Chapter 8. Oath Or Affirmation Of Allegiance For Disaster Service Workers And Public Employees of California Government Code >> Division 4. >> Title 1. >> Chapter 8.

It is hereby declared that the protection of the health and safety and preservation of the lives and property of the people of the state from the effects of natural, manmade, or war-caused emergencies which result in conditions of disaster or in extreme peril to life, property, and resources is of paramount state importance requiring the responsible efforts of public and private agencies and individual citizens. In furtherance of the exercise of the police power of the state in protection of its citizens and resources, all public employees are hereby declared to be disaster service workers subject to such disaster service activities as may be assigned to them by their superiors or by law.

For the purpose of this chapter the term "disaster service worker" includes all public employees and all volunteers in any disaster council or emergency organization accredited by the Office of Emergency Services. The term "public employees" includes all persons employed by the state or any county, city, city and county, state agency or public district, excluding aliens legally employed.

(a) All disaster service workers shall, before they enter upon the duties of their employment, take and subscribe to the oath or affirmation required by this chapter.
  (b) In the case of intermittent, temporary, emergency or successive employments, then in the discretion of the employing agency, an oath taken and subscribed as required by this chapter shall be effective for the purposes of this chapter for all successive periods of employment which commence within one calendar year from the date of that subscription.
  (c) Notwithstanding subdivision (b), the oath taken and subscribed by a person who is a member of an emergency organization sanctioned by a state agency or an accredited disaster council, whose members are duly enrolled or registered with the Office of Emergency Services, or any accredited disaster council of any political subdivision, shall be effective for the period the person remains a member with that organization.

The oath or affirmation required by this chapter is the oath or affirmation set forth in Section 3 of Article XX of the Constitution of California.

The oath or affirmation may be taken before any officer authorized to administer oaths. The oath or affirmation of any disaster service worker may be taken before his appointing power or before any person authorized in writing by his appointing power. No fee shall be charged by any person before whom the oath or affirmation is taken and subscribed.

(a) The oath or affirmation of any disaster service worker of the state shall be filed as prescribed by State Personnel Board rule within 30 days of the date on which it is taken and subscribed.
  (b) The oath or affirmation of any disaster service worker of any county shall be filed in the office of the county clerk of the county or in the official department personnel file of the county employee who is designated as a disaster service worker.
  (c) The oath or affirmation of any disaster service worker of any city shall be filed in the office of the city clerk of the city.
  (d) The oath or affirmation of any disaster service worker of any other public agency, including any district, shall be filed with any officer or employee of the agency that may be designated by the agency.
  (e) (1) In its discretion, the board of supervisors of a county may require every disaster service worker of that county who legally changes his or her name, within 10 days from the date of the change, to file a new oath or affirmation 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 paragraph is a public record subject to disclosure under the California Public Records Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 6250) of Division 7).
  (2) Notwithstanding any other law, including, but not limited to, Sections 3108 and 3109, failure of a disaster service worker to file a new oath of office required by the board of supervisors pursuant to this subdivision shall not be punishable as a crime.
  (f) The oath or affirmation of any disaster service worker may be destroyed without duplication five years after the termination of the disaster service worker's service or, in the case of a public employee, five years after the termination of the employee's employment.

Compliance with this chapter shall, as to state employees, be deemed full compliance with Chapter 4, Part 1, Division 5, Title 2 of this code, requiring taking of oaths by state employees.

No compensation nor reimbursement for expenses incurred shall be paid to any disaster service worker by any public agency unless such disaster service worker has taken and subscribed to the oath or affirmation required by this chapter. It shall be the duty of the person certifying to public payrolls to ascertain and certify that such disaster service worker has taken such oath or affirmation. Whenever there is more than one officer certifying to public payrolls the governing body of a city or county or school district may designate and make it the duty of a certain officer or officers to ascertain and certify that such disaster service worker has taken such oath or affirmation. The governing body of a city or county or school district may designate and make it the duty of a local disaster service officer to ascertain and certify that each volunteer disaster service worker has taken such oath or affirmation. Nothing in this chapter, however, shall prevent the correction of any technical error or deficiency in an oath taken pursuant to this chapter; provided, such correction is made before the disaster service worker is actually paid or reimbursed.

Every person who, while taking and subscribing to the oath or affirmation required by this chapter, states as true any material matter which he or she knows to be false, is guilty of perjury, and is punishable by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code for two, three, or four years.

Every person having taken and subscribed to the oath or affirmation required by this chapter, who, while in the employ of, or service with, the state or any county, city, city and county, state agency, public district, or disaster council or emergency organization advocates or becomes a member of any party or organization, political or otherwise, that advocates the overthrow of the government of the United States by force or violence or other unlawful means, is guilty of a felony, and is punishable by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code.