Terms Used In California Codes > Public Resources Code > Division 6 > Part 2 > Chapter 3 - Oil and Gas and Mineral Leases

• 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.
• Amortization: Paying off a loan by regular installments.
• 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
• 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.
• board: means the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. See California Revenue and Taxation Code 20
• board of directors: means the Board of Directors of the California Housing Finance Agency. See California Health and Safety Code 51603
• Bond reserve requirement: means an amount specified by the agency which shall, as of any particular date of computation, be at least equal to the total of both of the following:

  California Health and Safety Code 51603

• City: includes incorporated city, city and county, municipal corporation, municipality, town, and incorporated town. See California Revenue and Taxation Code 14
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• 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
• 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
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Director: means "State Director of Health Services. See California Health and Safety Code 21
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• 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.
• 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.
• Ex officio: Literally, by virtue of one's office.
• Executive director: means the Executive Director of the California Housing Finance Agency. See California Health and Safety Code 51603
• Executor: A male person named in a will to carry out the decedent
• 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.
• Fee simple: Absolute title to property with no limitations or restrictions regarding the person who may inherit it.
• 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.
• Forbearance: A means of handling a delinquent loan. A
• 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.
• Fund: as used in this chapter , means the Home Purchase Assistance Fund. See California Health and Safety Code 51342
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• Guarantor: A party who agrees to be responsible for the payment of another party's debts should that party default. ^{Source: OCC}
• 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.
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• insurance fund: means the California Housing Loan Insurance Fund, which is hereby created. See California Health and Safety Code 51603
• Insurance reserve requirement: means an amount established by the agency, which shall, as of any particular date of computation, be at least equal to the total of both of the following:

  California Health and Safety Code 51603

• 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}
• 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.
• 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.
• middle-income families: means persons and families of low or moderate income whose income exceeds the income limit for lower income households. See California Health and Safety Code 50093
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Mortgage guaranty insurance: means either of the following:

  California Health and Safety Code 51603

• Mortgage loan: means any residential mortgage loan or multifamily rental housing loan. See California Health and Safety Code 51401
• Mortgage loan: A loan made by a lender to a borrower for the financing of real property. ^{Source: OCC}
• Mortgagor: The person who pledges property to a creditor as collateral for a loan and who receives the money.
• Multifamily rental housing: means any existing structure of more than four dwelling units or any work or undertaking of more than four units of new construction, improvement, or rehabilitation for the provision of housing. See California Health and Safety Code 51401
• Multifamily residential housing: means an improvement on real estate which is a building or buildings containing five or more residential units. See California Health and Safety Code 51603
• newspaper: means a newspaper of general circulation. See California Revenue and Taxation Code 36.5
• 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.
• 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: 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 of low or moderate income" as defined in Section 50093. See California Health and Safety Code 51603
• 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
• persons of low income: means persons or families who are eligible for financial assistance specifically provided by a governmental agency for the benefit of occupants of housing financed pursuant to this division. See California Health and Safety Code 50093
• 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 property real and personal. See California Civil Code 14
• Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
• Qualified developer: means a housing sponsor which is certified by the agency to be qualified according to experience, financial capability, and any other pertinent criteria as the fund may establish to carry out rehabilitation and new construction with loans insured pursuant to this part. See California Health and Safety Code 51603
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Recess: A temporary interruption of the legislative business.
• 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.
• Residence: means any existing structure of one to four dwelling units or any work or undertaking of one to four dwelling units of new construction, improvement, or rehabilitation for the provision of housing. See California Health and Safety Code 51401
• 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.
• Single-family residential housing: means an improvement on real estate which is a building or a condominium unit or buildings containing one to four units. See California Health and Safety Code 51603
• Spouse: includes "registered domestic partner" as required by §. See California Revenue and Taxation Code 12.2
• State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Health and Safety Code 23
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• Tax: as used in this part , except in Chapters 4 (commencing with Section 32151) and 5 (commencing with Section 32201), means the excise tax imposed by this part on beer or wine or on distilled spirits. See California Revenue and Taxation Code 32004
• Taxable securities: means securities bearing interest that is otherwise taxable under the personal income tax provisions of federal tax law and which are issued to finance the purchase or making of mortgage loans pursuant to this chapter. See California Health and Safety Code 51401
• 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.
• Uniform Commercial Code: A set of statutes enacted by the various states to provide consistency among the states' commercial laws. It includes negotiable instruments, sales, stock transfers, trust and warehouse receipts, and bills of lading. ^{Source: OCC}
• Venue: The geographical location in which a case is tried.
• will: includes codicil. See California Civil Code 14
• Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.