Skip to main content
Loading…
This section is included in your selections.

(Ord 3326, 06/2003)

A. Indemnification Agreement.

1.All applications described in Section 38-151 shall include the applicant agreeing, as part of the application, to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the City and its agents, officers, attorneys and employees from any claim, action, or proceeding (collectively referred to as “proceeding”) brought against the City or its agents, officers, attorneys or employees to attack, set aside, void, or annul:

2.

a.Any such approval of the City; and/or

b.An action taken to provide environmental clearance under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by its advisory agencies, appeal boards, or City Council.

The indemnification agreement shall be in a form acceptable to the City Attorney and shall include, but not be limited to, damages, fees and/or costs awarded against the City, if any, and cost of suit, attorney’s fees, and other costs, liabilities and expenses incurred in connection with such proceeding whether incurred by the applicant, the City, and/or the parties initiating or bringing such proceeding. The agreement shall also include a provision obligating the applicant to indemnify the City for all of the City’s costs, fees, and damages that the City incurs in enforcing the indemnification provisions of this section.

3.Also at the time of submitting an application, the applicant shall agree, as part of the application, to defend, indemnify and hold harmless the City, its agents, officers, employees and attorneys for all costs incurred in additional investigation of or study of, or for supplementing, redrafting, revising, or amending any document (such as an EIR, negative declaration, specific plan, or general plan amendment) if made necessary by said proceeding and if the applicant desires to pursue securing such approvals and/or clearances, after initiation of the proceeding, which are conditioned on the approval of these documents.

4.In the event that a proceeding described in subdivision (A)(1) or (A)(2) of this section, or in subsection B of this section, is brought, the City shall promptly notify the applicant of the existence of the proceeding and the City will cooperate fully in the defense of the proceeding. Nothing in this section shall prohibit the City from participating in the defense of any proceeding.

5.In the event that the applicant is required to defend the City in connection with any proceeding described in subsection A of this section, or in subsection B of this section, the City shall retain the right to approve:

a.The counsel to so defend the City;

b.All significant decisions concerning the manner in which the defense is conducted; and

c.Any and all settlements, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld.

The City shall also have the right not to participate in the defense, except that the City agrees to cooperate with the applicant in the defense of the proceeding. If the City chooses to have counsel of its own defend any proceeding where the applicant has already retained counsel to defend the City in such matters, the fees and expenses of the counsel selected by the City shall be paid by the City. Notwithstanding the immediately preceding sentence, if the City Attorney’s Office participates in the defense, all City Attorney fees and costs shall be paid by the applicant.

6.If at the time that this section becomes effective, an application for any of the approvals or clearances covered by this section has already been deemed complete, there shall be added as a condition to its approval or clearance the obligation of the applicant to indemnify the City in a form and with language substantially in conformance with subsections (A)(1) through (A)(4) of this section.

B. Indemnification Applicable Even if Applicant Fails or Refuses to Enter Into Agreement.Even if the applicant for a discretionary approval described in subsection A of this section fails or refuses to enter into the agreement specified in subsections (A)(1) and (A)(2) of this section, that applicant, or the owner of the subject property if different from the applicant, shall, as a condition to any of the approvals specified below:

1.Defend, indemnify and hold harmless the City and its agents, officers, attorneys and employees from any claim, action, or proceeding (collectively referred to as “proceeding”) brought against the City or its agents, officers, attorneys or employees to attack, set aside, void, or annul the Council’s (or Commission’s) decision to approve any development or land use permit, license, approval or authorization, including but not limited to approval of, master plans, precise plans, preliminary plans, design review, variances, use permits, general plan amendments, zoning amendments, approvals and certifications under CEQA and/or any mitigation monitoring program, but excluding any subdivision approval governed by California Government Code §66474.9. This indemnification shall include, but not be limited to, damages, fees and/or costs awarded against the City, if any, and cost of suit, attorneys’ fees and other costs liabilities and expenses incurred in connection with such proceeding whether incurred by applicant, the City, and/or the parties initiating or bringing such proceeding.

2.Defend, indemnify and hold harmless the City, its agents, officers, employees and attorneys for all costs incurred in additional investigation and/or study of, or for supplementing, preparing, redrafting, revising, or amending any document (such as a negative declaration, EIR, specific plan or general plan amendment), if made necessary by said proceeding and if applicant desires to pursue securing such approvals, after initiation of such proceeding, which are conditioned on the approval of such documents.

3.Indemnify the City for all the City’s costs, fees, and damages that the City incurs in enforcing the indemnification provisions set forth in this section.