(a)  In the case of a commission of five persons, three of the commissioners first appointed shall be designated by the appointing authority to serve for terms of one, two, and three years, respectively, from the date of their appointment, and two shall be designated to serve for terms of four years from the date of their appointments. If two tenant commissioners are added to increase the number of commissioners of an authority, such commissioners shall serve for terms of two years from the date of their appointments, and their successors shall be tenants. Successors of commissioners shall be appointed for a term of four years, except that successors of tenant commissioners shall be appointed for a term of two years and all vacancies shall be filled for the unexpired term. A tenant commissioner shall have all the powers, duties, privileges, and immunities of any other commissioner. If a tenant commissioner ceases to be a tenant of the authority, he shall be disqualified as commissioner and another tenant shall be appointed to fill the unexpired term.

(b)  Notwithstanding any other law, and subject to the conditions in this section, a commissioner may be an officer or employee of the county or city for which the authority is created, or he may be a member, commissioner, or employee of any other agency or authority of, or created for, the community.

(c)  An officer or employee of a city or county in which an authority is established may serve as a commissioner only if such officer or employee does not exercise powers or duties in his office or employment that may conflict with the exercise of the independent judgment required to carry out the purposes of an authority.

(d)  Any appointment of a successor to a commissioner of a city housing authority shall be made by the mayor if his office is one filled by election by the people, subject to the confirmation of a majority of the members of the governing body. If the office of mayor is not elective the governing body of the city shall make the appointment. All appointments of commissioners of a county housing authority shall be made by the governing body of the county.

The amendments to this section enacted by the Legislature at the 1975–76 Regular Session shall not affect the office of any commissioner of a housing authority, which on January 1, 1976, has seven commissioners, but the successors to the two additional commissioners appointed pursuant to the changes in this section which were made by Section 2 of Chapter 367 of the Statutes of 1972 or Chapter 1112 of the Statutes of 1974 shall be tenants of the authority and one shall be over 62 years of age if the authority has tenants of such age.

(Amended by Stats. 1975, Ch. 611.)