Terms Used In California Codes > Government Code > Title 2 > Division 3 > Part 2.8 > Chapter 5 - Powers and Duties

• Age: refers to the chronological age of any individual who has reached a 40th birthday. See California Government Code 12926
• Aggrieved person: includes any person who claims to have been injured by a discriminatory housing practice or believes that the person will be injured by a discriminatory housing practice that is about to occur. See California Government Code 12927
• agreement: means the total legal obligation that results from the parties' agreement as determined by this code and as supplemented by any other applicable laws. See California Commercial Code 1201
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Bank: means a person engaged in the business of banking, and includes a savings bank, savings and loan association, credit union, and trust company. See California Commercial Code 1201
• Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. ^{Source: OCC}
• board: means the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians of the State of California. See California Business and Professions Code 2841
• Commission: means the Fish and Game Commission, and "commissioner" means a member of the Fish and Game Commission. See California Fish and Game Code 30
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Continuance: Putting off of a hearing ot trial until a later time.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Council: means the Civil Rights Council and "council member" means a member of the council. See California Government Code 12925
• County: includes city and county. See California Government Code 19
• County: includes "city and county. See California Code of Civil Procedure 17
• creed: include all aspects of religious belief, observance, and practice, including religious dress and grooming practices. See California Government Code 12926
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
• Department: means the Civil Rights Department. See California Government Code 12925
• Department: means the Department of Fish and Wildlife. See California Fish and Game Code 37
• Director: means the Director of Civil Rights. See California Government Code 12925
• Director: means Director of Industrial Relations. See California Labor Code 20
• Discrimination: includes refusal to sell, rent, or lease housing accommodations. See California Government Code 12927
• Electronic: means relating to technology having electrical, digital, magnetic, wireless, optical, electromagnetic, or similar capabilities. See California Commercial Code 1201
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• 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.
• Fish: means a wild fish, mollusk, crustacean, invertebrate, amphibian, or part, spawn, or ovum of any of those animals. See California Fish and Game Code 45
• Gender: means sex, and includes a person's gender identity and gender expression. See California Government Code 12926
• Gender expression: means a person's gender-related appearance and behavior whether or not stereotypically associated with the person's assigned sex at birth. See California Government Code 12926
• Genetic information: includes any request for, or receipt of, genetic services, or participation in clinical research that includes genetic services, by an individual or any family member of the individual. See California Government Code 12926
• Guarantor: A party who agrees to be responsible for the payment of another party's debts should that party default. ^{Source: OCC}
• Insolvency proceeding: includes an assignment for the benefit of creditors or other proceeding intended to liquidate or rehabilitate the estate of the person involved. See California Commercial Code 1201
• Insolvent: means :

  California Commercial Code 1201

• Interrogatories: Written questions asked by one party of an opposing party, who must answer them in writing under oath; a discovery device in a lawsuit.
• Labor Commissioner: means Chief of the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement. See California Labor Code 21
• 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}
• 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
• 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
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• Medical condition: means either of the following:

  California Government Code 12926

• Mental disability: includes , but is not limited to, all of the following:

  California Government Code 12926

• 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.
• On the bases enumerated in this part: means or refers to discrimination on the basis of one or more of the following: race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, age, sexual orientation, reproductive health decisionmaking, or veteran or military status. See California Government Code 12926
• Person: means an individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, limited liability company, association, joint venture, government, governmental subdivision, agency, or instrumentality, or any other legal or commercial entity. See California Commercial Code 1201
• Person: includes one or more individuals, partnerships, associations, corporations, limited liability companies, legal representatives, trustees, trustees in bankruptcy, and receivers or other fiduciaries. See California Government Code 12925
• Person: means any person, association, organization, partnership, business trust, limited liability company, or corporation. See California Labor Code 18
• Person: includes a corporation as well as a natural person. See California Code of Civil Procedure 17
• Person: includes a corporation as well as a natural person. See California Corporations Code 18
• Person: means any natural person or any partnership, corporation, limited liability company, trust, or other type of association. See California Fish and Game Code 67
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• Physical disability: includes , but is not limited to, all of the following:

  California Government Code 12926

• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• 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.
• 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.
• Property: includes both personal and real property. See California Code of Civil Procedure 17
• Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Recourse: An arrangement in which a bank retains, in form or in substance, any credit risk directly or indirectly associated with an asset it has sold (in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles) that exceeds a pro rata share of the bank's claim on the asset. If a bank has no claim on an asset it has sold, then the retention of any credit risk is recourse. ^{Source: FDIC}
• 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.
• Representative: means a person empowered to act for another, including an agent, an officer of a corporation or association, and a trustee, executor, or administrator of an estate. See California Commercial Code 1201
• Reproductive health decisionmaking: includes , but is not limited to, a decision to use or access a particular drug, device, product, or medical service for reproductive health. See California Government Code 12926
• Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
• Right: includes remedy. See California Commercial Code 1201
• Sex: includes , but is not limited to, the following:

  California Government Code 12926

• Sexual orientation: means heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality. See California Government Code 12926
• Sign: means , with present intent to authenticate or adopt a record:

  California Commercial Code 1201

• Spouse: includes "registered domestic partner" as required by §. See California Labor Code 12.2
• 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: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Fish and Game Code 83
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• 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 the term occurs unless some other section is expressly mentioned. See California Government Code 10
• Surety: includes a guarantor or other secondary obligor. See California Commercial Code 1201
• Take: means hunt, pursue, catch, capture, or kill, or attempt to hunt, pursue, catch, capture, or kill. See California Fish and Game Code 86
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• Veteran or military status: means a member or veteran of the United States Armed Forces, United States Armed Forces Reserve, the United States National Guard, and the California National Guard. See California Government Code 12926
• Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.