The following words and phrases, whenever used in the ordinances of the city, shall be construed as defined in this section unless from the context a different meaning is intended or unless a different meaning is specifically defined and more particularly directed to the use of such words or phrases:
"City" means the city of Murrieta, or the area within the territorial limits of the city, and such territory outside the city over which the city has jurisdiction or control by virtue of any constitutional or statutory provision.
"City manager" means the appointed official of the city who occupies the position as chief administrative officer of the city.
"Council" means the city council of the city. "All its members" or "all councilmembers" means the total number of councilmembers holding office.
"Councilmember" means a person duly elected to the council.
"County" means the county of Riverside.
"Day" means calendar day.
"Fiscal year" means from July 1st of any given year through June 30th of the following year.
"Goods" means and includes wares and merchandise.
"Law" denotes applicable federal law, the Constitution and statutes of the state of California, the ordinances of the city, and when appropriate, any and all rules and regulations which may be promulgated thereunder.
"May" is permissive.
"Month" means a calendar month.
"Must" and "shall" are each mandatory.
"Oath" includes an affirmation or declaration in all cases in which, by law, an affirmation may be substituted for an oath, and in such cases the words "swear" and "sworn" shall be equivalent to the words "affirm" and "affirmed."
"Official time standard." Wherever certain hours are named in this code, they mean Pacific Standard Time or daylight saving time as may be in current use in the city.
"Operate" means and includes carrying on, keeping, conducting, or maintaining.
"Owner," applied to a building or land, includes any part owner, joint owner, tenant in common, joint tenant, tenant by the entirety, of the whole or a part of such building or land.
"Person" includes a natural person, joint venture, joint stock company, partnership, association, club, company, corporation, business, trust, organization, or the manager, lessee, agent, servant, officer or employee of any of them.
"Personal property" includes money, goods, chattels, things in action and evidences of debt.
"Police," "police chief" or "chief of police" means the agency which performs the appropriate law enforcement function for the city, and the head of the agency or division thereof which at the time involved has responsibility for performing the police function for, or within, the city.
"Preceding" and "following" means next before and next after, respectively.
"Property" includes real and personal property.
"Quarterly," where used to designate a period of time, means the first three calendar months of any given year or any succeeding period of three calendar months.
"Real property" means lands, tenements and hereditaments.
“Responsible party” means a person whom a city official reasonably believes is causing, performing, permitting to exist, or otherwise maintaining, or allowing to be maintained, a public nuisance or violation of this code, and includes, but is not limited to, the owner of the property involved, and any tenant or occupant or user thereof, or any other person in real or apparent charge or control of said real property.
“Sale” means any sale, exchange, barter, or offer for sale.
“Sidewalk” means that portion of a street between the curb line and the adjacent property line intended for the use of pedestrians.
“State” means the state of California.
“Street” means all streets, highways, avenues, lanes, alleys, courts, places, squares, curbs, or other public ways in which have been or may hereafter be dedicated and open to public use, or such other public property so designated in any law of the state.
“Tenant” and “occupant,” when applied to a building or land, means any person who occupies the whole or a part of such building or land, whether alone or with others.
“Written” means printed, typewritten, mimeographed, multigraphed, or otherwise reproduced in permanent visible form.
“Year” means a calendar year.
(Ord. 608-24 § 2, 2024; Ord. 127 § 1, 1994)