Terms Used In California Codes > Public Utilities Code > Division 10 > Part 12 > Chapter 5 - Powers and Functions of VTA

• Allegation: something that someone says happened.
• Alternative dispute resolution: means mediation, arbitration, conciliation, or other nonjudicial procedure that involves a neutral party in the decisionmaking process. See California Civil Code 5925
• 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.
• 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.
• Applicable law: means applicable California laws within the Labor and Workforce Development Agency's jurisdiction related to the misclassification of employees as independent contractors, including the failure to pay wages, imposing unlawful expenses on employees, failure to provide workers' compensation insurance, and failure to remit payroll taxes as required under the Unemployment Insurance Code as well as laws protecting worker health and safety. See California Education Code 39881
• 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
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• 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}
• City: includes city and county and "incorporated town" but does not include "unincorporated town" or "village. See California Public Utilities Code 19
• Commission: means the Public Utilities Commission created by §. See California Public Utilities Code 20
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Congregate care facility: means a community care facility, intermediate care facility, skilled nursing facility, or a short-term residential therapeutic program. See California Education Code 39881
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• 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 Water Code 14
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Decedent: A deceased person.
• Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Devise: To gift property by will.
• 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}
• Enforcement action: means a civil action or proceeding, other than a cross-complaint, for any of the following purposes:

  California Civil Code 5925

• 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.
• Federal Reserve System: The central bank of the United States. The Fed, as it is commonly called, regulates the U.S. monetary and financial system. The Federal Reserve System is composed of a central governmental agency in Washington, D.C. (the Board of Governors) and twelve regional Federal Reserve Banks in major cities throughout the United States. ^{Source: OCC}
• 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.
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• 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.
• home-to-school transportation: includes all of the following:

  California Education Code 41850

• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• interment: include cremation, except that the election of the form of interment as between burial and cremation shall be made pursuant to the first paragraph of §. See California Military and Veterans Code 940.5
• Irrevocable trust: A trust arrangement that cannot be revoked, rescinded, or repealed by the grantor.
• 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.
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• Local educational agency: means a school district, county office of education, charter school, entity providing services under a school transportation joint powers agreement, or regional occupational center or program. See California Education Code 39881
• month: means a calendar month, unless otherwise expressed. See California Civil Code 14
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Municipally owned transit system: means a transit system owned by a city, or by a district created pursuant to Part 1 (commencing with Section 24501) of Division 10 of . See California Education Code 39881
• National Bank: A bank that is subject to the supervision of the Comptroller of the Currency. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is a bureau of the U.S. Treasury Department. A national bank can be recognized because it must have "national" or "national association" in its name. ^{Source: OCC}
• 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.
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• property: includes property real and personal. See California Civil Code 14
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• School-related pupil transportation: means home-to-school transportation, field trips, after school program-related transportation, preschool and childcare-related transportation, athletic program-related transportation, extracurricular school activity-related transportation, or any transportation of pupils to or from a school campus. See California Education Code 39881
• 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.
• special education transportation: means either of the following:

  California Education Code 41850

• spouse: includes a registered domestic partner, as required by §. See California Civil Code 14
• Spouse: includes "registered domestic partner" as required by §. See California Military and Veterans Code 19
• State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Water Code 18
• State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Public Utilities Code 17
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Statute of limitations: A law that sets the time within which parties must take action to enforce their rights.
• 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
• Suitable institutions of learning: as used in this article , includes postgraduate schools of colleges, universities, or other institutions of learning, but does not include educational institutions whose enrollment of students receiving federal or state veteran subsidy exceeds 85 percent of their total enrollment. See California Military and Veterans Code 981.15
• Supplementary service: means additional service provided by a municipally owned transit system for the purpose of ensuring the regular transit service is not impacted by large loads associated with pupil passengers traveling to or from schoolsites around school bell times. See California Education Code 39881
• 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.
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• veteran: means a person who has been honorably discharged from the United States Army, United States Navy, United States Air Force, United States Marine Corps, United States Coast Guard, United States Space Force, the Merchant Marine, or the American Red Cross, and who has served in any war. See California Military and Veterans Code 920
• veteran: means a person honorably discharged from the armed forces of the United States, including, but not limited to, the Philippine Commonwealth Army, the Regular Scouts ("Old Scouts"), and the Special Philippine Scouts ("New Scouts"). See California Military and Veterans Code 940
• war: shall mean : (a) whenever Congress has declared war and peace has not been formally restored. See California Military and Veterans Code 18
• will: includes codicil. See California Civil Code 14
• Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.