Terms Used In California Codes > Government Code > Title 2 > Division 5 > Part 3 > Chapter 5 > Article 1 - General Provisions

• Action: includes a civil action and a criminal action. See California Evidence Code 105
• 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.
• Annuity: A periodic (usually annual) payment of a fixed sum of money for either the life of the recipient or for a fixed number of years. A series of payments under a contract from an insurance company, a trust company, or an individual. Annuity payments are made at regular intervals over a period of more than one full year.
• 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.
• Authority: means the California Consumer Power and Conservation Financing Authority established pursuant to Section 3320 and any board, commission, department, or officer succeeding to the functions thereof, or to whom the powers conferred upon the authority by this division shall be given by law. See California Public Utilities Code 3302
• 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.
• 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 Directors of the California Consumer Power and Conservation Financing Authority. See California Public Utilities Code 3302
• board: means a county transit development board created pursuant to Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 120050). See California Public Utilities Code 120001
• Bonds: means bonds, including structured, senior, and subordinated bonds or other securities. See California Public Utilities Code 3302
• City: includes city and county and "incorporated town" but does not include "unincorporated town" or "village. See California Public Utilities Code 19
• client: means a person who, directly or through an authorized representative, consults a lawyer for the purpose of retaining the lawyer or securing legal service or advice from him in his professional capacity, and includes an incompetent (a) who himself so consults the lawyer or (b) whose guardian or conservator so consults the lawyer in behalf of the incompetent. See California Evidence Code 951
• Commission: means the Public Utilities Commission created by §. See California Public Utilities Code 20
• commissioner: means a member of the commission. See California Public Utilities Code 20
• compensation: means the remuneration paid out of funds controlled by the employer in payment for the member's services performed during normal working hours or for time during which the member is excused from work because of any of the following:

  California Government Code 20630

• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• 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 Government Code 19
• County: includes city and county. See California Public Utilities Code 18
• 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.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• Enterprise: means a revenue-producing improvement, building, system, plant, works, facilities, or undertaking used for or useful for the generation or production of electric energy for lighting, heating, and power for public or private uses. See California Public Utilities Code 3302
• 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.
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• 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.
• holder of the privilege: means :

  California Evidence Code 993

• Inter vivos: Transfer of property from one living person to another living person.
• Intestate: Dying without leaving a will.
• joint contract: means a contract with the board as set forth in subdivision (a). See California Government Code 20460.1
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Law: includes constitutional, statutory, and decisional law. See California Evidence Code 160
• lawyer: means a person authorized, or reasonably believed by the client to be authorized, to practice law in any state or nation. See California Evidence Code 950
• 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}
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• 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.
• Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
• 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.
• patient: means a person who consults a physician or submits to an examination by a physician for the purpose of securing a diagnosis or preventive, palliative, or curative treatment of his physical or mental or emotional condition. See California Evidence Code 991
• Person: includes any person, firm, association, organization, partnership, limited liability company, business trust, corporation, or company. See California Government Code 17
• Person: includes a natural person, firm, association, organization, partnership, business trust, corporation, limited liability company, or public entity. See California Evidence Code 175
• physician: means a person authorized, or reasonably believed by the patient to be authorized, to practice medicine in any state or nation. See California Evidence Code 990
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• 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.
• Probate: Proving a will
• Program: means a program that provides financial assistance, as provided in Article 6 (commencing with Section 3365). See California Public Utilities Code 3302
• Project: means plants, facilities, equipment, appliances, structures, expansions, and improvements within the state that serve the purposes of this division as approved by the authority, and all activities and expenses necessary to initiate and complete those projects described in Article 5 (commencing with Section 3350) and Article 7 (commencing with Section 3368), of Chapter 3. See California Public Utilities Code 3302
• Property: includes both real and personal property. See California Evidence Code 185
• Public defender: Represent defendants who can't afford an attorney in criminal matters.
• Public entity: includes a nation, state, county, city and county, city, district, public authority, public agency, or any other political subdivision or public corporation, whether foreign or domestic. See California Evidence Code 200
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• Revenues: means all receipts, purchase payments, loan repayments, lease payments, rents, fees and charges, and all other income or receipts derived by the authority from an enterprise, or by the authority or a participating party from any other financing arrangement undertaken by the authority or a participating party, including, but not limited to, all receipts from a bond purchase agreement, and any income or revenue derived from the investment of any money in any fund or account of the authority or a participating party. See California Public Utilities Code 3302
• secretary: refer to the Labor and Workforce Development Agency and the Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development, respectively, unless the context otherwise requires. See California Government Code 15550
• 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.
• Spouse: includes "registered domestic partner" as required by §. See California Evidence Code 215
• 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. See California Public Utilities Code 3302
• State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Public Utilities Code 17
• State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Evidence Code 220
• 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 Public Utilities Code 10
• Subdivision: means a subdivision of the section in which the term occurs unless some other section is expressly mentioned. See California Government Code 10
• Testate: To die leaving a will.
• Testify: Answer questions in court.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• 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.
• 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.
• Writing: means handwriting, typewriting, printing, photostating, photographing, photocopying, transmitting by electronic mail or facsimile, and every other means of recording upon any tangible thing, any form of communication or representation, including letters, words, pictures, sounds, or symbols, or combinations thereof, and any record thereby created, regardless of the manner in which the record has been stored. See California Evidence Code 250