(a)
Any hearings held on a protest, accusation, or petition for a license shall be held in the county in which the premises or licensee is located; provided, that hearings before the department itself on reconsideration or under subdivision (c) of Section 11517 of the Government Code may be held at any place in the state where the department is meeting. Except as provided in Section 24203 and in this section, the proceedings shall be conducted in accordance with Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 11500) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, and in all cases the department shall have all the powers granted therein. The department, in its exclusive discretion, shall consider scheduling the
hearing at a time, including evening hours, and at a place convenient to all parties to a proceeding, including those witnesses required to be present, and the public affected.
(b)
Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision (a), if a protest is filed against an application for a license and the proposed premises are located within a city, the department may, in its discretion, hold the hearing within that city, unless the protest is filed by the governing body of the city, in which case the department shall hold the hearing within that city.
(c)
For any hearing held pursuant to this division, the department may delegate the power to hear and decide to an administrative law judge appointed by the director. Any hearing before an administrative law judge shall be pursuant to the procedures,
rules, and limitations prescribed in Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 11500) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.