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HomeMy WebLinkAbout85-25 - Senate Bill 433 - Natural Condition ImmunityRESOLUTION NO. 85 -25 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH IN SUPPORT OF SENATE BILL 433 REGARDING NATURAL CONDITION IMMJNITY (BERGESON) • WHEREAS, in 1963 the State Legislature enacted comprehensisve statutes imposing liability on public entities for damages or injuries in certain circumstances and granting immunity in other cases; and WHEREAS, as a part of this comprehensive statutory scheme, public entities were granted an absolute immunity from liability for injuries resulting from a natural condition of unimproved public property; and WHEREAS, the Legislature, in granting this natural condition immunity, recognized in 1963, that the burden and expense of putting all unimproved public property in a safe condition, and the expense of defending claims for injuries resulting from the use of that unimproved public property, would cause many public entities to close such areas to public use; and WHEREAS, the,Legislature also recognized that it is not unreasonable to expect persons, who voluntarily use unimproved public property in its natural condition, to assume the risk of injuries arising from such use; and WHEREAS, the reasons advanced by the Legislature in 1963 for granting natural condition immunity to unimproved public property apply today, to a far greater extent than before, given the rapidly increasing number of claims and lawsuits, mounting litigation expenses and budget reductions resulting from measures such as Proposition 13; and WHEREAS, the California Court of Appeal has recently • ruled that natural condition immunity may not apply if a governmental entity has previously provided public safety services, or has previously posted warnings on property otherwise in a natural condition; and 0 WHEREAS, State Senator Marian Bergeson has introduced Senate Bill 433 to reconfirm the Legislature's commitment to extend the natural condition immunity when governmental entities have provided protective services with respect to property that is otherwise in a natural condition and, that natural condition irrmunity also applies in spite of the fact that minor improvements may have been made to the property, so long as the primary cause of the injury causing the condition was a natural force, or combination of natural forces; and WHEREAS, Senate Bill 433 strikes an appropriate balance between the need to provide reasonable protection for the user of public property, and the need to encourage governmental entities to open their property for recreational use without fear of incurring substantial liability. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of Newport Beach hereby supports Senate Bill 433 and encourages its adoption by the State Legislature. ADOPTED this 8th day of _April , 1985. ATTEST: r City Clerk i -,:,�,