An act to amend Section 4852 of the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles. An act to add Article 8.7 (commencing with Section 5170) to Chapter 1 of Division 3 of the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles, and making an appropriation therefor.
Summary
AB 1091 would create a new “Eight-Letter License Plate Program” within the Department of Motor Vehicles, modeled in part on California’s environmental license plate program. The bill would allow registered owners or lessees of passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, motorcycles, trailers, and semitrailers to request license plates with up to eight characters, subject to DMV approval and conflict checks against existing plate series. It also gives the DMV authority to reject or recall combinations that are misleading or offensive, and provides a hearing process for recalled plates in most cases.
The bill would charge additional fees for issuance, renewal, transfer, duplicate plates, and retention of the special plates. Those revenues would be deposited into a newly created Natural and Agricultural Open Space and State Recreational Support Fund, which would be continuously appropriated for open-space land programs, California fairs, and Department of Parks and Recreation support. The bill also requires the DMV to update its website and forms to publicize the program, and it amends Vehicle Code Section 4852 to expressly allow a motor vehicle license plate to have eight characters notwithstanding existing plate dimension rules.
Impact
AB 1091 would amend the Vehicle Code to authorize eight-character motor vehicle license plates and establish a new special-plate program with associated fee authority, administrative procedures, and enforcement provisions. It would create a new continuously appropriated special fund and direct all program revenues to specified state purposes tied to open space, agricultural fairs, and parks. The bill would affect DMV operations, vehicle owners seeking personalized or special plates, and the state programs that would receive the fee revenue.
Sentiment
The available vote history suggests the bill has received favorable committee treatment, with a 15-0 do pass vote and referral toward the consent calendar. No committee transcript is available, but the structure of the bill and the lack of recorded opposition in the provided materials indicate generally positive or at least noncontroversial consideration at the committee level. The bill appears to be framed as a revenue-raising and program-support measure rather than a major regulatory change.
Contention
The main potential points of contention are administrative and policy-related rather than ideological: whether the DMV should be authorized to issue an eight-character plate format that departs from existing plate standards, whether the new fees are justified, and whether the program should create a continuously appropriated fund outside the normal annual budget process. Another possible issue is the DMV’s discretion to reject or recall plate combinations deemed offensive or misleading, though the bill includes hearing rights and reimbursement/replacement provisions to address due process concerns. No specific opposition is documented in the provided materials.
An act to add Sections 12810.1, 21214.8, 21214.9, and 22352.1 to, and to add Article 19 (commencing with Section 28170) to Chapter 5 of Division 12 of, the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles.