None of the following persons shall be appointed a referee under this title:
(a) A clerk or deputy clerk of the court.
(b) A former or present partner or employee of the judge.
(c) A relative within the third degree of the judge or the judge’s spouse or the spouse of such a relative.
(d) An owner of any interest in the property that is the subject of the action.
(Added by Stats. 1976, Ch. 73.)