Whenever any district acquires existing facilities from a publicly or privately owned public utility, whether by proceedings in eminent domain or otherwise, any or all of the officers or employees of such public utility whose duties pertained to the facilities acquired may be appointed to positions in the district’s civil service system without examination and certification from a list of eligibles and shall be governed thereafter by this division and the rules and regulations adopted pursuant thereto but shall not be subject to the six months’ probation period.