Terms Used In California Codes > Code of Civil Procedure > Part 4 > Title 2 > Chapter 3 > Article 2 - Public Writings

• action taken: means a collective decision made at a meeting, including a decision upon a motion or resolution. See California Health and Safety Code 101862
• Agreement: means any agreement or contract for financial assistance from the state board to an eligible recipient, including, but not limited to, a loan, grant, installment sale agreement, contract, or other form of agreement made for the purpose of providing financial assistance. See California Water Code 13491
• Allegation: something that someone says happened.
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
• Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
• Bankruptcy: Refers to statutes and judicial proceedings involving persons or businesses that cannot pay their debts and seek the assistance of the court in getting a fresh start. Under the protection of the bankruptcy court, debtors may discharge their debts, perhaps by paying a portion of each debt. Bankruptcy judges preside over these proceedings.
• Chambers: A judge's office.
• Chief plant operator: means the person designated by the owner of the wastewater treatment plant as the person responsible for the overall operation of the wastewater treatment plant, including compliance with effluent limitations established in the wastewater treatment plant's waste discharge requirements. See California Water Code 13625
• City: includes city and county. See California Harbors and Navigation Code 15
• Committee membership: Legislators are assigned to specific committees by their party. Seniority, regional balance, and political philosophy are the most prominent factors in the committee assignment process.
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Contamination: includes any equivalent effect resulting from the disposal of waste, whether or not waters of the state are affected. See California Water Code 13050
• Continuance: Putting off of a hearing ot trial until a later time.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• County: includes city and county. See California Water Code 14
• County: includes city and county. See California Harbors and Navigation Code 14
• County: includes city and county. See California Health and Safety Code 14
• County: includes city and county. See California Family Code 67
• Customer: means a person or entity that purchases water from a retail water supplier. See California Water Code 13575
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Date of separation: means the date that a complete and final break in the marital relationship has occurred, as evidenced by both of the following:

  California Family Code 70

• Decedent: A deceased person.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• department: means State Department of Health Services. See California Health and Safety Code 20
• Director: means "State Director of Health Services. See California Health and Safety Code 21
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• Employee benefit plan: includes public and private retirement, pension, annuity, savings, profit sharing, stock bonus, stock option, thrift, vacation pay, and similar plans of deferred or fringe benefit compensation, whether of the defined contribution or defined benefit type whether or not such plan is qualified under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (P. See California Family Code 80
• Entitlement: A Federal program or provision of law that requires payments to any person or unit of government that meets the eligibility criteria established by law. Entitlements constitute a binding obligation on the part of the Federal Government, and eligible recipients have legal recourse if the obligation is not fulfilled. Social Security and veterans' compensation and pensions are examples of entitlement programs.
• Entity responsible for groundwater replenishment: means any person or entity authorized by statute or court order to manage a groundwater basin and acquire water for groundwater replenishment. See California Water Code 13575
• Fair market value: The price at which an asset would change hands in a transaction between a willing, informed buyer and a willing, informed seller.
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• Grantor: The person who establishes a trust and places property into it.
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Hazardous substance: means either of the following:

  California Water Code 13050

• In forma pauperis: In the manner of a pauper. Permission given to a person to sue without payment of court fees on claim of indigence or poverty.
• Indemnification: In general, a collateral contract or assurance under which one person agrees to secure another person against either anticipated financial losses or potential adverse legal consequences. ^{Source: FDIC}
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Legacy: A gift of property made by will.
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• meeting: means any meeting of a majority of the board of directors of the corporation and meetings of any committee exercising final decisionmaking authority delegated by the board, which committee was created by board action appointing the members of the committee. See California Health and Safety Code 101862
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Operates: means actions or decisions to control performance or outcome of one or more wastewater treatment processes and includes the supervision of any other person who acts or makes decisions to control the performance or outcome of one or more wastewater treatment processes. See California Water Code 13625
• Oral argument: An opportunity for lawyers to summarize their position before the court and also to answer the judges' questions.
• order: include a decree, as appropriate under the circumstances. See California Family Code 100
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Person: means any person, firm, association, organization, partnership, limited liability company, business trust, corporation, or company. See California Harbors and Navigation Code 19
• Person: means any person, firm, association, organization, partnership, business trust, corporation, limited liability company, or company. See California Health and Safety Code 19
• Person: includes any city, county, district, the state, and the United States, to the extent authorized by federal law. See California Water Code 13050
• Person: includes a natural person, firm, association, organization, partnership, business trust, corporation, limited liability company, or public entity. See California Family Code 105
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• Petitioner: includes plaintiff, where appropriate. See California Family Code 126
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
• Pleadings: Written statements of the parties in a civil case of their positions. In the federal courts, the principal pleadings are the complaint and the answer.
• Pollution: means an alteration of the quality of the waters of the state by waste to a degree which unreasonably affects either of the following:

  California Water Code 13050

• Probate: Proving a will
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Proceeding: includes an action. See California Family Code 110
• Property: includes real and personal property and any interest therein. See California Family Code 113
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Recipient: means any person or entity that receives any financial assistance from the state board, including, but not limited to, a recipient's contractors or consultants who performs work for a recipient. See California Water Code 13491
• Recycled water: means water which, as a result of treatment of waste, is suitable for a direct beneficial use or a controlled use that would not otherwise occur and is therefor considered a valuable resource. See California Water Code 13050
• Recycled water producer: means any local public entity that produces recycled water. See California Water Code 13575
• Recycled water wholesaler: means any local public entity that distributes recycled water to retail water suppliers and which has constructed, or is constructing, a recycled water distribution system. See California Water Code 13575
• Regional board: means any California regional water quality control board for a region as specified in Section 13200. See California Water Code 13050
• Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
• Respondent: includes defendant, where appropriate. See California Family Code 127
• Retail water supplier: means any local entity, including a public agency, city, county, or private water company, that provides retail water service. See California Water Code 13575
• Retailer: means the retail water supplier in whose service area is located the property to which a customer requests the delivery of recycled water service. See California Water Code 13575
• Salvageable personal property: means any type of corporeal personalty, new or used, but not including money or evidences of debt. See California Welfare and Institutions Code 148
• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• Spousal support: means support of the spouse of the obligor. See California Family Code 142
• Spouse: includes "registered domestic partner" as required by Section 297. See California Family Code 143
• State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Water Code 18
• State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Harbors and Navigation Code 20
• State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Health and Safety Code 23
• 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: means a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, or a commonwealth, territory, or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. See California Family Code 145
• State board: means the State Water Resources Control Board. See California Water Code 13050
• Subdivision: means a subdivision of the section in which that term occurs unless some other section is expressly mentioned. See California Water Code 10
• subscription: includes mark when the signer or subscriber can not write, such signer's or subscriber's name being written near the mark by a witness who writes his own name near the signer's or subscriber's name. See California Harbors and Navigation Code 18
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• Support: refers to a support obligation owing on behalf of a child, spouse, or family, or an amount owing pursuant to Section 17402. See California Family Code 150
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• United States: means the United States of America, and in relation to any particular matter includes the officers, agents, employees, agencies, or instrumentalities authorized to act in relation thereto. See California Water Code 20
• Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.
• Vessel: includes ships of all kinds, steamboats, steamships, canal boats, barges, sailing vessels, and every structure adapted to be navigated from place to place for the transportation of merchandise or persons. See California Harbors and Navigation Code 21
• Waste: includes sewage and any and all other waste substances, liquid, solid, gaseous, or radioactive, associated with human habitation, or of human or animal origin, or from any producing, manufacturing, or processing operation, including waste placed within containers of whatever nature prior to, and for purposes of, disposal. See California Water Code 13050
• Wastewater certificate: means a certificate of competency issued by the state board stating that a person has met the requirements to be certified for a specific classification and grade level in the certification program. See California Water Code 13625
• Wastewater treatment plant: means any of the following:

  California Water Code 13625

• Water quality control: means the regulation of any activity or factor which may affect the quality of the waters of the state and includes the prevention and correction of water pollution and nuisance. See California Water Code 13050
• Water quality control plan: consists of a designation or establishment for the waters within a specified area of all of the following:

  California Water Code 13050

• Water quality objectives: means the limits or levels of water quality constituents or characteristics which are established for the reasonable protection of beneficial uses of water or the prevention of nuisance within a specific area. See California Water Code 13050
• Water recycling treatment plant: means a wastewater treatment plant that further treats secondary or tertiary effluent, or both, for the purpose of meeting the uniform statewide recycling criteria established pursuant to Section 13521 for the use of recycled water. See California Water Code 13625
• Waters of the state: means any surface water or groundwater, including saline waters, within the boundaries of the state. See California Water Code 13050
• Will: includes codicil. See California Code of Civil Procedure 17
• Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.
• Writing: includes printing and typewriting. See California Code of Civil Procedure 17