BILL NUMBER: AB 1915	CHAPTERED  06/30/02

	CHAPTER  80
	FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE  JUNE 30, 2002
	APPROVED BY GOVERNOR  JUNE 28, 2002
	PASSED THE SENATE  JUNE 20, 2002
	PASSED THE ASSEMBLY  APRIL 22, 2002
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  APRIL 15, 2002
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MARCH 13, 2002

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Members Lowenthal, Chu, Dutra, Longville,
Nakano, Oropeza, Salinas, and Vargas

                        FEBRUARY 8, 2002

   An act to add Section 4467 to the Vehicle Code, relating to
vehicles.



	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 1915, Lowenthal.  Vehicles:  license plates.
   Existing law provides for the assignment of a specific license
number to a motor vehicle, which may be changed only upon application
to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), and under certain
circumstances.  Existing law provides for controls on the replacement
of lost, stolen, or mutilated license plates when the applicant
provides an address different from that in DMV records.
   This bill would require the DMV to provide a new set of license
plates to a registered owner of a vehicle who appears in person and
submits a completed application and also presents to the DMV the
previously issued plates, proof of identity and vehicle ownership,
and either evidence of victimization by a domestic abuser or evidence
of efforts to get assistance in regard to the domestic abuse, as
specified.  This bill would exempt special interest license plates
from this requirement.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:


  SECTION 1.  Section 4467 is added to the Vehicle Code, to read:
   4467.  (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the
department shall issue new and different license plates immediately
upon request to the registered owner of a vehicle who appears in
person and submits a completed application, if all of the following
are presented:
   (1) Proof of ownership of the vehicle that is acceptable to the
department.
   (2) A driver's license or identification card containing a picture
of the licensee or cardholder issued to the registered owner by the
department pursuant to Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 12500) of
Division 6.  The department shall conduct a search of its records to
verify the authenticity of any document submitted under this
paragraph.
   (3) The previously issued license plates from the vehicle.
   (4) One of the following:
   (A) A copy of a police report identifying the registered owner of
the vehicle as the victim of an incident of domestic violence.
   (B) A written acknowledgment, dated within 30 days of submission,
on the letterhead of a domestic violence agency, that the registered
owner is actively seeking assistance or has sought assistance from
the agency within the past year.
   (C) An active protective order as defined in Section 6218 of the
Family Code, or issued pursuant to Section 527.6 or 527.8 of the Code
of Civil Procedure, which names the registered owner as a protected
party.
   (b) Subdivision (a) shall not apply to special interest license
plates.