California Code, Government Code - GOV § 19889.4

(c)(1) An employee who at the time of his or her appointment to a career executive assignment was from outside civil service shall have the right to request a deferred examination for any open eligible list that his or her appointing power or the department has in existence at the time of the termination of the career executive assignment and for which he or she meets the minimum qualifications of the class to which he or she seeks appointment. Whether the employee takes a deferred examination or other open civil service examination, for purposes of evaluating whether he or she meets the minimum qualifications of the class to which he or she seeks appointment, related experience gained in a career executive assignment shall be considered as state civil service experience in a comparable class.

(2) A request for a deferred examination pursuant to paragraph (1) shall not be made later than 10 days after the effective date of the termination of the career executive assignment. The department or its designee shall administer the deferred examination within 30 days of the date of the request.