Section 71622.

(a) Each trial court may establish and may appoint any subordinate judicial officers that are deemed necessary for the performance of subordinate judicial duties, as authorized by law to be performed by subordinate judicial officers. However, the number and type of subordinate judicial officers in a trial court shall be subject to approval by the Judicial Council. Subordinate judicial officers shall serve at the pleasure of the trial court.

(b) The appointment or termination of a subordinate judicial officer shall be made by order of the presiding judge or another judge or a committee to whom appointment or termination authority is delegated by the court, and shall be entered in the minutes of the court.

(c) The Judicial Council shall promulgate rules establishing the minimum qualifications and training requirements for subordinate judicial officers.

(d) The presiding judge of a superior court may cross-assign one type of subordinate judicial officer to exercise all the powers and perform all the duties authorized by law to be performed by another type of subordinate judicial officer, but only if the person cross-assigned satisfies the minimum qualifications and training requirements for the new assignment established by the Judicial Council pursuant to subdivision (c).

(e) The superior courts of two or more counties may appoint the same person as court commissioner.

(f) As of the implementation date of this chapter, all persons who were authorized to serve as subordinate judicial officers pursuant to other provisions of law shall be authorized by this section to serve as subordinate judicial officers at their existing salary rate, which may be a percentage of the salary of a judicial officer.

(g) A subordinate judicial officer who has been duly appointed and has thereafter retired from service may be assigned by a presiding judge to perform subordinate judicial duties consistent with subdivision (a). The retired subordinate judicial officer shall be subject to the limits, if any, on postretirement service prescribed by the Public Employees' Retirement System, the county defined-benefit retirement system, as defined in subdivision (f) of Section 71624, or any other defined-benefit retirement plan from which the retired officer is receiving benefits. The retired subordinate judicial officer shall be compensated by the assigning court at a rate not to exceed 85 percent of the compensation of a retired judge assigned to a superior court.

(Amended by Stats. 2005, Ch. 22, Sec. 110. Effective January 1, 2006.)