SEC. 21.31. SETTLEMENT BUREAU.

(Added by Ord. No. 174,083, Eff. 8/19/01, Oper. 1/1/02.)

(a) There shall be a Settlement Bureau in the City Attorney’s office, which shall be staffed by one or more representatives of the City Attorney. The purpose of the Settlement Bureau shall be to receive and respond to offers of settlement from persons who have been assessed or otherwise billed for delinquent taxes, or who have filed claims for refund of overpaid taxes which have been denied in whole or in part, under this article or Articles 1.1, 1.3, 1.7, 1.11 or 1.15 of this chapter. The tender of an offer of settlement shall not constitute any part of the offeror’s administrative remedy process. The amount of any unaccepted offer or counteroffer of settlement shall not be disclosed by the Settlement Bureau staff to any person outside of the Settlement Bureau, whether within or without the City Attorney’s office, except as may be necessary to obtain approval of a provisionally accepted settlement, as provided in subsection (c) hereof.

(b) Any person may tender to the Settlement Bureau an offer of settlement of a claim by or against the City, described in subsection (a) hereof, prior to the commencement of litigation on the merits of said claim. Each such offer shall be in writing and contain the amount the offeror proposes to pay to or receive from the City and the factual and legal grounds in support of the offer. In response to any offer or counteroffer of settlement, the Settlement Bureau, on behalf of the City, shall accept it, reject it or make a counteroffer. The terms of any settlement between the offeror and the City shall be set forth in a written agreement executed on behalf of both parties. The tender or pendency of an offer of settlement in the Settlement Bureau shall not affect the timing or disposition of any administrative proceeding under 21.16 of this article. Upon execution of a written settlement agreement on behalf of both parties, any pending administrative proceeding on a claim which is the subject of the settlement shall terminate. Upon the commencement of litigation by or against the City on the merits of a claim which is the subject of a pending settlement offer or counteroffer, said pending offer or counteroffer shall be deemed rejected.

(c) Any settlement offer or counteroffer accepted by the Settlement Bureau, which requires the approval of a person or entity, other than the City Attorney, pursuant to Charter Section 273 or Los Angeles Administrative Code Sections 5.173 or 5.175, shall be accepted provisionally on behalf of the City, subject to obtaining such other required approval.