18934. (a) (1) Every applicant for examination shall file an application with the department or a designated appointing power as directed in the examination announcement. Applications shall be accepted free of any charge to the applicant. Filed applications and all other examination materials, including examination questions and any written material, are the property of the department and are confidential records not open to inspection except as provided by law.(2) The application shall include a place for listing volunteer experience and that experience shall be considered if it is relevant to the position being applied for and shall state that relevant volunteer experience will be given consideration as qualifying experience for state employment.(b) Whenever the department or a designated appointing power receives an application for examination that was filed online, the department, or the designated appointing power, shall do all of the following:(1) Provide the electronic communication address of the department or the electronic communication address of the designated appointing power to the applicant.(2) Contact the applicant using electronic communication instead of postal

cation address of the department or the electronic communication address of the designated appointing power to the applicant.(2) Contact the applicant using electronic communication instead of postal mail, unless the applicant specifically requests otherwise.(3) Inform the applicant that he or she will be provided with employment inquiry notifications and his or her score and rank on the examination using electronic communication, unless the applicant specifically requests to be notified using postal mail.(c) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2017.(Repealed (in Sec. 1) and added by Stats. 2014, Ch. 266, Sec. 2. (AB 1820) Effective January 1, 2015. Section operative July 1, 2017, by its own provisions.)