California Code, Government Code - GOV § 31776.4

(a) A participant may designate a person or persons as beneficiaries of the balance in the participant's program account at any time during the program period. Any beneficiary or beneficiaries shall be designated on a form prescribed by the board, signed by the participant, and filed with the board.

(b) The participant's beneficiary designation may not be given effect and shall be overridden to the extent that designation would impair the rights of any surviving spouse or surviving minors under applicable federal or state law.

(c) Unless otherwise provided in the beneficiary designation form, each designated beneficiary shall be entitled to equal shares of the lump-sum distribution that shall be payable from the participant's program account upon the death of the participant.

(d) The nomination of a beneficiary or beneficiaries under this section may be revoked at the pleasure of the person who made the nomination and a different beneficiary or beneficiaries may be nominated by a written designation duly executed and filed with the board.

(e) If the participant dies without a valid beneficiary designation on file, or if no designated beneficiary survives the participant, any balance remaining in the participant's account shall be payable to the participant's estate.