This part may be cited as the Street Lighting Act of 1919.

Unless the particular provision or the context otherwise requires, the definitions and general provisions obtained in this chapter shall govern the construction of this part.

This part shall be liberally construed in order to effectuate its purposes.

This part provides an alternative system for making the improvements authorized by this part and the provisions of this part shall not apply to or affect any other provisions of this code.

When any proceedings are commenced under this part, the provisions of this part and no others shall apply to such proceedings.

“Street lighting system” and “system” include any or all appliances, poles, posts, electroliers, transformers, lighting units, lamps, cables, wires, pipes, conduits and other suitable or necessary works or appliances for street lighting purposes.

“Street,” and any of its variants, mean and include highways, state highways, roads, avenues, boulevards, alleys, parkways and other public places and ways dedicated to public use, or any portion thereof, within a city or along a boundary of a city.

“Tax collector” and “city tax collector” mean the city officer, board or employee designated as such by the city council in the resolution levying the assessment, and the officer, board or employee so designated shall discharge all duties prescribed as those of tax collector or city tax collector and all provisions applicable to the tax collector or city tax collector shall apply to the officer, board or employee so designated.

“Service,” and any of its variants, means and includes the furnishing of electric current or energy, gas, or other illuminating agent to all or part of any street lighting system.

“Improvement,” and any of its variants, include the maintenance or servicing, or both, of all or part of any one or more street lighting systems and, where applicable, the installation of street lighting systems owned by any public utility subject to the jurisdiction of the Public Utilities Commission of the State of California.

“Maintenance,” and any of its variants, as used in this part includes the replacement of any obsolete equipment with the new modern equipment necessary for an adequate street lighting system or systems.

“Assessment district” means the territory to be benefited by the proposed improvement and to be assessed to pay the costs and expenses thereof.

“Clerk” and “city clerk” mean any person or officer who is or acts as clerk of the city council.

“Treasurer” and “city treasurer” include any person or officer who has charge of and makes payment of city funds.

“City” includes all corporations organized and existing for municipal purposes.

“City Council” and “council” include any body which by law is the legislative department of the government of the city.

If lots or parcels of land belonging to the United States, to this state, or to a county, city, public agency, mandatory of the government, school board, educational, penal or reform institution, or facility for housing of persons with developmental or intellectual disabilities or mental health disorders are in use in the performance of a public function and are included within the assessment district, the city council may, in the resolution of intention, declare that the lots or parcels of land, or any of them, shall be omitted from the assessment thereafter to be made to cover the costs and expenses of the improvement. If the lots or parcels of land, or any of them, are omitted from the assessment by the resolution, the total cost and expense of all work done shall be assessed on the remaining lots lying

within the limits of the assessment district, without regard to the omitted lots or parcels of land. If the city declares in the resolution of intention that the lots or parcels of land, or any of them, shall be included in the assessment, or if no declaration is made respecting the lots or parcels of land, or any of them, the city shall be liable for the sums thereafter assessed against the lots or parcels of land, and the sums shall be payable by the city out of the general fund unless the city council, in its resolution of intention, designates another fund. However, sums that may be assessed against those lots or parcels of land shall not be payable by the city when those sums are paid by the owner of or the governing body controlling the lots or parcels of land.