Whenever this chapter becomes operative in any county a retirement association shall be organized.

The persons expressly declared to be ineligible to membership by this article shall not become members of the retirement association, and, except as expressly excluded, the persons enumerated in this article or the California Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act of 2013 shall become members of the association.

Persons employed as participants in a program of, and whose wages are paid in whole or in part by federal funds in accordance with, the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act of 1973 (Public Law 93-203), as amended, are excluded from membership. This exclusion shall not apply to active fire suppression personnel who are safety members pursuant to Sections 31469.3 and 31470.4.

All existing officers and employees of the county become members of the association on the day the retirement system becomes operative, and thereafter each person entering the county employ becomes a member on the first day of the calendar month after his entrance into the service, unless otherwise provided by regulations adopted by the board. Such regulations may provide for waiver of membership by the prospective employee in the case of newly hired employees who have attained the age of 60. In all cases where there is such a waiver, said employee upon attaining the age of 70 shall thereafter be employed from year to year at the discretion of the county.

On the first day of the calendar month after this section takes effect all existing officers and employees of the county, who, because of the provisions of Section 31552 prior to its amendment in 1953, were not members, become members on that day.

All existing officers and employees of the county, now members of the retirement system, and who became employed by the county during that interim period when the law did not allow membership into the retirement system until the first day of the calendar month following the expiration of 180 days after his entrance into service, shall be allowed to make contributions and receive credit for that period of time as prior county service. The contribution rate shall be as prescribed in Section 31641.5 and election to receive credit for such service shall be available until time of filing of notice of retirement from county service.

Employees and officers described in Section 101851 of the Health and Safety Code shall not automatically become members of the retirement system of the health authority established pursuant to this chapter, and their eligibility for retirement benefits shall be established pursuant to the provisions of that section.

101853.1 of the Health and Safety Code.

Elective officers become members of the retirement association on the first day of the calendar month following the filing of a declaration with the board to become a member, provided, however, that any such elective officer may, within 60 days after the expiration of the officer’s term of office or within 60 days after the officer ceases to hold the office, rescind the declaration and withdraw from the retirement association. In such cases, all contributions paid by the member shall be refunded in the same manner as applicable to members terminating service.

All officers and attaches of the superior court established within the county, except judges and participants in any other pension system, become members of the association on the first day of the calendar month after the board of supervisors adopts by four-fifths vote a resolution providing for their inclusion. Thereafter each person entering such employ becomes a member on the first day of the calendar month following his entrance into the service of the court.

In this section “officer or attache of the superior court” includes all commissioners, phonographic reporters who are paid salaries or per diems by the county and whose contributions are based upon such salaries or per diems, secretaries, stenographers, investigators, messengers, or other employees of the court.

The board of supervisors and all other county officers shall make the appropriations and perform the duties specified in this chapter with reference to court officers and attaches in the same manner as specified for county or district officers or employees. The deductions provided for in this chapter shall be made from the salaries of such officers or attaches in the same manner as for officers or employees of the county or districts.

All officers and employees of any district become members of the association on the first day of the calendar month after:

Members may be withdrawn from the association in the manner provided in Section 31564.

Officers and employees of a district as defined in subdivision (g) of Section 31468, become members on the date specified in the agreement between the regents and the board of supervisors relating to the transfer to the regents of the hospital in which they are employed or of the obligation to provide professional medical services at the hospital in which they are employed. Notwithstanding Section 31564, if the agreement so provides, those employees shall cease to be members on the date of a referendum relating to coverage of those members under the Federal Old Age, Survivors, Disability, and Health Insurance Program in which less than a majority of those eligible employees voted in favor of that coverage.

Any action heretofore taken by the governing body of a district under Section 31557, or under color of that section, is hereby confirmed and validated and made fully effective. Membership in the association of any officers and employees of any district who were included in the association by such action of the governing body, is hereby validated and confirmed and made fully effective as of the time of such inclusion.

On the date a district, as defined in subdivision (l) of Section 31468, is included in the retirement system, any personnel appointed pursuant to Sections 31522.5, 31522.9, 31522.10, and 31529.9 who had previously been in county service shall continue to be members of the system without interruption in service or loss of credit. Thereafter, each person entering employment with the district shall become a member of the system on the first day of the calendar month following his or her entrance into service.

All existing members of a pension system established pursuant to either Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 31900) or Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 32200) of this part and all employees eligible as safety members who at the time of entering service elected to become safety members, or who subsequently became members, shall become safety members and thereafter each person employed in a position, the principal duties of which consist of active law enforcement or active fire suppression or juvenile hall group counseling and group supervision, as defined in Sections 31469.3, 31469.4, 31470.2 and 31470.4, shall become a safety member on the first day of the calendar month following his or her entrance into the service. The sheriff and undersheriff shall become safety members on the first day of the calendar month following their entrance into the service. The marshal and assistant marshal shall become safety members on the first day of the calendar month following their appointment.

Notwithstanding any of the provisions of Section 31558 to the contrary, each person who, prior to July 1, 1969, was employed in a position, the principal duties of which consist of active law enforcement as defined in Section 31469.3 or active fire suppression as defined in Section 31470.4, who has continuously since his or her employment made the salary contributions required of a safety member, and who has continuously since his or her employment been employed in a position which would make such person eligible to become a safety member if he or she had not been over the age of 35 years at the time of his or her employment, shall become a safety member as of the first day of the calendar month following his or her original entrance into the service.

A member who meets the requirements of the preceding paragraph, except that he or she has not made the contributions required of a safety member, may receive credit for such service, as a safety member, when he or she has contributed, with interest to the date paid, the difference between contributions made and those which would have been required if he or she had been a safety member. Such additional contributions are to be made prior to retirement and notice of election to receive credit for service, as a safety member, pursuant to this section, shall be made to the retirement board prior to April 1, 1975.

This section shall not be operative in any county until such time as the board of supervisors shall, by ordinance, make the provisions of the section applicable in that county.

Notwithstanding any of the provisions of Section 31558 to the contrary, each person who, prior to the effective date of this section was employed in positions the principal duties of which consist of active law enforcement for not less than 10 years and who is employed by a county in a position which would make such person eligible to become a safety member at the time of his or her employment, may, if he or she so elects, become a safety member as of the first day of the calendar month following his or her entrance into county service.

A member may receive credit for such service, as a safety member, when he or she has contributed, with interest to the date paid, the difference between contributions made and those which would have been made by the member if he or she had been a safety member. Such additional contributions shall be made prior to retirement.

This section shall not be operative in any county until such time as the board of supervisors shall, by resolution adopted by majority vote, make the provisions of this section applicable in that county.

All members employed by a county having a population in excess of 2,000,000 who are employed on and prior to January 1, 1958, whose duties are described in Section 31470.6 and who prior to that date file with the board a written election to become safety members, shall become safety members on January 1, 1958.

All members employed by a county having a population of 2,000,000 or less and in excess of 500,000, who are employed on and prior to January 1, 1960, whose duties are described in Section 31470.6 and who prior to that date file with the board a written election to become safety members, shall become safety members on January 1, 1960.

After January 1, 1958, each person not over 35 years of age when employed by a county having a population in excess of 2,000,000 in a position the principal duties of which are described in Section 31470.6, shall become a safety member on the first day of the calendar month following his entrance into the service.

After January 1, 1960, each person not over 35 years of age when employed by a county having a population of 2,000,000 or less and in excess of 500,000 in a position the principal duties of which are described in Section 31470.6, shall become a safety member on the first day of the calendar month following his entrance into the service.

Notwithstanding any of the provisions of Section 31558 to the contrary, each person who is employed in a position, the principal duties of which consist of juvenile hall group counseling and group supervision as defined in Section 31469.4, on the date the provisions of Section 31469.4 are made applicable in a county by the board of supervisors and who files with the board written election to become a safety member on or prior to one year after the date the provisions of Section 31469.4 are made applicable in a county by the board of supervisors, shall become a safety member.

Thereafter each person when employed in such position, shall become a safety member on the first day of the calendar month following his or her entrance into the service.

Notwithstanding any of the provisions of Section 31558 to the contrary, a person over 35 years of age who is employed by a county of the third class, as established by Sections 28020 and 28024, as amended in 1971, as a detective or investigator in the office of the district attorney, which would make the person eligible to become a safety member if he or she had not been over the age of 35 years at the time of his or her employment, may, if he or she so elects, become a safety member as of the first day of the calendar month following his or her entrance into county service regardless of age.

A member may receive credit for that service, as a safety member, when he or she has contributed, with interest to the date paid, the difference between contributions made and those which would have been made by the member if he or she had been a safety member. The additional contributions shall be made prior to retirement.

This section shall not be operative in any county until such time as the board of supervisors shall, by resolution adopted by majority vote, make this section applicable in the county.