for any portion of a period of rejection that the employee was not ready, able, and willing to perform the duties of his or her position, whether such rejection is valid or not. There shall be deducted from any amount approved under this section any compensation the employee earned or might reasonably have earned in private or public employment during the period the rejection was improperly in effect.