(A) General rule. Words and phrases shall be taken in their plain, or ordinary and usual sense. However, technical words and phrases having a peculiar and appropriate meaning in law shall be understood according to their technical import.
(B) For the purpose of this code, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
CHIEF OF POLICE. The Chief of Police designated as such by the city contract law enforcement agency, and performing such duties as prescribed by the city code, federal and state statutes.
CITY. The area within the territorial city limits of the City of Santa Fe Springs and such territory outside of this city over which the city has jurisdiction or control by virtue of any constitutional provision or any law.
CODE. The code of the City of Santa Fe Springs, California.
COMPUTATION OF TIME. The time in which any act provided by law is to be done is computed by excluding the first day and including the last, unless the last day is a holiday and then it is also excluded.
COUNTY. Los Angeles County, California.
DAY. The period of time between any midnight and the midnight following.
DAYTIME, NIGHTTIME. DAYTIME is the period of time between sunrise and sunset. NIGHTTIME is the period of time between sunset and sunrise.
JOINT AUTHORITY. All words giving a joint authority to three or more persons or officers shall be construed as giving such authority to a majority of such persons or officers.
MONTH. A calendar month.
OATH. This term includes an affirmation.
OFFICERS, DEPARTMENTS, BOARDS, COMMISSIONS AND EMPLOYEES. Officers, departments, boards, commissions and employees of the city, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
OWNER. Applied to a building or land, shall include any part owner, joint owner, tenant in common, tenant in partnership, joint tenant by the entirety of the whole or of a part of such building or land.
PERSON. Any person, firm, association, organization, partnership, business trust, corporation or company.
PERSONAL PROPERTY. Every species of property, except real property, as defined in this section.
POLICE DEPARTMENT. The City Department of Police Services and such agency as may be designated by city contract to perform law enforcement duties for the city.
PRECEDING or FOLLOWING. Next before or next after, respectively.
PROCESS. A writ or summons issued in the course of judicial proceedings of either a civil or criminal nature.
PROPERTY. This term includes real and personal property.
REAL PROPERTY. This term includes lands, tenements and hereditaments.
SHALL, MAY. SHALL is mandatory and MAY is permissive.
SIGNATURE or SUBSCRIPTION BY MARK. Includes a mark when the person cannot 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; but a signature or subscription by mark can be acknowledged or can serve as a signature or subscription to a sworn statement only when two witnesses so sign their own names thereto.
STATE. The State of California.
SUBCHAPTER. A division of a chapter, designated in this code by a heading in the chapter analysis and a capitalized heading in the body of the chapter, setting apart a group of sections related by the subject matter of the heading. Not all chapters have subchapters.
TENANT OR OCCUPANT. Applied to a building or land, shall include any person holding a written or an oral lease of, or who occupies the whole or a part of such building or land, either alone or with others.
TERRITORIAL LIMITATION. This code shall refer only to the omission or commission of acts within the territorial limits of the city and that territory outside of the city over which the city has jurisdiction or control by virtue of the Constitution, or any law, or by reason of ownership or control of property.
WEEK. Seven consecutive days.
WRITING. Any form of recorded message capable of comprehension by ordinary visual means. Whenever any notice, report, statement or record is required or authorized by this code, it shall be made in writing in the English language, unless it is expressly provided otherwise.
YEAR. A calendar year, except where otherwise provided.
('64 Code, § 1-3)
Statutory reference:
Similar state law, see Cal. Gov't Code §§ 11 through 17, 22, 6800, and 6803 through 6807, Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 17, and Cal. Civ. Code §§ 12, 14, 658 and 663