“State safety member” also includes officers and employees with the State Department of State Hospitals and the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in the following classifications:

“State safety member” also includes an officer or employee of the State Department of State Hospitals at Patton State Hospital or Atascadero State Hospital, the State Department of State Hospitals Psychiatric Program of California Medical Facility at Vacaville, or any other state hospital that is deemed a forensic facility, who either is excluded from the definition of state employee in subdivision (c) of Section 3513 or is a nonelected officer or employee of the executive branch of government who is not a member of the civil service. An officer or employee may be a state safety member under this paragraph only if the person has responsibility for the direct supervision of state safety personnel specified in the classifications listed in this section and if the State Personnel Board determines that these officers and employees meet the state safety membership criteria established pursuant to Section 18717. The Department of Human Resources shall determine which classes meet the above conditions and report its findings to the Public Employees’ Retirement System, whereupon the change in membership categories shall take effect.

Any person so designated pursuant to this section may elect, within 90 days of notification by the board, to remain subject to the miscellaneous service retirement benefit and contribution rate by filing an irrevocable notice of election with the board. A member who so elects shall be subject to the reduced benefit factors specified in Section 21353 or 21354.1, as applicable, only for service also included in the federal system.

(Amended by Stats. 2012, Ch. 440, Sec. 27. (AB 1488) Effective September 22, 2012.)