(a) The court may appoint as trustee of a trust the public guardian or public administrator of the county in which the matter is pending subject to the following requirements:
(1) Neither the public guardian nor the public administrator shall be appointed as trustee unless the court finds, after reasonable inquiry, that no other qualified person is willing to act as trustee or the public guardian, public administrator, or his or her representative consents.
(2) The public administrator shall not be appointed as trustee unless either of the following is true:
(A) At the time of the appointment and pursuant to the terms of the trust, the entire trust is then to be distributed outright. For purposes of this paragraph, a trust that is “then to be distributed outright” does not include a trust pursuant to which payments to, or on behalf of, a beneficiary or beneficiaries are to be made from the trust on an ongoing basis for more than six months after the date of distribution.
(B) The public administrator consents.
(3) Neither the public guardian nor the public administrator shall be appointed as a cotrustee unless the public guardian, public administrator, or his or her representative consents.
(4) Neither the public guardian nor the public administrator shall be appointed as general trustee without a hearing and notice to the public guardian or public administrator, or his or her representative, and other interested persons as provided in Section 17203.
(5) Neither the public guardian nor the public administrator shall be appointed as temporary trustee without receiving notice of hearing as provided in Section 1220. The court shall not waive this notice of hearing, but may shorten the time for notice upon a finding of good cause.
(b) (1) If the public guardian or the public administrator consents to the appointment as trustee under this section, he or she shall submit a written certification of the consent to the court no later than two court days after the noticed hearing date described in paragraph (4) or (5) of subdivision (a). The public administrator shall not be appointed as trustee under subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) if, after receiving notice as required by this section, the public administrator files a written certification with the court that the public administrator is unable to provide the level of services needed to properly fulfill the obligations of a trustee of the trust.
(2) If the public administrator has been appointed as trustee without notice as required in paragraph (4) or (5) of subdivision (a), and the public administrator files a written certification with the court that he or she is unable to provide the level of services needed to properly fulfill the obligations of a trustee of the trust, this shall be good cause for the public administrator to be relieved as trustee.
(c) The order of appointment shall provide for an annual bond fee as described in Section 15688.
(Repealed and added by Stats. 2008, Ch. 237, Sec. 5. Effective January 1, 2009.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018