California Code, Government Code - GOV § 21252

(a) A member's written application for retirement, if submitted to the board within nine months after the date the member discontinued his or her state service, and, in the case of retirement for disability, if the member was physically or mentally incapacitated to perform his or her duties from the date the member discontinued state service to the time the written application for retirement was submitted to the board, shall be deemed to have been submitted on the last day for which salary was payable. The effective date of a written application for retirement submitted to the board more than nine months after the member's discontinuance of state service shall be the first day of the month in which the member's application is received at an office of the board or by an employee of this system designated by the board.

(b) An application for retirement may only be submitted by or for a member who is living on the date the application is actually received by the system. If the member has been deemed incompetent to act on his or her own behalf continuously from the last day for which salary was payable, the effective date of retirement may not be earlier than one year prior to the month in which an application submitted by the guardian of the member's estate is received by the system.

(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a member who separates from a retirement system that has established reciprocity with this system with the intention of retiring concurrently under both systems and who submits his or her application for retirement for service to the board within nine months after that separation, may have his or her application received and acted upon by this system as if the application were submitted pursuant to this section.