HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES-26-7568 (LAWN BOWLING CLUB)Docusign Envelope ID: 539B0247-6DD1-8EB7-83C8-5D68D30790B6
CITY OF HERMOSA BEACH
RESOLUTION NO. 26-7568
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HERMOSA BEACH,
CALIFORNIA, MAKING FINDINGS OF PUBLIC PURPOSE AND PUBLIC
BENEFIT REGARDING THE USE OF CITY PROPERTY BY THE HERMOSA
BEACH LAWN BOWLING CLUB; APPROVING LICENSE AGREEMENT; AND
IMPLEMENTING PUBLIC ACCESS, RISK ALLOCATION, AND OPERATIONAL
REQUIREMENTS
WHEREAS, the City of Hermosa Beach ("City") City Council adopted
Resolution No. 1016 dated March 7, 1933, authorizing the acquisition of real
property for expansion of Cypress Park for public park and recreational purposes
("Recreational Purposes"); and
WHEREAS, former Mayor John Clark donated funds to the City for the
construction of a lawn bowling green to be held in trust for Recreational Purposes
("Clark Complex"), which constitutes public recreational property owned and
maintained by the City (and the facility was dedicated on June 15, 1935); and
WHEREAS, the Hermosa Beach Lawn Bowling Club ("HBLBC") has operated
lawn bowling activities at the Clark Complex providing recreational
programming, instruction, tournaments, public access opportunities, and
community events; and
WHEREAS, the City has historically supported HBLBC through provision of
facilities, maintenance services, and utilities ("City Services") without a formal
written agreement allocating financial terms, liability, indemnification, insurance
coverage, regulatory compliance, public access obligations, accessibility
compliance obligations, or maintenance and operational responsibilities
("Operational Responsibilities"); and
WHEREAS, the Clark Complex must remain available for public recreational
use in consideration of support by City Services, and may not be unlawfully
delegated to private entities without adequate safeguards ensuring continued
public benefit and access pursuant to the California Constitution (Section 6 to
Article XVI); and
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WHEREAS, the City may elect to complete certain capital improvements to
the Facilities, including roof replacement work, through the City's Capital
Improvement Program, in order to ensure compliance with City standards and
public procurement requirements; and
WHEREAS, the City has prepared a License Agreement which establishes
the Operational Responsibilities governing HBLBC's use of the Clark Complex to
ensure safeguards by requiring: (1) ongoing public access; (2) compliance with
applicable laws including accessibility requirements; (3) City oversight of events,
rentals, and third -party uses; (4) indemnification and defense obligations in favor
of the City; (5) insurance requirements including additional insured and
primary/non-contributory provisions; (6) maintenance, safety, and operational
obligations; and (7) regulation of third -party activities and use of City property;
and
WHEREAS, the License Agreement is intended to operate as a temporary
one-year arrangement, subject only to possible month -to -month extensions upon
mutual agreement of the Parties; and does not create any leasehold, tenancy,
easement, vested right, or other property interest in favor of HBLBC.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HERMOSA BEACH,
CALIFORNIA, DOES HEREBY RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Incorporation of Recitals. The recitals above are true and
correct, and are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
SECTION 2. Findings. The City Council hereby finds the following, and such
findings set forth in this Resolution are legislative determinations entitled to
deference and shall be used to interpret and support the validity of any
agreement approved by the City Council. In addition, the findings contained
herein shall apply to and support the validity and enforceability of the License
Agreement, and all related operational requirements approved pursuant thereto:
a. Public Purpose. The continued use of the Clark Complex
by HBLBC serves a valid and substantial public purpose including: (1) providing
recreational opportunities to the public consistent with the City's park and
recreation mission; (2) promoting health, wellness, and social engagement
through accessible recreational programming; (3) preserving a historically
significant community recreational activity within the City; (4) supplementing City
recreational services through volunteer -based programming; and (5) ensuring
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continued activation and stewardship of a portion of the Clark Complex for
Recreational Purposes.
b. Public Benefit. HBLBC provides direct and quantifiable
public benefits including: (1) offering free or low-cost lawn bowling instruction
open to the public; (2) providing community access to recreational facilities and
programming; (3) supporting community events and activities accessible to
residents; (4) maintaining and activating a portion of the Clark Complex for
recreational use that might otherwise require additional City resources; (5)
providing structured programming, event oversight, and facility activation subject
to City review and approval as required under the License Agreement; and (6)
providing publicly accessible recreational opportunities and instruction consistent
with the public recreational purpose of the Clark Complex (regardless of its
current organizational form; provided that HBLBC complies with the operational,
public access, insurance, maintenance, and other requirements imposed by the
License Agreement).
C. Adequate Consideration. The public benefits described
herein constitute adequate consideration in exchange for the use of City
property and the provision of limited City resources, and therefore do not
constitute a gift of public funds in violation of the California Constitution; and such
consideration is further supported by the obligations imposed under the License
Agreement including maintenance responsibilities, accessibility compliance
obligations, risk transfer provisions, insurance obligations, operational
requirements, and financial terms (including the annual license fee, fees, and/or
revenue sharing). Such consideration may also include reimbursement
obligations or cost -sharing arrangements associated with City -funded capital
improvements benefiting HBLBC facilities.
(1) The City Council finds the public benefits provided
by HBLBC under the License Agreement constitute substantial additional
consideration supporting the City's authorization of continued use of the Facilities.
(2) The City Council expressly finds that the License
Agreement serves a valid public purpose and does not constitute a gift of public
funds or public resources in violation of the California Constitution (Section 6 of
Article XVI), and that the consideration received by the City is reasonably related
to and supports the public purposes identified herein.
(3) The City Council further finds that the annual
license fee, public access obligations, recreational programming, maintenance
obligations, insurance requirements, indemnification obligations, operational
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responsibilities, and other commitments undertaken by HBLBC collectively
constitute adequate consideration supporting the License Agreement; and that
such consideration is not dependent upon whether HBLBC is presently
incorporated as a nonprofit public benefit corporation.
d. Formal Agreement. The current informal arrangement is
insufficient to adequately protect the City's legal and financial interests, and the
License Agreement approved herein is necessary to ensure compliance with
applicable law and risk management practices.
(1) Such agreement must include provisions
addressing indemnification, insurance, maintenance responsibilities, public
access, accessibility obligations, public -benefit obligations, and financial terms.
(2) The City Council finds that formal allocation of
operational, maintenance, insurance, indemnification, and public access
obligations is necessary to reduce legal exposure and ensure continued
compliance with applicable law and public policy.
(3) The City Council further finds that the License
Agreement shall appropriately require HBLBC to pursue formal nonprofit
incorporation and organizational documentation as part of the City's ongoing
risk -management and governance objectives.
e. Preservation of Public Use. Any agreement with HBLBC
must preserve the public nature of the Clark Complex, ensure reasonable and
ongoing public access to the premises, and prevent exclusive private control
inconsistent with public park purposes; and the License Agreement includes
enforceable provisions to ensure such public access and prevent exclusive
private use (including publicly available instruction and participation
opportunities, periodic public programming, and reasonable opportunities for
community participation in Lawn Bowling Activities).
f. Risk Allocation and Legal Compliance. The License
Agreement appropriately allocates risk and addresses legal concerns identified
by the City Attorney by: (1) requiring indemnification and defense of the City; (2)
establishing insurance requirements including additional insured and
primary/non-contributory provisions; (3) assigning maintenance and safety
responsibilities; (4) requiring compliance with accessibility, safety, maintenance,
and other legal requirements; (5) regulating third -party use of City property; (6)
requiring oversight and compliance obligations for third -party users, renters,
tournaments, and events conducted at the Clark Complex; (7) establishing
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mechanisms for future maintenance allocation, utility allocation, and cost -sharing
for major capital improvements and shared facilities; and (8) preserving the City's
ability to periodically review, modify, renew, extend, or terminate the
arrangement based upon public benefit, operational performance, risk
management, public policy considerations, and compliance with organizational -
status requirements imposed by the License Agreement.
SECTION 3. Approval of License Agreement. The City Council hereby
approves the License Agreement (including Exhibits B and C) in substantially the
form presented, and authorizes the City Manager to execute the same subject to
modification by the City Attorney.
a. The City Manager is authorized to approve non -
substantive revisions consistent with the intent of this Resolution and subject to
approval as to form by the City Attorney.
b. The City Council acknowledges the License Agreement
is intended as a temporary one-year arrangement for purposes of evaluating
operational performance, public benefit, risk allocation, long-term use of the
Facilities, and the effectiveness of the License Agreement in addressing the legal
and risk -management concerns identified by the City (including evaluation of
HBLBC's progress toward formal organizational and governance requirements
established by the License Agreement); and that any future renewal, extension,
replacement agreement, or material modification shall remain subject to future
City approval requirements.
SECTION 4. California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA"). The City
Council finds the following:
a. CEQA Guidelines section 15061(b) (3) (Common Sense
Exemption). Approval of the License Agreement and adoption of this Resolution
are exempt from CEQA because it can be seen with certainty that there is no
possibility that approval of the License Agreement and the actions authorized by
this Resolution may have a significant effect on the environment.
b. CEQA Guidelines section 15301 (Existing Facilities). The
action is exempt from CEQA because the License Agreement authorizes the
continued operation, maintenance, and use of existing public recreational
facilities involving negligible or no expansion of existing use.
C. CEQA Guidelines section 15304 (Minor Alterations to
Land). To the extent applicable, the action is exempt from CEQA because the
License Agreement authorizes only minor operational activities associated with
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the continued use of the existing Facilities and does not authorize any substantial
physical alteration of the site.
d. Future Capital Improvement Project. Approval of the
License Agreement does not approve any future capital improvement project,
roof replacement project, physical expansion, construction activity, or other
action that may require separate environmental review under CEQA. Any such
future project shall be evaluated independently for CEQA compliance, if required
by law.
SECTION 5. Severability. If any section or provision of this Resolution is for any
reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by any court of competent
jurisdiction, or contravened by reason of any preemptive legislation, the remaining
sections and/or provisions of this Resolution shall remain valid. The City Council
declares that it would have adopted this Resolution, and each section or provision
thereof, regardless of the fact that any one or more section(s) or provision(s) may
be declared invalid or unconstitutional or contravened via legislation.
SECTION 6. Certification. The City Clerk shall certify to the passage and
adoption of this Resolution; cause the same to be entered among the original
resolutions of the City; and make a minute of the passage and adoption thereof
in the records of the proceedings of the City Council in the minutes of the meeting
at which time same is passed and adopted.
SECTION 7. Effective Date. This Resolution is effective immediately upon
adoption.
a. Approval Survival. The findings contained herein shall
survive approval of the License Agreement and shall continue to apply to any
month -to -month extension authorized pursuant to the terms of the License
Agreement, unless the City Council determines that additional or modified
findings are necessary.
b. No Vested Right. Nothing in this Resolution shall be
construed as creating any vested right to renewal, extension, continued
occupancy, or continued use of the Facilities beyond the term authorized by the
License Agreement.
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Aa
PASSED, APPROVED and ADOPTED on this 28th day of July 2026.
Nudes(, vabt
Mayor Mike Detoy
PRESIDENT of the City Council and MAYOR of the City of Hermosa Beach, CA
ATTEST:
Nl.av%�.a Q�aV't�j
Martha Alvarez
City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
�a.sbv' 154mbm
Jason Baltimore
Interim City Attorney
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RES. 26-7568
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State of California
County of Los Angeles
City of Hermosa Beach
August 5, 2026
ss
Certification of Council Action
RESOLUTION NO. RES-26-7568
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY CO NCIL OF THE CITY OF HERMO A BEACH,
CALIFORNIA, MAKING FINDINGS OF PUBLIC PURPOSE AND PUBLIC
BENEFIT REGARDING THE USE OF CITY PROPERTY BY THE HERMOSA
BEACH LAWN BO ING CLUB; APPROVING LICENSE AGREEMENT; AND
IMPLEMENTING PUBLIC ACCESS, RISK ALLO TION, AND OPERATIONAL
REQUIREMENTS
I, Martha Alvarez, City Clerk of the City of Hermosa Beach, do hereby certify
that the above and foregoing Resolution No. RES-26-7568 was duly approved and
adopted by the City Council of said City at its regular meeting thereof held on
the 28th day of July 2026 and passed by the following vote:
AYES: MAYOR DETOY, MAYOR PRO TEMPORE KEEGAN, CO NCILMEMBERS
JACKSON, FRANCO S, AND SAEMANN
NOES: NONE
ABSTAIN: NONE
ABSENT: NONE
0
Martha Alvarez
City Clerk