San Bernardino Municipal Code Ch. 1.04 General Provisions

For the purpose of this code of ordinances, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.

CITY. The City of San Bernardino, California, or the area within the territorial limits of the City of San Bernardino, California, and such territory outside of the city over which the city has jurisdiction or control by virtue of any constitutional or statutory provision.

COUNCIL. The City Council of the City of San Bernardino. ALL ITS MEMBERS or ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS means the total number of Council members holding office.

COUNTY. The County of San Bernardino.

LAW. Denotes applicable federal law, the California Constitution and statutes of the State of California, the ordinances of the City of San Bernardino and, when appropriate, any and all rules and regulations which may be promulgated thereunder.

MAY. The act referred to is permissive.

MONTH. A calendar month.

MUST and SHALL. The acts referred to 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.

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.

PRECEDING and FOLLOWING. Next before and next after, respectively.

PROPERTY. Includes real and personal property.

REAL PROPERTY. Includes lands, tenements and hereditaments.

SIDEWALKS. The portion of a street intended for the use of pedestrians.

STATE. The State of California.

STREET. Includes all streets, highways, avenues, lanes, alleys, courts, places, squares, curbs or other public ways in the City of San Bernardino, which have been or may hereafter be dedicated and open to public use, or such other public property so designated in any law of this state.

TENANT and OCCUPANT. Applied to a building or land, include any person who occupies the whole or a part of such building or land, whether alone or with others.

WRITTEN. Includes printed, typewritten, mimeographed, multigraphed or otherwise reproduced in permanent visible form.

YEAR. A calendar year.

(Ord. 3843, passed 7-11-1979)

Use of the title of any officer, employee, department, board or commission means that officer, employee, department, board or commission of the city.

(Ord. 3843, passed 7-11-1979)

All words and phrases shall be construed according to the common and approved usage of the language, but technical words and phrases and such others as may have acquired a peculiar and appropriate meaning in the law shall be construed and understood according to such peculiar and appropriate meaning.

(Ord. 3843, passed 7-11-1979)

The following grammatical rules shall apply to the ordinances and resolutions of the city unless it is apparent from the content that a different construction is intended.

(A) Gender. Each gender includes the masculine, feminine and neuter genders.

(B) Singular and plural. The singular number includes the plural and the plural includes the singular.

(C) Tenses. Words used in the present tense include the past and the future tenses and vice versa unless manifestly inapplicable.

(Ord. 3843, passed 7-11-1979)

When an act is required by an ordinance or resolution, the same being such that it may be done as well by an agent as by the principal, such requirement shall be construed to include all such acts performed by an authorized agent.

(Ord. 3843, passed 7-11-1979)

Whenever, in the ordinances of the city, any act or omission is made unlawful, it shall include causing, allowing, permitting, aiding, abetting, suffering or concealing the fact of such act or omission.

(Ord. 3843, passed 7-11-1979)

Except when otherwise provided, the time within which an act is required to be done shall be computed by excluding the first day and including the last day, unless the last day is Sunday or a holiday, in which case it shall also be excluded.

(Ord. 3843, passed 7-11-1979)

The provisions of the ordinances of the city, and all proceedings under them, are to be construed with a view to effect their objects and to promote justice.

(Ord. 3843, passed 7-11-1979)

The repeal of an ordinance shall not repeal the repealing clause of an ordinance or revive any ordinance which has been repealed thereby.

(Ord. 3843, passed 7-11-1979)

(A) The Mayor and City Council may, by resolution, establish a reward of not to exceed $1,000 for anyone providing information leading to the arrest and conviction of any person for the commission of a misdemeanor or infraction within the city limits of the city.

(B) If the reward is payable to two or more persons, it shall be divided equally between such persons.

(C) Any person convicted for a violation of such misdemeanor or infraction shall be liable for the amount of any reward paid pursuant to this section and any resolution adopted pursuant hereto, and if he or she is an unemancipated minor, his or her parent or guardian shall be liable for the amount.

(D) Nothing in this section shall limit the authority of the Mayor and Council to offer any other reward under general law.

(Ord. MC-683, passed 11-20-1989)