Article 1 - Management, Control, and Disposition Generally

California Probate Code — §§ 3051-3057

Sections (5)

Enacted by Stats. 1990, Ch. 79.

(a)Subject to Section 3071, the right of a spouse to manage and control community property, including the right to dispose of community property, is not affected by the lack or alleged lack of legal capacity of the other spouse.

(b)Except as provided in subdivision (c), if one spouse has legal capacity and the other has a conservator:

(1)The spouse who has legal capacity has the exclusive management and control of the community property including, subject to Section 3071, the exclusive power to dispose of the community property.

(2)The community property is not part of the conservatorship estate.

(c)If one spouse has legal capacity and the other has a conservator, the spouse having legal capacity may consent, by a writing filed in the proceeding, that all or part of the community property be included in and, subject to Section 3071, be managed, controlled, and disposed of as a part of the conservatorship estate.

(d)Except as provided in subdivision (e), if both spouses have conservators, an undivided one-half interest in the community property shall be included in and, subject to Section 3071, be managed, controlled, and disposed of as a part of the conservatorship estate of each spouse.

(e)If both spouses have conservators, when authorized by order of the court in which any of the conservatorship proceedings is pending, the conservators may agree in writing that all or specific parts of the community property shall be included in the conservatorship estate of one or the other of the spouses and, subject to Section 3071, be managed, controlled, and disposed of as a part of the conservatorship estate of that spouse.

§ 3054

Enacted by Stats. 1990, Ch. 79.

When community property is included or proposed to be included in the conservatorship estate of a spouse, the court in which the conservatorship proceeding is pending, upon its own motion or upon petition of a spouse having legal capacity or the conservator of either spouse and upon such notice to such persons as the court prescribes, may do any of the following:

(a)Determine that the inclusion of some or all of the community property that is proposed to be included in the conservatorship estate would not be in the best interest of the spouses or their estates and order that such property not be included.

(b)Permit revocation of a written consent for inclusion of property in the conservatorship estate, with or without terms or conditions.

(c)Determine that the continued inclusion of some or all of the community property in the conservatorship estate is not in the best interest of the spouses or their estates and order that the inclusion of such property in the conservatorship estate be terminated, with or without terms or conditions.

(d)Make such other orders as may be appropriate for the orderly administration of the conservatorship estate or to protect the interests of the spouses.

§ 3055

Enacted by Stats. 1990, Ch. 79.

(a)If consent is given under this article that community property be included in the conservatorship estate of a spouse, the death of either spouse terminates the consent.

(b)If a spouse consents under this article that community property be included in the conservatorship estate of the other spouse:

(1)Subject to paragraph (2), the subsequent lack of legal capacity of the spouse giving the consent has no effect on the inclusion of the property in the conservatorship estate of the other spouse.

(2)The appointment of a conservator for the spouse giving the consent terminates the consent.

§ 3056

Enacted by Stats. 1990, Ch. 79.

Except as otherwise provided in this part and subject to Section 3071, when community property is included in a conservatorship estate under this article for the purpose of management, control, and disposition, the conservator has the same powers and duties with respect to such property as the conservator has with respect to other property of the conservatorship estate.

§ 3057

Amended by Stats. 1992, Ch. 163, Sec. 126. Effective January 1, 1993. Operative January 1, 1994, by Sec. 161 of Ch. 163.

(a)Where a spouse lacks legal capacity and does not have a conservator, any interested person who has knowledge or reason to believe that the rights of such spouse in the community property are being prejudiced may bring an action on behalf of such spouse to enforce the duty imposed by Sections 721 and 1100 of the Family Code with respect to the management and control of the community property and to obtain such relief as may be appropriate.

(b)If one spouse has a conservator and the other spouse is managing or controlling community property, the conservator has the duty to keep reasonably informed concerning the management and control, including the disposition, of the community property. If the conservator has knowledge or reason to believe that the rights of the conservatee in the community property are being prejudiced, the conservator may bring an action on behalf of the conservatee to enforce the duty imposed by Sections 721 and 1100 of the Family Code with respect to the management and control of the community property and to obtain such relief as may be appropriate.