Terms Used In California Codes > Civil Code > Division 4 > Part 5.3 > Chapter 3 - Governing Documents

• Accepting county: means the county accepting transferred territory by reason of a county boundary change. See California Government Code 23231
• Affected county: means each county from which territory is proposed to be transferred to create a new county. See California Government Code 23301
• Affirmed: In the practice of the appellate courts, the decree or order is declared valid and will stand as rendered in the lower court.
• Appraisal: A determination of property value.
• Approved county: means the territory to be included in a new county after the registered voters in the affected county or counties have approved the creation of such a new county at a primary election, pursuant to Article 4 (commencing with Section 23350), but before an election is held for purposes of determining the location of the county seat and the selection of county officers for such new county, pursuant to Article 4. See California Government Code 23301
• assessed value: means 25 percent of full value to, and including, the 1980-81 fiscal year, and 100 percent of full value for the 1981-82 fiscal year and fiscal years thereafter. See California Government Code 25
• Assessee: means the person to whom property or a tax is assessed. See California Revenue and Taxation Code 23
• Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
• back taxes: means all payments required to be made under any provision of law allowing payment of delinquent taxes in installments, except payments of current taxes due on the property and the penalties and costs on the current taxes. See California Revenue and Taxation Code 4187
• board: means any entity listed in Section 101, the entities referred to in Sections 1000 and 3600, the State Bar, the Department of Real Estate, and any other state agency that issues a license, certificate, or registration authorizing a person to engage in a business or profession. See California Business and Professions Code 31
• board: means the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. See California Revenue and Taxation Code 20
• Categorical populations: means those recipients of services provided pursuant to a program listed in Section 16366. See California Government Code 16366.2
• City: includes "city and county" and "incorporated town" but does not include "unincorporated town" or "village. See California Government Code 20
• City: includes incorporated city, city and county, municipal corporation, municipality, town, and incorporated town. See California Revenue and Taxation Code 14
• Clerk: means the clerk of a county board of supervisors. See California Government Code 23231
• Clerk: means the clerk of a county board of supervisors. See California Government Code 23301
• Commission: means the County Boundary Review Commission. See California Government Code 23231
• Commission: means the County Formation Review Commission. See California Government Code 23301
• Contiguous: means territory which adjoins the boundary line of the proposed county. See California Government Code 23301
• contract for dance studio lessons and other services: means a contract for instruction in ballroom or other types of dancing, and includes lessons and other services, whether given to students individually or in groups. See California Civil Code 1812.51
• contract for health studio services: means a contract for instruction, training or assistance in physical culture, body building, exercising, reducing, figure development, or any other such physical skill, or for the use by an individual patron of the facilities of a health studio, gymnasium or other facility used for any of the above purposes, or for membership in any group, club, association or organization formed for any of the above purposes. See California Civil Code 1812.81
• Controller: means the State Controller. See California Revenue and Taxation Code 21
• County: includes city and county. See California Government Code 19
• County: includes "city and county. See California Code of Civil Procedure 17
• county: includes "city and county". See California Penal Code 7
• County: includes "city and county. See California Public Resources Code 14
• County: includes city and county. See California Revenue and Taxation Code 15
• County: includes city and county. See California Financial Code 14
• County: includes city and county. See California Food and Agricultural Code 29
• creditor: means the state or the department or agency of the state seeking to collect the liability. See California Code of Civil Procedure 688.040
• debtor: means the debtor from whom the liability is sought to be collected. See California Code of Civil Procedure 688.040
• Defense attorney: Represent defendants in criminal matters.
• Department: means the Department of Food and Agriculture. See California Food and Agricultural Code 32
• Devise: To gift property by will.
• district attorney: means the civil legal adviser of the board of supervisors. See California Revenue and Taxation Code 4802
• Docket: A log containing brief entries of court proceedings.
• Earnings: means compensation payable by an employer to an employee for personal services performed by such employee, whether denominated as wages, salary, commission, bonus, or otherwise. See California Code of Civil Procedure 706.011
• Employee: means a public officer and any individual who performs services subject to the right of the employer to control both what shall be done and how it shall be done. See California Code of Civil Procedure 706.011
• Employer: means a person for whom an individual performs services as an employee. See California Code of Civil Procedure 706.011
• En banc: In the bench or "full bench." Refers to court sessions with the entire membership of a court participating rather than the usual quorum. U.S. courts of appeals usually sit in panels of three judges, but may expand to a larger number in certain cases. They are then said to be sitting en banc.
• Escheat: Reversion of real or personal property to the state when 1) a person dies without leaving a will and has no heirs, or 2) when the property (such as a bank account) has been inactive for a certain period of time. ^{Source: OCC}
• Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
• Ex officio: Literally, by virtue of one's office.
• exempt property: means :

  California Revenue and Taxation Code 5081

• Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation: A government corporation that insures the deposits of all national and state banks that are members of the Federal Reserve System. ^{Source: OCC}
• Federal Reserve System: The central bank of the United States. The Fed, as it is commonly called, regulates the U.S. monetary and financial system. The Federal Reserve System is composed of a central governmental agency in Washington, D.C. (the Board of Governors) and twelve regional Federal Reserve Banks in major cities throughout the United States. ^{Source: OCC}
• Finance charge: The total cost of credit a customer must pay on a consumer loan, including interest. The Truth in Lending Act requires disclosure of the finance charge. ^{Source: OCC}
• Garnishment: Generally, garnishment is a court proceeding in which a creditor asks a court to order a third party who owes money to the debtor or otherwise holds assets belonging to the debtor to turn over to the creditor any of the debtor
• General fund reserves: means the general fund reserve balance as of July 1, 1978, that is not legally obligated. See California Government Code 16271
• Governing body: means the board of supervisors except that in the case of a subsidiary district "governing body" means the city council, and in the case of a multi-county district "governing body" means the governing body of the multi-county district itself. See California Government Code 16271
• Indebtedness: means the net obligations of a county arising from contract or through the operation of law, other than short-term operational expenses, but including and not limited to obligations arising under general obligation bonds, leases, joint powers agreements, and similar obligations or contracts entered into by the county prior to the date on which a petition is filed. See California Government Code 23231
• Indebtedness: means the net obligations of a county arising from contract or through the operation of law, other than short-term operational expenses, but including and not limited to obligations arising under general obligation bonds, leases, joint powers agreements, and similar obligations or contracts entered into by the county prior to the date on which a petition is filed. See California Government Code 23301
• Indictment: The formal charge issued by a grand jury stating that there is enough evidence that the defendant committed the crime to justify having a trial; it is used primarily for felonies.
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• Joint tenancy: A form of property ownership in which two or more parties hold an undivided interest in the same property that was conveyed under the same instrument at the same time. A joint tenant can sell his (her) interest but not dispose of it by will. Upon the death of a joint tenant, his (her) undivided interest is distributed among the surviving joint tenants.
• Judgment debtor: includes a person from whom the state is seeking to collect a tax liability under Article 4 (commencing with Section 706. See California Code of Civil Procedure 706.011
• Juror: A person who is on the jury.
• Landscape architect: means a person who holds a license to practice landscape architecture in this state under the authority of this chapter. See California Business and Professions Code 5615
• Lawsuit: A legal action started by a plaintiff against a defendant based on a complaint that the defendant failed to perform a legal duty, resulting in harm to the plaintiff.
• Legal tender: coins, dollar bills, or other currency issued by a government as official money. ^{Source: U.S. Mint}
• license: means license, certificate, registration, or other means to engage in a business or profession regulated by this code or referred to in Section 1000 or 3600. See California Business and Professions Code 23.7
• license: shall include a permit or a certificate issued by a state agency. See California Penal Code 23
• Licensee: means any person authorized by a license, certificate, registration, or other means to engage in a business or profession regulated by this code or referred to in Sections 1000 and 3600. See California Business and Professions Code 23.8
• Life estate: A property interest limited in duration to the life of the individual holding the interest (life tenant).
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• month: means a calendar month, unless otherwise expressed. See California Civil Code 14
• month: means a calendar month, unless otherwise expressed. See California Penal Code 7
• Mortgage loan: A loan made by a lender to a borrower for the financing of real property. ^{Source: OCC}
• Mortgagee: The person to whom property is mortgaged and who has loaned the money.
• Multi-county district: means any special district which includes territory in more than one county. See California Government Code 16271
• Notice: includes all papers and orders required to be served in any proceedings before any court, board, or officer, or when required by law to be served independently of such proceeding. See California Government Code 26660
• Owner: means the owner as shown on the last equalized assessment roll, except that the person entitled to be shown as owner on the current assessment roll shall be deemed the owner, and except that, where the property affected is subject to a recorded written agreement to buy, the purchaser under such agreement to buy shall be deemed the owner. See California Government Code 23231
• peace officer: signify any one of the officers mentioned in Chapter 4. See California Penal Code 7
• Person: includes any person, firm, association, organization, partnership, limited liability company, business trust, corporation, or company. See California Government Code 17
• person: includes any individual, firm, partnership, general corporation, professional corporation, or limited liability partnership, as authorized by the Corporations Code. See California Business and Professions Code 5535
• person: includes a corporation as well as a natural person. See California Penal Code 7
• Person: includes a corporation as well as a natural person. See California Corporations Code 18
• Person: includes an individual, a corporation, a partnership or other unincorporated association, a limited liability company, and a public entity. See California Code of Civil Procedure 706.011
• Person: includes any person, firm, partnership, general partner of a partnership, limited liability company, registered limited liability partnership, foreign limited liability partnership, association, corporation, company, syndicate, estate, trust, business trust, or organization of any kind. See California Revenue and Taxation Code 19
• Person: includes any person, firm, partnership, association, corporation, company, limited liability company, syndicate, estate, trust, business trust, or organization of any kind. See California Financial Code 18
• Person: means any individual, partnership, association, corporation, limited liability company, or any organized group of persons whether incorporated or not. See California Food and Agricultural Code 38
• personal property: include money, goods, chattels, things in action, and evidences of debt. See California Penal Code 7
• Precedent: A court decision in an earlier case with facts and law similar to a dispute currently before a court. Precedent will ordinarily govern the decision of a later similar case, unless a party can show that it was wrongly decided or that it differed in some significant way.
• Presiding officer: A majority-party Senator who presides over the Senate and is charged with maintaining order and decorum, recognizing Members to speak, and interpreting the Senate's rules, practices and precedents.
• Principal county: means the county from which it is proposed that territory with the greatest proportion of assessed value, as shown on the last equalized assessment roll, relative to the total amount of taxable property within the boundaries of a proposed county, is to be transferred to create, in part, that proposed county. See California Government Code 23301
• Process: includes a writ or summons issued in the course of judicial proceedings of either a civil or criminal nature. See California Government Code 22
• property: includes property real and personal. See California Civil Code 14
• property: includes both real and personal property. See California Penal Code 7
• public land: means :

  California Revenue and Taxation Code 5061

• Redemption amount: means the total amount which would be necessary to redeem tax-defaulted property at the time an election is made to pay delinquent taxes in installments under this article. See California Revenue and Taxation Code 4216
• Redlining: The alleged practice of certain lending institutions of not making mortgage, home improvement, and small business loans in certain neighborhoods-usually areas that are deteriorating or considered by the lender to be poor investments. ^{Source: OCC}
• Secretary: means the Secretary of Food and Agriculture. See California Food and Agricultural Code 35
• Service provider: means any public or private nonprofit agency which provides service directly to categorical populations. See California Government Code 16366.2
• Special district: includes a county service area, a maintenance district or area, an improvement district or improvement zone, or any other zone or area formed for the purpose of designating an area within which a property tax rate will be levied to pay for a service or improvement benefitting that area. See California Government Code 16271
• Spouse: includes "registered domestic partner" as required by §. See California Code of Civil Procedure 17
• spouse: includes "registered domestic partner" as required by §. See California Penal Code 7
• Spouse: includes "registered domestic partner" as required by §. See California Government Code 12.2
• State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Government Code 18
• State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Business and Professions Code 21
• State: includes the District of Columbia and the territories when applied to the different parts of the United States, and the words "United States" may include the district and territories. See California Code of Civil Procedure 17
• state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" may include the district and territories. See California Penal Code 7
• state agency: includes every state office, officer, department, division, bureau, board, and commission. See California Government Code 11000
• Statute of limitations: A law that sets the time within which parties must take action to enforce their rights.
• Subdivision: means a subdivision of the section in which that term occurs, unless some other section is expressly mentioned. See California Business and Professions Code 15
• Subdivision: means a subdivision of the section in which that term occurs unless some other section is expressly mentioned. See California Food and Agricultural Code 49
• Subdivision: means a subdivision of the section in which the term occurs unless some other section is expressly mentioned. See California Government Code 10
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Subsidiary district: means a special district in which the city council of a city has been empowered to act as ex officio members of the board of directors of such district and either:

  California Government Code 16271

• taxes: includes assessments collected at the same time and in the same manner as county taxes. See California Revenue and Taxation Code 4801
• taxes: includes all taxes and assessments and annual installments of assessments charged on the roll, except for the following:

  California Revenue and Taxation Code 4186

• Tenancy in common: A type of property ownership in which two or more individuals have an undivided interest in property. At the death of one tenant in common, his (her) fractional percentage of ownership in the property passes to the decedent
• Testify: Answer questions in court.
• Tort: A civil wrong or breach of a duty to another person, as outlined by law. A very common tort is negligent operation of a motor vehicle that results in property damage and personal injury in an automobile accident.
• Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.
• Transferring county: means the county from which territory is, or is proposed to be, transferred by reason of a county boundary change. See California Government Code 23231
• Truth in Lending Act: The Truth in Lending Act is a federal law that requires lenders to provide standardized information so that borrowers can compare loan terms. In general, lenders must provide information on ^{Source: OCC}
• Uninhabited territory: means territory where less than 12 persons who have been registered to vote within the territory for at least 54 days reside at the time of filing of a petition or resolution for county boundary change. See California Government Code 23231
• User fees: Fees charged to users of goods or services provided by the government. In levying or authorizing these fees, the legislature determines whether the revenue should go into the treasury or should be available to the agency providing the goods or services.
• Value of the uninhabited territory: means the value of land and improvements thereon. See California Government Code 23231
• Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.
• will: includes codicil. See California Civil Code 14
• will: includes codicil. See California Penal Code 7
• Will: includes codicil. See California Code of Civil Procedure 17
• willfully: when applied to the intent with which an act is done or omitted, implies simply a purpose or willingness to commit the act, or make the omission referred to. See California Penal Code 7
• Writ: means an order or precept in writing, issued in the name of the people, or of a court or judicial officer. See California Code of Civil Procedure 17
• Writing: includes any form of recorded message capable of comprehension by ordinary visual means. See California Financial Code 8