ARTICLE 5. Boards of Directors and Officers [5784. - 5784.15.]

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC 5.

in effect

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 5784. Section 5784.

(a) A legislative body known as the board of directors shall govern every district. The board of directors shall establish policies for the operation of the district. The board of directors shall provide for the faithful implementation of those policies which is the responsibility of the employees of the district. (b) Except as provided in this article, the board of directors consists of five members. (c) No person shall be a candidate for or be appointed to the board of directors unless he or she is a voter of the district or the proposed district. (d) Service on a municipal advisory council established pursuant to Section 31010 of the Government Code shall not be considered an incompatible office with service as an elected member of a board of directors.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 5784.1. Section 5784.1.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, if on December 31, 2001, a member of the board of directors was elected or appointed as a voter of this state and is an owner of real property within the district, pursuant to the former Section 5783.3, that person may continue to serve on that board of directors for the remainder of the term for which he or she was elected or appointed, and that person may be elected or appointed to that board of directors in the future after that term ends, provided that the person continues to be a voter of this state and an owner of real property within the district.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 5784.2. Section 5784.2.

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a local agency formation commission, in approving either a consolidation of districts or the reorganization of two or more districts into a single recreation and park district, pursuant to subdivisions (k) and (n) of Section 56886 of the Government Code, may temporarily increase the number of directors to serve on the board of directors of the consolidated or reorganized district to seven or nine, who shall be members of the board of directors of the districts to be consolidated or reorganized as of the effective date of the consolidation or reorganization. (b) Upon the expiration of the terms of the members of the board of directors of the consolidated or reorganized district, whose terms first expire following the effective date of the consolidation or reorganization, the total number of members on the board of directors shall be reduced until the number equals five members. (c) In addition to the powers granted under Section 1780 of the Government Code, in the event of a vacancy on the board of directors of the consolidated or reorganized district at which time the total number of directors is greater than five, the board of directors may, by majority vote of the remaining members of the board, choose not to fill the vacancy. In that event, the total membership of the board of directors shall be reduced by one board member. (d) For the purposes of this section, the following definitions apply: (1) “Consolidation” means consolidation as defined in Section 56030 of the Government Code. (2) “District” or “special district” means district or special district as defined in Section 56036 of the Government Code. (3) “Reorganization” means reorganization as defined in Section 56073 of the Government Code.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 5784.3. Section 5784.3.

(a) The term of office of each member of a board of directors who has been elected or appointed to a fixed term is four years. Directors shall take office at noon on the first Friday in December following their election or their appointment to a fixed term. (b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), in the case of a district formed on or after January 1, 2002, the directors shall serve the terms determined pursuant to Section 5783.11. (c) Any vacancy in the office of a member appointed to a board of directors shall be filled pursuant to Section 1779 of the Government Code. (d) Any vacancy in the office of a member elected to a board of directors shall be filled pursuant to Section 1780 of the Government Code.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 5784.5. Section 5784.5.

If a county board of supervisors or a city council has appointed itself as the board of directors, the board of supervisors or city council may delegate any or all of its powers to a recreation and park commission composed of five commissioners. In the case of a district governed by a board of supervisors, the commissioners may be council members of cities that are located in the district. The board of supervisors or city council shall determine whether the commissioners shall serve at its pleasure or for staggered terms of four years, subject to removal for cause. A commissioner shall be a voter of the district.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 5784.7. Section 5784.7.

(a) Within 45 days after their first election and after each general district election or unopposed election, or at the beginning of each new term for members of an appointed board, the board of directors shall meet and elect its officers. (b) The officers of a board of directors are a chair and vice chair. A board of directors may create additional officers and elect members to those positions, provided that no member of a board of directors shall hold more than one office. (c) The board of directors may appoint one of its members as secretary. The board of directors may also employ a clerk to perform the duties of the secretary. If the board of directors does not appoint a secretary, the clerk shall perform the duties of the secretary. (d) In the case of a district that includes only incorporated territory within a single city, the city treasurer shall act as the district treasurer and shall receive no compensation for the receipt and disbursement of money of the district. In all other cases, the county treasurer of the principal county shall act as the district treasurer and shall receive no compensation for the receipt and disbursement of money of the district.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 5784.9. Section 5784.9.

(a) Notwithstanding Section 5784.7, a district may establish an alternative depositary pursuant to this section. (b) The board of directors may adopt a resolution to designate a bank or a savings and loan association as the depositary of any or all of its funds. The board of directors and the board of supervisors of the principal county shall determine a mutually acceptable date for the transfer of the district’s funds to that depositary, not to exceed 15 months from the date on which the board of directors adopted its resolution. (c) If the board of directors does not designate that depositary for all of its funds, the board of directors shall designate what funds are to be deposited in that depositary. The county treasurer shall be the depositary for all funds not so designated. (d) The charges of any depositary designated pursuant to this section shall be a proper expense of the district. (e) The board of directors shall appoint a person who shall be known as the finance officer, who shall serve at the pleasure of the board of directors. The finance officer may be a member of the board of directors, the general manager, or the office of finance officer may be consolidated with the office of secretary. The board of directors shall fix the amount of the finance officer’s compensation. The board of directors shall fix the amount of and approve the finance officer’s bond. (f) Bond principal and interest and salaries shall be paid when due. Except as provided in subdivision (g), the board of directors shall approve all other claims and demands in an open meeting by a majority of the members of the board of directors. (g) Warrants drawn in payment of claims and demands approved by the finance officer as conforming to an approved budget need not be approved by the board of directors prior to payment. These claims and demands shall be presented to the board of directors for ratification and approval in the audited comprehensive annual financial report. (h) The finance officer shall draw the warrants. The warrants shall be signed by either the chair of the board of directors or another member of the board, and by either the secretary or the general manager. The board of directors, by ordinance or resolution, may prescribe an alternative method of drawing and signing warrants, provided that the method adheres to generally accepted accounting principles. (i) The finance officer shall install and maintain a system of auditing and accounting that shall completely and at all times show the financial condition of the district. (j) The finance officer shall make annual or more frequent written reports to the board of directors, as the board shall determine, regarding the receipts and disbursements and balances in the accounts that are controlled by the finance officer. The finance officer shall sign the reports and file them with the secretary. (k) A bank or savings and loan association may act as a depositary, paying agent, or fiscal agent for the holding or handling of the district’s funds, notwithstanding the fact that a member of the board of directors whose funds are on deposit in that bank or savings and loan association is an officer, employee, or stockholder of that bank or savings and loan association, or of a holding company that owns any of the stock of that bank or savings and loan company.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 5784.11. Section 5784.11.

A board of directors shall meet at least once every three months. Meetings of the board of directors are subject to the provisions of the Ralph M. Brown Act, Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 54950) of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 5 of the Government Code.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 5784.13. Section 5784.13.

(a) A majority of the board of directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. (b) The board of directors shall act only by ordinance, resolution, or motion. (c) Except as otherwise specifically provided to the contrary in this chapter, a recorded majority vote of the total membership of the board of directors is required on each action. (d) The board of directors shall keep a record of all its acts, including financial transactions. (e) The board of directors shall adopt rules for its proceedings.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 5784.15. Section 5784.15.

(a) The board of directors may provide, by ordinance or resolution, that each of its members may receive compensation in an amount not to exceed one hundred dollars ($100) for attending each meeting of the board. The board of directors, by ordinance adopted pursuant to Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 20200) of Division 10 of the Water Code, may increase the amount of compensation received for attending meetings of the board. (b) Board members shall not receive compensation for more than six meetings of the board in a calendar month. The board of directors shall, commencing January 1, 2019, if the district compensates its members for more than five meetings in a calendar month, annually adopt a written policy, based on a finding supported by substantial evidence, why more than five meetings per month are necessary for the effective operation of the district. (c) In addition, members of the board of directors may receive their actual and necessary traveling and incidental expenses incurred while on official business. (d) A member of the board of directors may waive the compensation. (e) For the purposes of this section, a meeting of the board of directors includes, but is not limited to, regular meetings, special meetings, closed sessions, emergency meetings, board field trips, district public hearings, or meetings of a committee of the board. (f) For purposes of this section, the determination of whether a director’s activities on any specific day are compensable shall be made pursuant to Article 2.3 (commencing with Section 53232) of Chapter 2 of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 5 of the Government Code. (g) Reimbursement for these expenses is subject to Sections 53232.2 and 53232.3 of the Government Code.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026