For the purposes of this article, the following words have the following meanings:

(a) “Committee” means any investigating committee of the Legislature.

(b) “Employee” means any individual appointed by the Governor or employed or holding office in a state agency, as defined by Section 11000, including the California State University and the University of California, or any public entity as defined by Section 7260, or any agency of local government, as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 8 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.

(c) “Improper governmental activity” means any activity by a governmental agency or by an employee that is undertaken in the performance of the employee’s official duties, whether or not that action is within the scope of his or her employment, and that (1) is in violation of any state or federal law or regulation, including, but not limited to, corruption, malfeasance, bribery, theft of government property, fraudulent claims, fraud, coercion, conversion, malicious prosecution, misuse of government property, or willful omission to perform duty, or (2) is economically wasteful, or involves gross misconduct, incompetency, or inefficiency.

(d) “Person” means any individual, corporation, trust, association, any state or local government, or any agency or instrumentality of any of the foregoing.

(e) “Use of official authority or influence” includes promising to confer, or conferring, any benefit; effecting, or threatening to effect, any reprisal; or taking, or directing others to take, or recommending, processing, or approving, any personnel action, including, but not limited to, appointment, promotion, transfer, assignment, performance evaluation, suspension, or other disciplinary action.

(Added by Stats. 1999, Ch. 156, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2000.)