(a) As used in this section, “prohibited political activity” means directly or indirectly soliciting, receiving, or contributing, or being in any manner involved in soliciting, receiving, or contributing, any of the following:
(1) An assessment, subscription, or contribution to any party, incumbent, committee, or candidate exceeding two hundred dollars ($200) in any one calendar year for any partisan public office of this state.
(2) An assessment, subscription, contribution, or political service in any amount for any campaign for the office of Controller.
(b) Upon a person’s appointment and thereafter in January of each year during the person’s tenure as a probate referee, the person shall file with the Controller a verified statement indicating whether the person has engaged in prohibited political activity during the preceding two calendar years.
(c) The Controller may not appoint or reappoint as a probate referee a person who within the preceding two calendar years has engaged in prohibited political activity, and any such appointment or reappointment is void and shall be revoked. The Controller shall revoke the appointment of a person who, during the person’s tenure as a probate referee, engages in prohibited political activity. However, all acts not otherwise invalid, performed by the person before revocation of the person’s appointment, are valid.
(d) A person shall not engage in prohibited political activity during the time the person is an applicant for appointment or reappointment, or during the person’s tenure as a probate referee. A violation of this subdivision is a misdemeanor.
(e) Subdivisions (a), (c), and (d) do not apply to any prohibited political activity that occurred before July 1, 1989, and the applicable law in effect before July 1, 1989, continues to apply. Subdivision (b) applies on July 1, 1989, to persons who apply for appointment on or after July 1, 1989. A person who applied for appointment or who was appointed before July 1, 1989, shall file the first statement required by subdivision (b) on or before July 1, 1989, and thereafter as prescribed in subdivision (b).
(Enacted by Stats. 1990, Ch. 79.)