(a) The board of supervisors of each county shall appoint a single road commissioner for all road districts in the county. Every person who is appointed road commissioner after December 31, 1965, shall be a registered civil engineer. However, the City and County of San Francisco may appoint a person road commissioner who is not a registered civil engineer. Any person appointed road commissioner on or before December 31, 1965, need not be a registered civil engineer if he or she is approved by the board of supervisors as qualified and competent to handle the road and highway work of the county. Any person who is a road commissioner in any county on December 31, 1965, need not be a registered civil engineer to be appointed road commissioner of another county after December 31, 1965. After October 1, 1952, no person shall be appointed road commissioner until the board of supervisors holds a public hearing on the qualifications of the candidate or candidates for the position of road commissioner. At least 14 days but not more than 30 days prior to the hearing, notice of the hearing shall be posted at the county courthouse and published at least once in a newspaper of general circulation in the county. Nothing in this section precludes one person from serving two or more counties. An elective county official shall not be appointed road commissioner after October 1, 1952, unless the official is holding the position of road commissioner on that date. The road commissioner is, at all times, under the direction and supervision of the board of supervisors but may be dismissed, after a hearing, only upon a majority vote of the board. This subdivision does not apply in chartered counties whose charter requires the county surveyor to perform the duties of, or exercise the powers conferred by law on, the road commissioner.

(b) Each county shall furnish evidence to the Controller that it has complied with this section.

(c) Neither the Controller nor any other state officer shall make any allocations or payments to any county from the Highway Users Tax Account in the Transportation Tax Fund until the county has complied with the requirements of this section; except that, if a vacancy occurs in the office of road commissioner of a county, the allocations or payments to the county shall not be suspended pursuant to this section unless the county has not appointed a new road commissioner in accordance with this section within 180 days from the date the vacancy first occurred.

(d) The 180-day time limit is contingent on the condition that there be a qualified acting road commissioner functioning during the interim period under direct appointment by the board of supervisors.

(Amended by Stats. 1987, Ch. 56, Sec. 165.)