California Code, Government Code - GOV § 990

(a) Insure itself against all or any part of any tort or inverse condemnation liability.

(b) Insure any employee of the local public entity against all or any part of his liability for injury resulting from an act or omission in the scope of his employment.

(c) Insure, contract or provide against the expense of defending a claim against the local public entity or its employee, whether or not liability exists on such claim, including a claim for damages under Section 3294 of the Civil Code or otherwise for the sake of example or by way of punishment, where such liability arose from an act or omission in the scope of his employment, and an insurance contract for such purpose is valid and binding notwithstanding Section 1668 of the Civil Code, Section 533 of the Insurance Code, or any other provision of law.

(d) A hospital district may participate in a reciprocal or interinsurance exchange with the members of its medical staff as provided in Section 1284 of the Insurance Code.

Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize a local public entity to pay for, or to insure, contract, or provide for payment for, such part of a claim or judgment against an employee of the local entity as is for punitive or exemplary damages.