(a) The Legislature hereby finds and declares both of the following:
(1) In 1989, the Legislature enacted this division as the California Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989. One of the key provisions of this division is that each local agency has the responsibility for diverting 50 percent of all solid waste generated within the local agency by January 1, 2000.
(2) The public policy objective of the Legislature in enacting this section is to ensure that those local agencies that require an indemnity obligation retain their responsibility for implementing the diversion requirements of this division.
(b) For the purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:
(1) “Indemnity obligation” means any indemnity obligation directly or indirectly related to the failure of a local agency to meet the solid waste diversion requirements imposed by Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 41780) of Part 2, that is expressly assumed by, or imposed upon, the solid waste enterprise, whether pursuant to ordinance, contract, franchise, license, permit, or other entitlement or right, for the benefit of the local agency.
(2) “Local agency” means any county, city, city and county, district, regional agency as defined in Section 40181, or other local government agency.
(c) Any provision, term, condition, or requirement contained in any ordinance, contract, franchise, license, permit, or other entitlement or right adopted, entered into, issued, or granted, as the case may be, by a local agency for solid waste collection and handling, including the recycling, processing, or composting of solid waste, or in any request for bids or proposals in connection with any such contract or franchise, that authorizes or requires the imposition of an indemnity obligation, shall, notwithstanding any such provision, term, condition, or requirement, be subject to all of the following restrictions:
(1) An indemnity obligation shall not be enforceable if the board imposed penalty is based solely upon the failure of the local agency to establish and maintain a source reduction and recycling element pursuant to Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 41000) of Part 2, Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 41300) of Part 2, or Section 41750.1, as the case may be.
(2) Any board imposed penalty based upon a local agency’s failure to meet the solid waste diversion requirements imposed by Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 41780) of Part 2, resulting in whole or in part from the solid waste enterprise’s breach of contract or noncompliance with any other authorization, shall be apportioned in accordance with the percentage of fault of the local agency and the solid waste enterprise.
(3) For purposes of this section, a solid waste enterprise is not liable for the indemnity obligation to the extent that the solid waste enterprise’s breach or noncompliance resulted from the action or failure to act of the local agency.
(4) No payment required or imposed pursuant to an indemnity obligation, whether required or imposed by ordinance, contract, franchise, license, permit, or other entitlement or right, may exceed that portion of any penalty assessed by the board against the local agency that was caused by the solid waste enterprise’s breach or noncompliance of an express obligation or requirement.
(5) No indemnity obligation shall be enforceable against a solid waste enterprise until the local agency has affirmatively sought, in good faith, all administrative relief available pursuant to Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 41780) and Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 41800) of Part 2, unless the local agency demonstrates good cause, based on substantial evidence in the record, for not pursuing that administrative relief. The solid waste enterprise shall cooperate, in good faith, with the local agency seeking that administrative relief and shall provide in writing to the local agency all known defenses to the imposition of penalties.
(d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to preclude either party from seeking any other remedy under law or equity.
(e) The provisions of this section are not subject to waiver, and any attempted waiver shall be null and void as against public policy.
(f) This section is not intended to do any of the following:
(1) Add to or expand the authority of local agencies to determine aspects of solid waste collection and handling pursuant to Section 40059.
(2) Alter the authority of business entities to collect or process materials that are not solid waste.
(3) Affect any contract right existing on the effective date of this section.
(Added by Stats. 1998, Ch. 987, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1999.)