Existing law establishes a specialized license plate program and requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue specialized license plates, also referred to as environmental license plates, on behalf of a sponsoring state agency if the agency receives 7,500 applications for that plate within a 12-month period, among other requirements. Existing law authorizes a person who is the registered owner or lessee of a vehicle to apply to the department for specialized license plates. Existing law imposes a fee, in addition to the regular registration fee, for the issuance, renewal, retention, transfer, and duplication of specialized license plates. Existing law requires that all revenue derived from these fees be deposited in the California Environmental License Plate Fund.

This bill would require the Arts Council to apply to the department to sponsor “The Lowrider” specialized license plate, as specified. The bill would require the department, in consultation with the Arts Council, to design The Lowrider plate to reflect lowrider culture and heritage. The bill would require the department to work in consultation with the Department of the California Highway Patrol to determine whether the design obscures the readability of the license plate. The bill would require the Arts Council to use the fees imposed for the issuance, renewal, or transfer of these specialized license plates, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to fund projects that include, among others, supporting lowrider arts and cultural preservation efforts.