Military and Veterans Code section 395.3

In the event that any public officer or employee has resigned or resigns his or her office or employment to serve or to continue to serve in the Armed Forces of the United States or in the militia of this state, he or she shall have a right to return to and reenter the office or employment prior to the time at which his or her term of office or his or her employment would have ended if he or she had not resigned, on serving a written notice to that effect upon the authorized appointing power, or if there is no authorized appointing power, upon the officer or agency having power to fill a vacancy in the office or employment, within six months of the termination of his or her active service with the Armed Forces; provided, that the right to return and reenter upon the office or position shall not extend to or be granted to any public officer or employee, who shall fail to return to and reenter upon his or her office or position within 12 months after the first date upon which he or she could terminate or could cause to have terminated his or her active service with the Armed Forces of the United States or of the militia of this state.
As used in this section, “public officers and employees” includes all of the following:

(a)

Members of the Senate and of the Assembly.

(b)

Justices of the Supreme Court and the courts of appeal, judges of the superior courts, and all other judicial officers.

(c)

All other state officers and employees not within Chapter 11 (commencing with Section 19770) of Part 2 of Division 5 of Title 2 of the Government Code, including all officers for whose selection and term of office provision is made in the California Constitution and laws of this state.

(d)

All officers and employees of any county, city and county, city, township, district, political subdivision, authority, commission, board, or other public agency within this state.
The right of reentry into public office or employment provided for in this section shall include the right to be restored to the civil service status as the officer or employee would have if he or she had not so resigned; and no other person shall acquire civil service status in the same position so as to deprive the officer or employee of his or her right to restoration as provided for herein.
This section shall be retroactively applied to extend the right of reentry into public office or employment to public officers and employees who resigned prior to its effective date.
This section does not apply to any public officer or employee to whom the right to reenter public office or employment after service in the Armed Forces has been granted by any other provision of law.
If any provision of this section, or the application of this section to any person or circumstance, is held invalid, the remainder of this section, or the application of this section to persons or circumstances other than those as to which it is held invalid, shall not be affected thereby.
If the provisions of this section are in conflict with the provisions of a memorandum of understanding reached pursuant to Chapter 12 (commencing with Section 3560) of Division 4 of Title 1 of the Government Code, the memorandum of understanding shall be controlling without further legislative action, except that if the provisions of a memorandum of understanding require the expenditure of funds, the provisions shall not become effective unless approved by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act.

Source: Section 395.3, https://leginfo.­legislature.­ca.­gov/faces/codes_displaySection.­xhtml?lawCode=MVC§ionNum=395.­3.­ (accessed Apr. 24, 2025).

Last Updated

Apr. 24, 2025

§ 395.3’s source at ca​.gov