For the purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply:

(a) “Community Services Block Grant” refers to the federal funds and program established by the federal Community Services Block Grant Program in the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981, as contained in Public Law 97-35, as that law has been amended from time to time and as currently codified as Section 9901 et seq. of Title 42 of the United States Code.

(b) “Contract” means the written document incorporating the terms and conditions under which the department agrees to provide financial assistance to an eligible entity. Upon its cosigning by authorized agents of the department and the eligible entity, and subsequent approval by the Department of General Services pursuant to Section 10295 of the Public Contract Code, a contract shall be deemed to be valid and enforceable.

(c) “Director” means the Director of Community Services and Development.

(d) “Delegate agency” or “subcontractor” means a private nonprofit organization or public agency that operates one or more projects funded under this chapter pursuant to a contractual agreement with an eligible entity.

(e) “Department” means the Department of Community Services and Development established pursuant to Article 8 (commencing with Section 12085) of Chapter 1.

(f) “Designation” means the formal selection of a proposed community action agency by the director, as provided in Section 12750.1.

(g) “Eligible entity” means an agency or organization, as defined in Section 9902 of Title 42 of the United States Code, as amended, and may include a private nonprofit organization or public agency that operates one or more projects funded under this chapter pursuant to a contract with the department.

(h) “Eligible beneficiaries” means all of the following:

(1) All individuals living in households with incomes not to exceed the official poverty line according to the poverty guidelines updated periodically in the Federal Register by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, as defined in Section 9902 of Title 42 of the United States Code, as amended.

(2) All individuals eligible to receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families under the state’s plan approved under Public Law 104-193, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, and (Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 11200) of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code) or assistance under Part A of Title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 601 et seq.).

(3) Residents of a target area or members of a target group having a measurably high incidence of poverty and that is the specific focus of a project financed under this chapter.

(i) “Financial assistance” means money provided by the department to an eligible entity, pursuant to an approved contract, in order to enable the eligible entity to accomplish its planned and approved work program.

(j) “Political subdivision” shall generally be deemed to mean county government, with the following exceptions:

(1) In any county that, prior to October 1, 1981, had more than one designated community action agency, each unit of local government that contained a designated community action agency shall continue to operate as a “political subdivision” under this chapter.

(2) Any county having fewer than 50,000 population according to the most recent census available may be deemed by the department to be part of a larger “political subdivision” comprising two or more counties if the department determines that to do so would best serve the purposes of this chapter, and may participate in the designation process for a multicounty community action agency.

(k) “Secretary” means the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

(l) “Standards of effectiveness” are the general standards, derived from the purposes of this chapter and the assurances and certifications made by the state to the secretary in the state plan, as further stated in subdivision (g) of Section 12745, and as they may be more specifically defined in regulation, toward which all programs and projects funded under this chapter shall be directed and against which they will be assessed.

(m) “State plan” means the plan required to be submitted to the secretary to secure California’s allotment of Community Services Block Grant funds, which shall be prepared and reviewed pursuant to the requirements of this chapter.

(n) “Uncapped area” means any county or portion of a county for which no community action agency has been designated and recognized.

(Amended by Stats. 2007, Ch. 46, Sec. 5. Effective January 1, 2008. Repealed conditionally as prescribed by Section 12790.)