(a) This section shall be applicable in the retirement system of any county of the 10th class, as defined by Sections 28020 and 28031, as amended by Chapter 1204 of the Statutes of 1971, if the board of supervisors executes a memorandum of understanding with the employee representatives and adopts, by majority vote, a resolution providing for safety status for probation officers, as provided in Section 31469.4.
(b) The purpose of this section is to provide optional safety status for probation officers employed on or before March 1, 1991. Notwithstanding Section 31558.6, that option shall be exercised within 120 days from the effective date of the implementation of Section 31469.4, together with the option to receive credit as a safety member for all or part of the time during which his or her duties would have made him or her eligible to become a safety member, if this section had then been in effect.
(c) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the retirement benefits of existing probation officers who elect to transfer from general membership in the county retirement system to safety membership shall be implemented pursuant to Section 31484.5, except that:
(1) The definition of final compensation in Section 31462.1 shall no longer apply to probation officers electing safety status; instead, the definition of final compensation in Section 31462 shall apply at the date of retirement to all credited safety service regardless of previous service under Section 31462.1. However, the board of supervisors may adopt a resolution providing that the definition of final compensation contained in Section 31462.1 shall apply to certain probation officers electing safety status who are specifically identified in the resolution and who are retiring on or after the date specified in the resolution.
(2) For employees entitled to a cost-of-living adjustment upon retirement, Article 16.5 (commencing with Section 31870) shall apply, except that the increase in the allowance shall not exceed a maximum of 3 percent in any given year credited as safety membership. An employee who elects safety retirement under Section 31469.4 and who thereby waives his or her entitlement to a higher cost-of-living allowance shall be deemed to have waived the higher cost-of-living allowance with regard to all previous service credited as safety service at the date of retirement, regardless of previous service under any other provision, and shall be deemed to have relinquished any right to the higher cost-of-living allowance without refund of contributions therefor, except as determined by the board of supervisors.
(3) An employee who elects safety retirement under Section 31469.4 may elect to receive credit as a safety member for all or part of the time during which his or her duties would have made him or her eligible to become a safety member if this section had then been in effect as provided in Section 31639.7, except that an election to receive part credit may be exercised only in multiples of five years of service. A member who elects to receive credit for only a part of that county service shall elect that county service latest in time and may not receive credit for any portion of county service prior in time to any county service for which he or she does not elect to receive credit.
(4) A member not previously within the safety membership category who elects to receive credit for all or part of the time during which the member’s duties would have made him or her eligible to become a safety member if this section had then been in effect shall pay into the retirement system the amount that would have had to be contributed by the employer to fund the employer’s liability for safety membership and an amount equal to the difference between the employee’s contributions actually made during the time for which he or she claims credit and the contributions the member would have made during that period if he or she had been in safety status during that period.
(d) All probation officers in Tier III who elect to transfer from general membership in the county retirement system to safety membership pursuant to this section shall be placed in Tier II regardless of their status prior to selecting Tier III benefits.
(e) All persons hired after the effective date of implementation of Section 31469.4 shall, upon retirement, have his or her cost-of-living allowance and final compensation computed in accordance with this section.
(Amended by Stats. 2000, Ch. 135, Sec. 78. Effective January 1, 2001.)