CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill
No. 399

Introduced by Senator Umberg

February 12, 2021

An act to amend Section 5155 of, and to add Section 5165 to, the Vehicle Code, relating to license plates.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


SB 399, as introduced, Umberg. Specialized license plates: professional sports.
Existing law establishes a specialized license plate program and requires the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to issue specialized license plates on behalf of a sponsoring state agency if the agency receives 7,500 applications within a 12-month period, among other requirements. Existing law requires the DMV to charge specified additional fees for the issuance, renewal, or transfer of specialized license plates, and requires the DMV to deposit the fees, less the DMV’s costs, into the Specialized License Plate Fund. Existing law requires that moneys in the fund be allocated, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to each sponsoring agency in proportion to the amount that is attributable to the agency’s specialized license plate program. Existing law authorizes the sponsoring state agency to use these moneys to fund projects and programs that promote the state agency’s official policy, mission, or work.
This bill would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to apply to the DMV to sponsor a license plate program for the issuance of license plates bearing the officially licensed logo, emblem, or trademark provided by a participating California professional sports franchise, and would require the DMV to issue specialized license plates in different designs that bear the logo, emblem, or trademark of an individual California professional sports franchise under that program if the Department of Veterans Affairs complies with the 7,500 application requirement for an individual design. The bill would impose specified fees for the issuance, renewal, or transfer of those license plates, and would require the funds to be deposited into the California Sports Franchise Account created by the bill, after DMV administrative costs are deducted, to be allocated to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Existing law, with certain exceptions, imposes certain design criteria for specialized license plates, including, among other things, that the license plate provide a space not larger than 2 inches by 3 inches to the left of the numerical series and a space not larger than 5/8 of an inch in height below the numerical series for a distinctive design, decal, or descriptive message.
This bill would, notwithstanding those provisions, authorize the Department of Veterans Affairs to accept and use the officially licensed logos, emblems, or trademarks, as applicable, provided by California professional sports franchises for the specialized license plates in a design that the department determines, in consultation with the Department of the California Highway Patrol, does not obscure the readability of the license plate.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Section 5155 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read:

5155.
 The design criteria for a specialized license plate are as follows:
(a) Except as provided in Section 5161, Sections 5161 and 5165, the license plate for a passenger vehicle, commercial vehicle, or trailer shall provide a space not larger than two inches by three inches to the left of the numerical series and a space not larger than five-eighths of an inch in height below the numerical series for a distinctive design, decal, or descriptive message as authorized by this article. The license plates shall be issued in sequential numerical order or, pursuant to Section 5103, in a combination of numbers or letters.
(b) Specialized license plates authorized under this article may be issued for use on a motorcycle. That license plate shall contain a five-digit configuration issued in sequential numerical order or, pursuant to Section 5103, in a combination of numbers or letters. There shall be a space to the left of the numerical series for a distinctive design or decal and the characters shall contrast sharply with the uniform background color. A motorcycle plate containing a full plate graphic design is not authorized.
(c) Specialized license plates may be issued as environmental license plates, as defined in Section 5103.

SEC. 2.

 Section 5165 is added to the Vehicle Code, to read:

5165.
 (a) The Department of Veterans Affairs shall apply to the department to sponsor a professional sports franchise license plate program pursuant to this article. The Department of Veterans Affairs shall enter into a memorandum of understanding with each California professional sports franchise that will participate in the program authorizing the use of officially licensed logos, emblems, and trademarks provided by the professional sports franchise for the franchise’s license plates. The department shall issue specialized license plates in different designs that each bear the logo, emblem, or trademark of a particular California professional sports franchise if the Department of Veterans Affairs complies with the requirements of Section 5156, provided that the department not issue a particular design until the department has received 7,500 applications for that design.
(b) The Department of Veterans Affairs shall accept and use the officially licensed logos, emblems, or trademarks, as applicable, provided by California professional sports franchises for the license plates in a design for each participating California professional sports franchise that, notwithstanding Section 5155, the department determines, in consultation with the Department of the California Highway Patrol, does not obscure the readability of the license plate.
(c) The fees specified in Section 5157 shall be imposed for the issuance, renewal, or transfer of the professional sports franchise specialized license plates. Notwithstanding subdivision (c) of Section 5157, after deducting its administrative costs, the department shall deposit the revenue derived from the additional fees into the California Professional Sports Franchise Account, which is hereby established in the Specialized License Plate Fund.
(d) Moneys in the California Professional Sports Franchise Account, upon appropriation by the Legislature, shall be allocated to the Department of Veterans Affairs for projects and programs that promote its official policy, mission, or work.