(a) A county board of supervisors may establish prehearing conferences. If prehearing conferences are established, the county board of supervisors shall adopt rules of procedure for prehearing conferences. A prehearing conference may be set by the clerk at the request of the applicant or the applicant's agent, the assessor, or at the direction of the appeals board. The purpose of a prehearing conference is to resolve issues such as, but not limited to, clarifying and defining the issues, determining the status of exchange of information requests and requests for information, stipulating to matters on which agreement has been reached, combining applications into a single hearing, bifurcating the hearing issues, and scheduling a date for a hearing officer or the board to consider evidence on the merits of the application.

(b) At a prehearing conference or other prehearing proceeding, the board shall not deny an application solely on the ground that the applicant has not responded to a request for information made under section 441(d) of the Revenue and Taxation Code.

(c) The clerk of the board shall set the matter for a prehearing conference and notify the applicant or the applicant's agent and the assessor of the time and date of the conference. Notice of the time, date, and place of the conference shall be given not less than 30 days prior to the conference, unless the assessor and the applicant stipulate orally or in writing to a shorter notice period.