Chapter 3. Deputies of California Government Code >> Division 2. >> Title 3. >> Part 1. >> Chapter 3.

Whenever the official name of any principal officer is used in any law conferring power or imposing duties or liabilities, it includes deputies.

Every county or district officer, except a supervisor or judicial officer, may appoint as many deputies as are necessary for the prompt and faithful discharge of the duties of his office.

(a) An appointee shall not act as deputy until:
  (1) A written appointment by the deputy's principal is filed with the county clerk.
  (2) A copy of the appointment is filed with the county auditor, if the auditor has so requested.
  (3) The deputy has taken the oath of office.
  (b) In its discretion, the board of supervisors of a county may require every appointed deputy of that county who legally changes his or her name, delegated authority, or department, within 10 days from the date of the change, to file a new appointment in the same manner as the original filing. The county may maintain a record of each person so required to file a new oath of office indicating whether or not the person has complied. Any record maintained pursuant to this subdivision is a public record subject to disclosure under the California Public Records Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 6250) of Division 7 of Title 1).
  (c) A revocation of the appointment of any deputy shall be made and filed in the same manner as the appointment.
  (d) Five years after the date of revocation of appointment of a deputy, the written oath of office subscribed to by such deputy may be destroyed and no reproduction thereof need be made or preserved.

A county officer shall not be appointed or act as a deputy of another officer of the same county for compensation, except if his pay is less than one hundred fifty ($150) a month.

If the office of any of the county officers enumerated in Section 24000 of this code is vacant the duties of such office may be temporarily discharged by a chief deputy, assistant or deputy of such officer, as the case may be, next in authority to such county officer in office at the time the vacancy occurs, with like authority and subject to the same obligations and penalties as such county officer, until the vacancy in the office is filled in the manner provided by law; provided that if the vacancy occurs in the office of sheriff, the duties of such office shall be discharged by the undersheriff, or if that position is vacant, by the assistant sheriff, or if that position is also vacant, by the chief deputy next in line of authority.