Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Director of General Services, with the consent of the department, may lease to the Friends of the Mount Whitney Hatchery, at no cost, and subject to any other terms and conditions that the director deems appropriate, for a term not to exceed 25 years, and with the possibility of renewal, the Mount Whitney Fish Hatchery facilities, or any portion thereof, situated in the County of Inyo. The leased portion of the building shall be used for environmental education purposes and other related activities designed to benefit the hatchery and the community. The lease shall require the Friends of the Mount Whitney Fish Hatchery to permit reasonable public access to the facility, to obtain and maintain liability insurance for the leased portion of the facility, and to maintain the leased portion of the facility at all times. The lease shall provide that any work done on the facility shall be performed in consultation with the State Office of Historic Preservation. The lease shall also provide that the state, agents of the state, the department, and agents of the department shall be held harmless from, and indemnified against, any liability resulting from the acts or omissions of the Friends of the Mount Whitney Fish Hatchery performed in the course of the lease agreement.
(Added by Stats. 2005, Ch. 563, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2006.)