(a) The Administrative Hearings Office shall include attorneys qualified to act as hearing officers in adjudicative proceedings involving water rights matters. The hearing officers shall have qualifications equivalent to those of administrative law judges and knowledge and experience in water law.
(b) The board shall designate a hearing officer to serve as the presiding hearing officer.
(c) The presiding hearing officer shall have authority to supervise the Administrative Hearings Office, including, but not limited to, the authority to do all of the following:
(1) Hire personnel, including technical experts.
(2) Assign matters to hearing officers.
(3) Reassign matters as convenience and necessity require.
(4) Serve as a hearing officer.
(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 497, Sec. 282. (AB 991) Effective January 1, 2020. Operative July 1, 2019, pursuant to Section 2 of Stats. 2018, Ch. 668.)