BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                  AB 2660
                                                                  Page  1


          ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
          AB 2660 (Solorio)
          As Amended  April 9, 2012
          Majority vote 

           TRANSPORTATION      12-0                                        
           
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          |Ayes:|Bonnie Lowenthal,         |     |                          |
          |     |Achadjian, Blumenfield,   |     |                          |
          |     |Bonilla, Buchanan, Eng,   |     |                          |
          |     |Carter, Galgiani, Miller, |     |                          |
          |     |Norby, Portantino,        |     |                          |
          |     |Solorio                   |     |                          |
          |     |                          |     |                          |
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           SUMMARY  :  Exempts vehicles owned, operated, or leased by 
          federal, state, or local law enforcement, during the performance 
          of duty, from prohibitions on window tinting for passenger- and 
          driver-side windows.  

           EXISTING LAW  :  

          1)Prohibits driving a motor vehicle with any object or material 
            on a windshield or side windows, with certain exceptions, that 
            obstructs or reduces the driver's clear vision.  

          2)Prohibits affixing or applying any transparent material to a 
            windshield or side or rear window of a vehicle if the material 
            alters the color or reduces the light transmittance of the 
            window, with certain exceptions.  

          3)Authorizes the installation of tinted safety glass in a 
            vehicle provided the material has a minimum visible light 
            transmittance of 70% and the driver has in his or her 
            possession a certificate signed by the window glazing 
            installer certifying that the material meets all specified 
            requirements.  

           FISCAL EFFECT  :  Unknown.  This bill is keyed non-fiscal by the 
          Legislative Counsel.  

           COMMENTS  :  State law prohibits certain window tinting on 
          vehicles because window tinting makes it difficult for peace 








                                                                  AB 2660
                                                                  Page  2


          officers to see into a vehicle.  This is particularly true when 
          an officer approaches a vehicle that has been stopped.  Although 
          the law provides some exceptions, those exceptions do not exempt 
          window tinting on police vehicles, including unmarked vehicles 
          used by undercover police officers.  

          The author notes that undercover peace officers frequently use 
          window tinting on driver- and passenger-side windows to blend in 
          with vehicle fads and to protect officers from being detected 
          when they are working undercover.  

          Difficulties arise, however, when a police officer stops an 
          undercover officer for illegal window tinting.  The arresting 
          officer may be required to issue a citation because the law does 
          not specifically exempt law enforcement.  The police department 
          that was issued the citation must then expend resources to have 
          it dismissed in court or pay the fine.  The author argues that 
          this process wastes critical time and public safety resources on 
          a technicality that could be easily avoided.  Therefore, the 
          author has introduced this legislation to exempt law enforcement 
          from the prohibition on the use of window tinting, making it 
          possible for an officer to display identification as evidence 
          that the vehicle meets exemption requirements.  The author 
          contends that this bill will save law enforcement time and money 
          and allow them to focus their resources on protecting public 
          safety.  

           
          Analysis Prepared by  :   Victoria Alvarez / TRANS. / (916) 319- 
          2093 


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