(a) The department may petition the superior court for an order appointing a qualified administrator to operate a continuing care retirement community, and thereby mitigate imminent crisis situations where elderly residents could lose support services or be moved without proper preparation, in any of the following circumstances:
(1) The provider is insolvent or in imminent danger of becoming insolvent.
(2) The provider is in a financially unsound or unsafe condition.
(3) The provider has failed to establish or has substantially depleted the reserves required by this chapter.
(4) The provider has failed to submit a plan, as specified in Section 1793.13, the department has not approved the plan submitted by the provider, the provider has not fully implemented the plan, or the plan has not been successful.
(5) The provider is unable to fully perform its obligations pursuant to continuing care contracts.
(6) The residents are otherwise placed in serious jeopardy.
(b) The administrator may only assume the operation of the continuing care retirement community in order to accomplish one or more of the following: rehabilitate the provider to enable it fully to perform its continuing care contract obligations; implement a plan of reorganization acceptable to the department; facilitate the transition where another provider assumes continuing care contract obligations; or facilitate an orderly liquidation of the provider.
(c) With each petition, the department shall include a request for a temporary restraining order to prevent the provider from disposing of or transferring assets pending the hearing on the petition.
(d) The provider shall be served with a copy of the petition, together with an order to appear and show cause why management and possession of the provider’s continuing care retirement community or assets should not be vested in an administrator.
(e) The order to show cause shall specify a hearing date, which shall be not less than five nor more than 10 days following service of the petition and order to show cause on the provider.
(f) Petitions to appoint an administrator shall have precedence over all matters, except criminal matters, in the court.
(g) At the time of the hearing, the department shall advise the provider and the court of the name of the proposed administrator.
(h) If, at the conclusion of the hearing, including such oral evidence as the court may consider, the court finds that any of the circumstances specified in subdivision (a) exist, the court shall issue an order appointing an administrator to take possession of the property of the provider and to conduct the business thereof, enjoining the provider from interfering with the administrator in the conduct of the rehabilitation, and directing the administrator to take steps toward removal of the causes and conditions which have made rehabilitation necessary, as the court may direct.
(i) The order shall include a provision directing the issuance of a notice of the rehabilitation proceedings to the residents at the continuing care retirement community and to other interested persons as the court may direct.
(j) The court may permit the provider to participate in the continued operation of the continuing care retirement community during the pendency of any appointments ordered pursuant to this section and shall specify in the order the nature and scope of the participation.
(k) The court shall retain jurisdiction throughout the rehabilitation proceeding and may issue further orders as it deems necessary to accomplish the rehabilitation or orderly liquidation of the continuing care retirement community in order to protect the residents of the continuing care retirement community.
(Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 32, Sec. 15. (AB 106) Effective June 29, 2011. Operative January 1, 2012, by Sec. 73 of Stats. 2011, Ch. 32.)