(a) The surviving spouse of any judge who dies on or after January 1, 1954, but before retirement and after becoming eligible for retirement pursuant to Section 75025 or 75033 or who dies on or after January 1, 1954, while serving as judge and has served as a judge for 30 years, shall receive an allowance equal to one-half of the amount of the unmodified retirement allowance that would be payable to the judge were he or she living and retired under this chapter. The allowance is payable commencing upon the day following the date of the death of the judge and continuing until the death of the surviving spouse. If, pursuant to this section, an allowance is paid to the surviving spouse of a judge, no payment shall be made pursuant to Section 75104 or 75104.5.

(b) The Legislature hereby finds and declares that the payment of allowances to the surviving spouse of a judge pursuant to this section, as amended at the 1959 Regular Session of the Legislature, serves a public purpose in that it promotes the public welfare by encouraging experienced jurists to continue their service in the expectation that the Legislature will fairly provide for their surviving spouses under changing circumstances, as the Legislature is now doing for spouses of judges who have heretofore died. Continued service by, and increased efficiency of, judges secure in this knowledge will more than compensate the state for any increased expense for allowances to surviving spouses provided by the amendment enacted at the 1959 session of the Legislature.

(Amended by Stats. 2004, Ch. 231, Sec. 17. Effective January 1, 2005.)