Welfare and Institutions Code § 5607

The local mental health services shall be administered by a local director of mental health services to be appointed by the governing body. He or she shall meet such standards of training and experience as the State Department of Health Care Services, by regulation, shall require. Applicants for these positions need not be residents of the city, county, or state, and may be employed on a full or part-time basis. If a county is unable to secure the services of a person who meets the standards of the State Department of Health Care Services, the county may select an alternate administrator.