Terms Used In California Codes > Government Code > Title 5 > Division 1 > Part 1 > Chapter 2 > Article 7 - Leases

• Action: includes a civil action and a criminal action. See California Evidence Code 105
• Advertisement: means any written or printed communication, including a directory listing, except a free telephone directory listing that does not allow space for a license number. See California Business and Professions Code 7500.1
• 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.
• 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
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
• Bureau: means the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. See California Business and Professions Code 7500.1
• Chief: means the Chief of the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. See California Business and Professions Code 7500.1
• City: includes city and county. See California Business and Professions Code 18
• Collateral: means any specific vehicle, trailer, boat, recreational vehicle, motor home, appliance, or other property that is subject to a security agreement. See California Business and Professions Code 7500.1
• Conduct: includes all active and passive behavior, both verbal and nonverbal. See California Evidence Code 125
• 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 Business and Professions Code 17
• County: includes city and county. See California Food and Agricultural Code 29
• Criminal action: includes criminal proceedings. See California Evidence Code 130
• Dangerous drugs: means any controlled substances as defined in Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 11053) of Division 10 of . See California Business and Professions Code 7500.1
• Deadly weapon: means and includes any instrument or weapon of the kind commonly known as a firearm. See California Business and Professions Code 7500.1
• Debtor: means any person obligated under a security agreement. See California Business and Professions Code 7500.1
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Department: means the Department of Consumer Affairs. See California Business and Professions Code 7500.1
• Director: means the Director of Consumer Affairs. See California Business and Professions Code 7500.1
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Electronic format: includes , but is not limited to, a text message, email, or internet posting. See California Business and Professions Code 7500.1
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Evidence: means testimony, writings, material objects, or other things presented to the senses that are offered to prove the existence or nonexistence of a fact. See California Evidence Code 140
• Ex officio: Literally, by virtue of one's office.
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• 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
• 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.
• Health hazard: means any personal effects that if retained would produce an unsanitary or unhealthful condition, or which might damage other personal effects. See California Business and Professions Code 7500.1
• hearing: means the hearing at which a question under this code arises, and not some earlier or later hearing. See California Evidence Code 145
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• 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.
• Juror: A person who is on the jury.
• Law: includes constitutional, statutory, and decisional law. See California Evidence Code 160
• 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}
• Legal owner: means a person holding any of the following:

  California Business and Professions Code 7500.1

• Legislative body: as used in this division , means board of supervisors in the case of a county or city and county, and city council or board of trustees in the case of a city, unless the context otherwise requires. See California Government Code 50002
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• 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 an individual, partnership, limited liability company, or corporation licensed under this chapter as a repossession agency. See California Business and Professions Code 7500.1
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Local agency: as used in this division means county, city, or city and county, unless the context otherwise requires. See California Government Code 50001
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Original: means the writing itself or any counterpart intended to have the same effect by a person executing or issuing it. See California Evidence Code 255
• 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: includes a natural person, firm, association, organization, partnership, business trust, corporation, limited liability company, or public entity. See California Evidence Code 175
• Person: includes any individual, partnership, limited liability company, or corporation. See California Business and Professions Code 7500.1
• 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 effects: means any property that is not the property of the legal owner and is not listed on the repossession assignment. See California Business and Professions Code 7500.1
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• 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.
• Private building: means and includes any dwelling, outbuilding, or other enclosed structure. See California Business and Professions Code 7500.1
• qualified manager: is a person who possesses a valid qualification certificate in accordance with the provisions of Article 5 (commencing with Section 7504) and is in active control or management of, and who is a director of, the licensee's place of business. See California Business and Professions Code 7500.1
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Registered owner: means the individual listed in the records of the Department of Motor Vehicles, on a conditional sales contract, or on an assignment or a repossession order, as the registered owner. See California Business and Professions Code 7500.1
• Registrant: means a person registered under this chapter. See California Business and Professions Code 7500.1
• Relevant evidence: means evidence, including evidence relevant to the credibility of a witness or hearsay declarant, having any tendency in reason to prove or disprove any disputed fact that is of consequence to the determination of the action. See California Evidence Code 210
• Repossession: means any of the following:

  California Business and Professions Code 7500.1

• repossession order: means any written authorization by the legal owner, lienholder, lessor, lessee, or registered owner, or the agent of any of them, to skip trace, locate, or repossess any collateral, including, but not limited to, collateral registered under the Vehicle Code that is subject to a security agreement that contains a repossession clause. See California Business and Professions Code 7500.1
• Secured area: means and includes any fenced and locked area. See California Business and Professions Code 7500.1
• Security agreement: means an obligation, pledge, mortgage, chattel mortgage, lease agreement, deposit, or lien, given by a debtor as security for payment or performance of a debt, by furnishing the creditor with a recourse to be used in case of failure in the principal obligation. See California Business and Professions Code 7500.1
• Services: means any duty or labor to be rendered by one person for another. See California Business and Professions Code 7500.1
• 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, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Business and Professions Code 21
• State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Evidence Code 220
• Statement: means (a) oral or written verbal expression or (b) nonverbal conduct of a person intended by him as a substitute for oral or written verbal expression. See California Evidence Code 225
• 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
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Temporary restraining order: Prohibits a person from an action that is likely to cause irreparable harm. This differs from an injunction in that it may be granted immediately, without notice to the opposing party, and without a hearing. It is intended to last only until a hearing can be held.
• Testify: Answer questions in court.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Trust account: A general term that covers all types of accounts in a trust department, such as estates, guardianships, and agencies. ^{Source: OCC}
• Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.
• Violent act: means any act that results in bodily harm or injury to any party involved during the repossession up until the time the repossessor is back in their vehicle. See California Business and Professions Code 7500.1
• 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