ARTICLE 6. Judges’ Retirement Fund [75100. - 75111.]

Cal. Government Code - GOV 6.
in effect

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 75100. Section 75100.

There is in the State Treasury a fund known as the Judges’ Retirement Fund. All retirement allowances payable by law to judges shall be paid out of this fund. The fund shall consist of all cash, securities, or other assets paid into it in accordance with this article.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 75101. Section 75101.

The Controller shall at the end of each month ascertain the aggregate amount of the annual salaries of judges covered by the system, and out of the General Fund he or she shall transfer monthly into the Judges’ Retirement Fund a sum equal to 8 percent of one-twelfth of the aggregate amount of those salaries.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 75102. Section 75102.

Except as provided in Section 75103.3, the Controller shall at the end of each month commencing with the salary for the month of July 1964 deduct 8 percent from the monthly salary, not including the additional compensation pursuant to Section 68203.1, of each Justice of the Supreme Court and of the courts of appeal and of the portion paid by the state of the monthly salary of each judge of the superior court and shall cause this amount to be paid into the Judges’ Retirement Fund.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 75103. Section 75103.

Except as provided in Section 75103.3, the auditor of each county shall deduct 8 percent from the portion paid by a county of the monthly salary, not including the additional compensation pursuant to Section 68203.1, of each judge of the superior court and cause this amount to be paid into the Judges’ Retirement Fund.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 75103.1. Section 75103.1.

The Legislature reserves the right to increase the rates of contribution prescribed by Sections 75101 to 75103, inclusive, in such amounts as it may find appropriate.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 75103.3. Section 75103.3.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the state and the county may pick up, for the sole purpose of deferring income taxes thereon, as authorized by Section 414(h)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C.A. Sec. 414(h)(2)) and Section 17501 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, all of the normal contributions required to be deducted under Sections 75102 to 75103, inclusive, and paid into the Judges’ Retirement Fund. The payments shall be reported as employer-paid normal contributions and shall be credited to the judge’s account. Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the authority of the state or the county to periodically eliminate the pickup by the state of all of the normal contributions required to be paid by a judge, as authorized by this section. This section shall not affect the computation of a judge’s retirement allowance.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 75103.5. Section 75103.5.

No county shall directly or indirectly pay from its funds the member contributions to the Judges’ Retirement Fund required by this article.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 75103.6. Section 75103.6.

Calculations of retirement benefits and Extended Service Incentive Program benefits under this chapter for any judge in the Voluntary Waiver of Salary Program, as described in paragraph (4) of subdivision (b) of Section 68106, shall include salary and contributions that would have been paid had the judge not been in the program. The state shall pay the costs that result from the increased benefits and monetary credits.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 75104. Section 75104.

(a) Except as otherwise provided in subdivisions (b) and (c), should any judge die, resign, or cease to be a judge prior to his or her retirement, or die after electing to allow his or her accumulated contributions to remain in the fund pursuant to Section 75033 but prior to attaining age 65, the amount of his or her accumulated contribution shall be paid to his or her beneficiary nominated by written designation duly filed with the Judges’ Retirement System, or to him or her, as the case may be. If an allowance is paid to a surviving spouse pursuant to this chapter, no payment shall be made pursuant to this section. (b) A judge who has filed a declaration of candidacy for election or reelection to any judicial office may not withdraw his or her contributions until after the election. If a judge is elected or reelected to a judicial office, he or she may not withdraw his or her contributions until he or she has declined to accept the office or has ceased to hold the office to which he or she has been elected. (c) A judge who has been appointed, commissioned, or nominated to any judicial office of this state may not withdraw his or her contributions until he or she has declined to serve or terminated his or her service in the latter office.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 75104.4. Section 75104.4.

(a) The surviving spouse of any judge who dies on or after January 1, 1954, but before retirement and after becoming eligible for retirement pursuant to Section 75025 or 75033 or who dies on or after January 1, 1954, while serving as judge and has served as a judge for 30 years, shall receive an allowance equal to one-half of the amount of the unmodified retirement allowance that would be payable to the judge were he or she living and retired under this chapter. The allowance is payable commencing upon the day following the date of the death of the judge and continuing until the death of the surviving spouse. If, pursuant to this section, an allowance is paid to the surviving spouse of a judge, no payment shall be made pursuant to Section 75104 or 75104.5. (b) The Legislature hereby finds and declares that the payment of allowances to the surviving spouse of a judge pursuant to this section, as amended at the 1959 Regular Session of the Legislature, serves a public purpose in that it promotes the public welfare by encouraging experienced jurists to continue their service in the expectation that the Legislature will fairly provide for their surviving spouses under changing circumstances, as the Legislature is now doing for spouses of judges who have heretofore died. Continued service by, and increased efficiency of, judges secure in this knowledge will more than compensate the state for any increased expense for allowances to surviving spouses provided by the amendment enacted at the 1959 session of the Legislature.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 75104.5. Section 75104.5.

Upon the death of a judge before retirement there shall be paid to his or her beneficiary, if he or she has designated one, and if not, to his or her estate, in addition to any other benefits provided by this chapter or by Division 4 of the Labor Code, an amount equal to one-twelfth of the annual compensation of that judge during the 12 months immediately preceding his or her death, multiplied by the completed number of years of service as a judge, but not to exceed one-half of the judge’s annual compensation. The benefit accorded by this section is not payable if the deceased judge’s spouse survives him or her and is entitled to receive an allowance for life pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 75105. Section 75105.

The Board of Administration of the Public Employees’ Retirement System shall have authority to invest the money contained in the Judges’ Retirement Fund in the same manner and subject to the same restrictions as investments of the Public Employees’ Retirement Fund.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 75106. Section 75106.

The State Treasurer is the custodian of the Judges’ Retirement Fund. At the end of each month the Judges’ Retirement System shall ascertain the written notices of voluntary retirement and the written certificates of involuntary retirement that have been filed with the Judges’ Retirement System and cause warrants to be drawn upon the State Treasury in favor of each retired judge for the amount of the retirement allowance to which he or she is entitled.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 75106.5. Section 75106.5.

A retired judge or the surviving spouse of a judge, entitled to receive an allowance under the provisions of this chapter, may authorize deductions to be made from the allowance, in accordance with regulations established for the payment of group insurance premiums and other premiums provided for under the provisions of Section 1156 of this code as well as shares or obligations of any regularly chartered credit union.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 75107. Section 75107.

Whenever it appears to the Judges’ Retirement System that the money in the Judges’ Retirement Fund is insufficient, or is likely to become insufficient, to pay all retirement allowances payable by law to retired judges and all other obligations of the fund which will become payable during the ensuing fiscal year, the Judges’ Retirement System shall report such condition of the fund to the Legislature at its next regular session, and upon receipt of such report it shall be the duty and obligation of the Legislature to appropriate, in the State Budget Act, or otherwise, such sums as may be necessary to make the Judges’ Retirement Fund fully sufficient to pay all of the obligations of the fund which will become payable during the ensuing fiscal year.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 75108. Section 75108.

Notwithstanding any other provision, all expenses of administration of this article shall be paid by appropriation from the fund.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 75109. Section 75109.

If the Judges’ Retirement System determines that there has been an overpayment of contributions or that any amount not required to be paid under this chapter has been paid by a judge, the Judges’ Retirement System shall refund the amount of the overpayment or excess payment to the judge. So much money as may be necessary is hereby appropriated from the Judges’ Retirement Fund for the purpose of making refunds under this section.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 75109.1. Section 75109.1.

(a) When there has been a payment of death benefits, a return of accumulated contributions, a contribution adjustment, or a deposit of contributions, this system may refrain from collecting an underpayment of accumulated contributions if the amount to be collected is two hundred fifty dollars ($250) or less. (b) Notwithstanding Section 75109, when there has been a payment of death benefits, a return of accumulated contributions, a contribution adjustment, or a deposit of contributions, and there is a balance of fifty dollars ($50) or less remaining posted to a member’s individual account, or an overpayment of fifty dollars ($50) or less was received, this system may dispense with a return of accumulated contributions. (c) When there is a positive or negative balance of two hundred fifty dollars ($250) or less remaining posted to a member’s individual account, or the balance exceeds two hundred fifty dollars ($250) but the difference to the monthly allowance unmodified by any optional settlement is less than five dollars ($5), this system may dispense with any recalculation of, or other adjustment to, benefit payments. (d) The dollar amounts specified in subdivisions (a) and (c) shall be adjusted in accordance with any changes in the dollar amounts specified in Section 12438.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 75109.5. Section 75109.5.

The Judges’ Retirement System shall keep in convenient form such data as is necessary for the actuarial valuation of this retirement law. As of June 30, 1973, and thereafter at the ends of periods not to exceed four years, the Judges’ Retirement System shall cause to be made an actuarial investigation into the mortality, service and compensation experience of members and persons receiving benefits and an actuarial valuation of the assets and liabilities of this retirement law. From time to time the Judges’ Retirement System shall determine the rate of interest being earned on the Judges’ Retirement Fund. The Judges’ Retirement System shall cause to be published, as of the date of the investigation and valuation, a financial statement showing an actuarial valuation of the assets and liabilities of the system and a certified statement as to the accumulated cash and securities in the Judges’ Retirement Fund. The Judges’ Retirement System shall include recommendations for financing the retirement law in the financial statement.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 75109.6. Section 75109.6.

When there is insufficient data upon which to establish mortality rates or other actuarial assumptions required to evaluate the obligations of the system, the board may adopt appropriate assumptions which are necessary, upon the advice and recommendation of the actuary. All computations, payments, and other acts previously made or done by the board or its officers and employees which would be valid if this section has been in effect at the time the computations, payments, or other acts were made or done are hereby ratified, confirmed, and validated.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 75109.7. Section 75109.7.

The board may assess a county a reasonable amount to cover costs incurred because of the county’s failure to submit reports within 30 days of the date the reports are due. The payments of the assessments shall be credited to the Judges’ Retirement Fund. The board may charge interest on the amount of any payment due and unpaid by a county until payment is received. Interest shall be charged at a rate approximating the average rate received on moneys then being invested. The interest charged shall be deemed interest earnings in the year in which received.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 75111. Section 75111.

(a) Whenever a person entitled to payment of a member’s contributions or any other benefit fails to claim the payment or cannot be located or a warrant in payment is canceled pursuant to Section 17070, the amount owed from the retirement fund shall be administered in accordance with subdivision (c). (b) Whenever the amount of a benefit payable by this system cannot be determined because the recipient cannot be identified or information necessary to determination of the benefit to be paid cannot be acertained, the contributions of the member on whose account the benefit is payable shall be administered in accordance with subdivision (c). (c) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the amounts described in subdivisions (a) and (b) shall be held, or if a warrant has been drawn the warrant shall be redeposited in the retirement fund and held for the claimant without accumulation of interest, and the redeposit shall not operate to reinstate the membership of the person with respect to whose membership the refund or benefit was payable in this system. If the proceeds, whether heretofore or hereafter redeposited, are not claimed within four years after the date of the redeposit, they shall revert to and become a part of the fund. Transfer to the fund shall be made as of the June 30th next following the expiration of the four-year period. The board may at any time after transfer of proceeds to the fund upon receipt of proper information satisfactory to it, return the proceeds to the credit of the claimant, to be administered in the manner provided under this system.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026

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