Article 3. Officers And Employees of California Health And Safety Code >> Division 24. >> Part 2. >> Chapter 1. >> Article 3.

When the governing body of a city adopts a resolution declaring the need for an authority, it shall promptly notify the mayor of the adoption. Upon receiving the notice and if his office is one filled by election by the people, the mayor, subject to the confirmation of a majority of the members of the governing body, shall appoint five persons as commissioners of the authority. The mayor shall appoint two additional commissioners who are tenants of the authority if the authority has tenants, or within one year after the authority first does have tenants. One such tenant commissioner shall be over 62 years of age if the authority has tenants of such age. If the office of the mayor is not elective, the city governing body shall make the appointments. The amendments to this section enacted by the Legislature at the 1975-76 Regular Session shall not affect the office of any commissioner of a housing authority, which on January 1, 1976, has seven commissioners, but the successors to the two additional commissioners appointed pursuant to the changes in this section which were made by Chapter 120 of the Statutes of 1972 or Chapter 545 of the Statutes of 1974 shall be tenants of the authority and one shall be over 62 years of age if the authority has tenants of such age.

The provisions of this section apply to an authority in a city and county. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, including Section 34272, the mayor shall appoint five persons as commissioners of the authority in a city and county. The mayor shall appoint two additional commissioners who are tenants of the authority. One such tenant commissioner shall be over 62 years of age if the authority has tenants of such age. Appointments shall not be subject to confirmation by the governing body of the city and county. All commissioners appointed on and after January 1, 1977, shall be residents of the city and county, at the time of their appointment and during their term of office. A failure to maintain residence in the city and county shall cause the office to be vacant. Vacancies in office for whatever reason, including but not limited to, the expiration of a term, shall be filled by the mayor as provided for in this section.

When the governing body of a county adopts such a resolution it shall appoint five persons as commissioners of the authority. The governing body shall appoint two additional commissioners who are tenants of the authority if the authority has tenants, or within one year after the authority first does have tenants. One such tenant commissioner shall be over 62 years of age if the authority has tenants of such age. The amendments to this section enacted by the Legislature at the 1975-76 Regular Session shall not affect the office of any commissioner of a housing authority, which on January 1, 1976, has seven commissioners, but the successors to the two additional commissioners appointed pursuant to the changes in this section which were made by Chapter 120 of the Statutes of 1972 or Chapter 545 of the Statutes of 1974 shall be tenants of the authority and one shall be over 62 years of age if the authority has tenants of such age.

(a) The governing body of a county of the 10th class may appoint two additional commissioners to increase the number of commissioners of an authority which is in existence and transacting business and exercising its powers on March 7, 1973.
  (b) One of the two additional commissioners shall be a project tenant and the other shall be a senior citizen over 62 years of age who may be a tenant. The two additional commissioners first appointed shall not be or have been commissioners of such authority.
  (c) The two additional commissioners shall serve for terms of four years from the date of their appointments. Their successors shall be appointed for a term of four years except that all vacancies shall be filled for the unexpired term.
  (d) Under this section, four commissioners shall constitute a quorum of the authority for the purpose of conducting its business and exercising its powers and for all other purposes.
  (e) All of the provisions of this part shall apply to an authority of a county of the 10th class, except those provisions which conflict with the provisions of this section.

(a) In the case of a commission of five persons, three of the commissioners first appointed shall be designated by the appointing authority to serve for terms of one, two, and three years, respectively, from the date of their appointment, and two shall be designated to serve for terms of four years from the date of their appointments. If two tenant commissioners are added to increase the number of commissioners of an authority, such commissioners shall serve for terms of two years from the date of their appointments, and their successors shall be tenants. Successors of commissioners shall be appointed for a term of four years, except that successors of tenant commissioners shall be appointed for a term of two years and all vacancies shall be filled for the unexpired term. A tenant commissioner shall have all the powers, duties, privileges, and immunities of any other commissioner. If a tenant commissioner ceases to be a tenant of the authority, he shall be disqualified as commissioner and another tenant shall be appointed to fill the unexpired term.
  (b) Notwithstanding any other law, and subject to the conditions in this section, a commissioner may be an officer or employee of the county or city for which the authority is created, or he may be a member, commissioner, or employee of any other agency or authority of, or created for, the community.
  (c) An officer or employee of a city or county in which an authority is established may serve as a commissioner only if such officer or employee does not exercise powers or duties in his office or employment that may conflict with the exercise of the independent judgment required to carry out the purposes of an authority.
  (d) Any appointment of a successor to a commissioner of a city housing authority shall be made by the mayor if his office is one filled by election by the people, subject to the confirmation of a majority of the members of the governing body. If the office of mayor is not elective the governing body of the city shall make the appointment. All appointments of commissioners of a county housing authority shall be made by the governing body of the county. The amendments to this section enacted by the Legislature at the 1975-76 Regular Session shall not affect the office of any commissioner of a housing authority, which on January 1, 1976, has seven commissioners, but the successors to the two additional commissioners appointed pursuant to the changes in this section which were made by Section 2 of Chapter 367 of the Statutes of 1972 or Chapter 1112 of the Statutes of 1974 shall be tenants of the authority and one shall be over 62 years of age if the authority has tenants of such age.

A certificate of the appointment or reappointment of any commissioner shall be filed with the clerk and the certificate is conclusive evidence of the due and proper appointment of the commissioner.

A commissioner shall not be regularly employed by the authority to which he is appointed during his tenure of office, but may receive per diem payment for attendance at not more than four meetings per month of the authority, which shall not exceed fifty dollars ($50) per day, and shall receive necessary traveling and subsistence expenses incurred in the discharge of his duties.

The power of each authority is vested in the commissioners in office from time to time.

In the case of a commission of five persons, three commissioners constitute a quorum of the authority for the purpose of conducting its business and exercising its powers and for all other purposes while in the case of a commission of seven persons, four commissioners constitute a quorum for such purposes. Action may be taken by the authority upon a vote of a majority of the commissioners empowered to vote, unless in any case the bylaws of the authority require a larger number.

The mayor of the city or the governing body of the county shall designate the first chairman from among the commissioners. The authority shall select his successor from among its commissioners.

(a) An authority shall select from among its commissioners a vice chairman. It also may employ a secretary, who shall be executive director, technical experts, and any other officers, agents, and employees that it requires, and shall determine their qualifications, duties, terms of employment, and compensation. The authority shall adopt personnel rules and regulations applying to all employees. Those rules shall contain procedures affecting conflicts of interest, use of funds, and personnel procedures on hiring and firing, including removal of personnel for inefficiency, neglect of duties, or misconduct in office. Those rules and regulations shall be of public record.
  (b) An authority may contract with the Department of Housing and Community Development, any city, any county, or any other authority, for the furnishing by the department, city, county, or authority of any necessary staff services associated with or required by an authority and which could be performed by the staff of an authority.

For the legal services it requires, an authority may call upon the chief law officer of the city or the county or may employ its own counsel and legal staff.

An authority may delegate to one or more of its agents or employees the powers or duties it deems proper.

A commissioner or employee of an authority shall not acquire any direct or indirect interest in any housing project or in any property included or planned to be included in any project, nor shall he have any direct or indirect interest in any contract or proposed contract for materials or services to be furnished or used in connection with any housing project. If he owns or controls a direct or indirect interest in any such property, he shall immediately make a written disclosure of it to the authority and the disclosure shall be entered upon its minutes. Failure so to disclose his interest constitutes misconduct in office. Nothing contained in this section or in any other provision of law shall be construed as precluding a tenant of an authority from serving as a commissioner of that authority, provided that the fact of such tenancy is disclosed to the authority in writing and entered upon its minutes immediately upon his assuming office; nor shall any provision in this code or elsewhere be construed as in any manner inhibiting the right of such tenant commissioner to exercise the full powers vested in his office.

For inefficiency, neglect of duty, or misconduct in office, a commissioner may be removed by the governing body of the county in the case of a county authority, or by the mayor, if he has the power of appointment of commissioners, otherwise, by the governing body of the city in the case of a city authority. A commissioner shall be removed only after he has been given a copy of the charges at least 10 days prior to the hearing on them and has had an opportunity to be heard in person or by counsel. If a commissioner is removed, a record of the proceedings and the charges and findings on them shall be filed in the office of the clerk.

The commissioners shall provide by resolution for the time and place of holding their regular meetings. Special meetings may be called by the chairman or by two commissioners, and notice thereof shall be mailed to each commissioner at least 48 hours before the meeting. An authority shall supply to the governing body of its respective city or county, on request, such information relating to its activities as are public records. Leases and lists or rosters of tenants of the authority shall be confidential and shall not be open to inspection by the public, but shall be supplied to the respective governing body on request, pursuant to this section. Leases and lists or rosters of tenants shall be open for inspection by any government agency.

The governing body of any city or county may call upon the residents and existing community organizations within the area of jurisdiction of the governing body to form a community housing advisory committee comprising persons who, for at least six months, have been residents in or owned property in the area of the governing body's jurisdiction, and which is considered representative by the governing body. The members of the community housing advisory committee shall serve without compensation.

(a) The governing body of a city or county may call upon the residents in a housing project to form a project committee comprised of persons who for at least six months have been residents in the project, and which is considered representative by the governing body. The members of the committee shall serve without compensation.
  (b) The authority, through its staff, shall upon the direction and approval of the governing body consult with and obtain the advice of the project committee concerning matters which affect the residents of the project. The provisions of this subdivision shall apply for a one-year period after the formation of the project committee, subject to one-year extensions by the governing body.
  (c) Minutes of all the meetings of the authority with the project committee, which meetings shall be open and public, together with a record of all the information presented to the project committee by the authority or by the project committee for the authority for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this section, shall be maintained by the authority. Such minutes and records shall be open to public inspection and a summary of such records shall be included in a report to the governing body submitted by the authority.

Any tenant shall be eligible for appointment as a tenant commissioner of any authority if such person is a tenant in any housing provided by or through such authority pursuant to the provisions of this part, the Temporary Housing Projects Law, Part 4 (commencing with Section 35450) of, or the Farm Labor Center Law, Part 7 (commencing with Section 36050) of, this division. Any tenant shall also be eligible for appointment as one of the commissioners not required to be a tenant commissioner, with all the rights, powers, duties, privileges, and immunities of any other commissioner.