Terms Used In California Codes > Public Resources Code > Division 4 > Part 2 > Chapter 10 - Protection of Forest and Lands

• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• 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.
• 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.
• Appraisal: A determination of property value.
• 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
• area median income: means the median family income of a geographic area of the state, as annually estimated by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development pursuant to Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937. See California Health and Safety Code 50093
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• 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.
• Baseline: Projection of the receipts, outlays, and other budget amounts that would ensue in the future without any change in existing policy. Baseline projections are used to gauge the extent to which proposed legislation, if enacted into law, would alter current spending and revenue levels.
• board: means the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. See California Revenue and Taxation Code 20
• business entity: means a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, association or other group, however organized and whether or not organized to operate at a profit, but does not mean a financial institution organized, chartered, or holding a license or authorization certificate under a law of this state or the United States to make loans or extend credit and subject to supervision by an official or agency of this state or the United States, nor the parent of any such financial institution, nor any subsidiary of any such financial institution or parent. See California Civil Code 1799
• Circumstantial evidence: All evidence except eyewitness testimony.
• City: includes incorporated city, city and county, municipal corporation, municipality, town, and incorporated town. See California Revenue and Taxation Code 14
• Consolidated plan: means the five-year action plan that results from the process set by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that assesses affordable housing and community development needs and market conditions, allows the prioritization of development needs, and makes data-driven, place-based investment decisions for federal funding provided by HUD. See California Health and Safety Code 50826
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Controller: means the State Controller. See California Revenue and Taxation Code 21
• 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 Health and Safety Code 14
• County: includes "city and county. See California Public Resources Code 14
• County: includes city and county. See California Revenue and Taxation Code 15
• Decedent: A deceased person.
• 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.
• department: means State Department of Health Services. See California Health and Safety Code 20
• Department: means the Department of Housing and Community Development. See California Health and Safety Code 50801
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Designated local board: means a group, including social service providers and a representative of local government, that has met department requirements for distribution of grants allocated by the department pursuant to this chapter. See California Health and Safety Code 50801
• Director: means "State Director of Health Services. See California Health and Safety Code 21
• Director: means the Director of Housing and Community Development. See California Health and Safety Code 50801
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Donor: The person who makes a gift.
• Dwelling unit: includes a space in a mobilehome park, as defined in Section 18214, and includes a mobilehome rented with the space. See California Health and Safety Code 50775
• Electronic funds transfer: The transfer of money between accounts by consumer electronic systems-such as automated teller machines (ATMs) and electronic payment of bills-rather than by check or cash. (Wire transfers, checks, drafts, and paper instruments do not fall into this category.) ^{Source: OCC}
• Eligible city or county: means an area which is not a metropolitan city or part of an urban county, as defined by Section 5302(a)(4) and (6), respectively, of Title 42 of the United States Code. See California Health and Safety Code 50826
• Eligible organization: means an agency of local government or a nonprofit corporation that provides, or contracts with community organizations to provide, emergency shelter or transitional housing, or both. See California Health and Safety Code 50801
• Emergency shelter: means housing with minimal supportive services for homeless persons that is limited to occupancy of six months or less by a homeless person. See California Health and Safety Code 50801
• 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.
• 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}
• Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
• 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.
• Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
• 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.
• Foreclosure: A legal process in which property that is collateral or security for a loan may be sold to help repay the loan when the loan is in default. ^{Source: OCC}
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• gas storage well: means an active or idle well used primarily to inject natural gas into or withdraw natural gas from an underground natural gas storage facility. See California Public Resources Code 3180
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• 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.
• individual: means a natural person. See California Civil Code 1799
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• Interest rate: The amount paid by a borrower to a lender in exchange for the use of the lender's money for a certain period of time. Interest is paid on loans or on debt instruments, such as notes or bonds, either at regular intervals or as part of a lump sum payment when the issue matures. ^{Source: OCC}
• 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.
• 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.
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• natural resources: includes land, water, air, minerals, vegetation, wildlife, historical or aesthetic sites, or any other natural resource which, irrespective of ownership, contributes to the health, safety, welfare, or enjoyment of a substantial number of persons, or to the substantial balance of an ecological community. See California Public Resources Code 3252
• newspaper: means a newspaper of general circulation. See California Revenue and Taxation Code 36.5
• Nonurban county: means any county with a population of less than 200,000, as published in the most recent edition of Population Estimates of California Cities and Counties, E-1, prepared by the Department of Finance, Demographic Research Unit. See California Health and Safety Code 50801
• 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.
• Owner: includes any individual, partnership, corporation, or association. See California Public Resources Code 4712
• 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.
• partnership: shall include limited liability company, registered limited liability partnership, and foreign limited liability partnership, except where the context or the specific provisions of this division otherwise require. See California Revenue and Taxation Code 28.5
• Person: means any person, firm, association, organization, partnership, business trust, corporation, limited liability company, or company. See California Health and Safety Code 19
• person: means any natural person, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, firm, association, or governmental entity. See California Civil Code 1799
• 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
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• Persons and families of low or moderate income: means persons and families whose income does not exceed 80 percent of the area median income, adjusted for family size, as determined pursuant to regulations or subsequent guidelines adopted by the department. See California Health and Safety Code 50826
• Persons and families of low or moderate income: includes very low income households, as defined in Section 50105, extremely low income households, as defined in Section 50106, and lower income households as defined in Section 50079. See California Health and Safety Code 50093
• 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.
• Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Probation officers: Screen applicants for pretrial release and monitor convicted offenders released under court supervision.
• Program: means the State Community Development Block Grant Program created pursuant to federal law (42 U. See California Health and Safety Code 50826
• Public law: A public bill or joint resolution that has passed both chambers and been enacted into law. Public laws have general applicability nationwide.
• public prosecutor: means a district attorney, a city attorney, a county counsel, or any other city or county prosecutor. See California Public Resources Code 3236
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Region: means a county or a consortium of counties voluntarily banding together by action of a designated local board. See California Health and Safety Code 50801
• 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.
• Reporter: Makes a record of court proceedings and prepares a transcript, and also publishes the court's opinions or decisions (in the courts of appeals).
• Rescission: The cancellation of budget authority previously provided by Congress. The Impoundment Control Act of 1974 specifies that the President may propose to Congress that funds be rescinded. If both Houses have not approved a rescission proposal (by passing legislation) within 45 days of continuous session, any funds being withheld must be made available for obligation.
• Safe Haven: means supportive housing for seriously mentally ill homeless persons, many of whom have cooccurring substance abuse problems, that have been unable or unwilling to participate in high demand housing programs. See California Health and Safety Code 50801
• sale: includes a lease of more than four months. See California Civil Code 1797.8
• Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
• 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 Revenue and Taxation Code 12.2
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• 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 Health and Safety Code 18
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• task force: means the California Oak Mortality Task Force. See California Public Resources Code 4750.2
• 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.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• 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.
• Transitional housing: means housing with supportive services for up to 24 months that is exclusively designated and targeted for recently homeless persons. See California Health and Safety Code 50801
• 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.
• will: includes codicil. See California Civil Code 14