(a) Any party aggrieved by a final order issued by the governing board of a local agency under Section 54740.5, after granting review of the order of a hearing officer, may obtain review of the order of the board in the superior court by filing in the court a petition for writ of mandate within 30 days following the service of a copy of a decision and order issued by the board. Any party aggrieved by a final order of a hearing officer issued under Section 54740.5, for which the board denies review, may obtain review, of the order of the hearing officer in the superior court by filing in the court a petition for writ of mandate within 30 days following service of a copy of a decision and order denying review by the board.
(b) If no aggrieved party petitions for writ of mandate within the time provided by this section, an order of the board or a hearing officer shall not be subject to review by any court or agency, except that the board may grant review on its own motion of an order issued under Section 54740.5 after the expiration of the time limits set by that section.
(c) The evidence before the court shall consist of the record before the board, including the hearing officer’s record, and any other relevant evidence which, in the judgment of the court, should be considered to effectuate and implement policies of this division. In every such case, the court shall exercise its independent judgment on the evidence.
(d) Except as otherwise provided in this section, subdivisions (e) and (f) of Section 1094.5 of the Code of Civil Procedure shall govern proceedings pursuant to this section.
(Added by Stats. 1991, Ch. 1191, Sec. 5.)