Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a person shall not be ineligible for appointment to the board because he or she is an elected official or employee of an appointing authority to the board. The appointment of a person to the office of the board shall not be deemed incompatible with being an elected official or employee of an appointing authority to the board, and shall not prevent an elected official or employee so appointed from acting on a proposal before the board affecting the appointing authority. Any regulation providing for the disqualification of a person for that reason is null and void.