(a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), upon the presentation of any petition or applications making a proposal for a reorganization, the commission may take proceedings pursuant to Part 3 (commencing with Section 56650) without referring the proposal to a reorganization committee, as provided in this part.

(b) The commission may refer to a reorganization committee any incorporation proposal that includes, or may be modified to include, any of the following changes of organization affecting an independent special district: consolidation, dissolution, formation, merger, or establishment of a subsidiary district.

(c) If the commission has initiated a change of organization or reorganization that affects more than one special district, the commission may, and is encouraged to, utilize a reorganization committee to review the proposal.

(Amended by Stats. 2012, Ch. 62, Sec. 7. (AB 2698) Effective January 1, 2013.)