BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                  AB 1658
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:  April 9, 2012

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
                               Bonnie Lowenthal, Chair
                    AB 1658 (Gatto) - As Amended:  April 11, 2012
           
          SUBJECT  :  Specialty license plates

           SUMMARY  :  Establishes a California Legacy License Plate Program. 
           Specifically,  this bill  :  

          1)Requires the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to establish a 
            California Legacy License Plate Program and create and issue a 
            series of specialized license plates known as California 
            Legacy License Plates that replicate the look of California 
            license plates from the state's past.  

          2)Requires the plates' design to be identical to a regular 
            license plate to the extent feasible, except for consisting of 
            one or more of the following designs:  

             a)   Yellow background with black lettering per the 
               appearance of California license plates issued by DMV in 
               the 1950s;

             b)   Black background with yellow lettering per the 
               appearance of California license plates issued by DMV in 
               the 1960s; and,

             c)   Blue background with yellow lettering per the appearance 
               of California license plates issued by DMV in the 1980s.  

          1)Levies for these plates, in addition to the regular fees for 
            an original registration or renewal of registration, a fee of 
            $50 for the original issuance of the plates, $40 for 
            registration renewal, $15 for transfer of the plates to 
            another vehicle, and $35 for each substitute replacement 
            plate.  

          2)Prohibits DMV from issuing a California Legacy License Plates 
            for a vehicle that is exempt from the payment of registration 
            fees.  

          3)Prohibits DMV from establishing the California Legacy License 
            Plate Program until it has received not less than 7,500 paid 








                                                                  AB 1658
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            applications for plates.  

          4)Requires DMV to collect and hold applications for the plates 
            and to issue them after it has received not less than 7,500 
            paid applications for the particular plates by January 1, 
            2014.  If, after that date, 7,500 paid applications have not 
            been received, DMV must immediately refund to all applicants 
            all fees or deposits that have been collected.  

          5)Makes moneys available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, 
            to DMV for the necessary administrative costs of establishing 
            the California Legacy License Plate Program upon determination 
            by DMV that there are sufficient funds for the program.  

          6)Requires DMV, after deducting its administrative costs, to 
            deposit any additional revenue derived from the issuance, 
            renewal, transfer, and substitution of the specialized license 
            plates into the California Environmental License Plate Fund, 
            for appropriation by the Legislature pursuant to existing law. 
             

           EXISTING LAW  :  

          1)Allows a state agency to apply to DMV to sponsor a specialized 
            license plate program that DMV may not establish until it has 
            received at least 7,500 applications for that agency's 
            proposed plates.  A sponsoring agency is allowed 12 months, 
            following the date of approval of its initial application to 
            sponsor a specialized license plate, to receive the required 
            number of applications.  

          2)Allows an owner of a vehicle that is a 1969 or older 
            model-year vehicle or the owner of a commercial vehicle or a 
            pickup truck that is a 1972 or older model-year to utilize 
            California license plates from the year corresponding to the 
            model-year date when the vehicle was manufactured, if the 
            model-year date license plate is legible and serviceable, as 
            determined by DMV, in lieu of the license plates that would 
            otherwise be required.  

           FISCAL EFFECT :  Unknown

           COMMENTS  :  According to the author, this bill is intended to 
          recreate license plates "that replicate the look of plates from 
          the state's past.  It seeks to mirror the retro trend in the 








                                                                  AB 1658
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          auto industry where companies have produced autos that pay 
          homage to vehicle designs of the past, as well as companies that 
          have revived old models that feature modern takes on vintage 
          designs."  

          The bill would require DMV, upon receiving at least 7,500 paid 
          applications, to produce and issue new license plates that allow 
          consumers to choosing from classic designs from the 1950s/1960s 
          (black lettering on yellow background or yellow lettering on 
          black background) and 1970s/1980s (yellow lettering on blue 
          background).  

          The author adds, "In addition to giving consumers new options on 
          what sort of license plate to use on their vehicles, it would 
          provide classic car collectors a risk-free way to acquire plates 
          that match the vintage of their vehicles.  Currently, classic 
          car owners can 'revive' old plates that match the vintage of 
          their vehicle.  Unfortunately, there are unscrupulous sellers of 
          these 'vintage' license plates who pass off counterfeit 
          reproductions as genuine 'vintage' plates.  The Legacy License 
          Plate Series would let collectors an opportunity, if they 
          choose, to put plates on their vehicles that match the era of 
          their vehicle without fear of being sold fake plates."  

           REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION  :  

           Support
           
          American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
          Association of California Car Clubs
          Capitol Auto Club Thunderbolts

           Opposition
           
          None on file
           

          Analysis Prepared by  :  Howard Posner / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093