Politics & Government

Bill to Kill Legislator License Plate Perk Passes Assembly

A bill that would do away with a reduced fee perk for vanity license plates that state legislators enjoy was introduced by local Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, D-La Canada Flintridge.

A bill that would do away with discounted vanity plate fees for California legislators passed unanimously in the State Assembly this week.

The bill was introduced by one of Arcadia's representatives, Assemblyman Anthony Portantino.

Under current rules, legislators, even retired ones, can get a vanity plate with a personliazed number and letter combination for $12 and then never have to pay a renewal fee, according to Portantino's press release.

Find out what's happening in Arcadiawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

By contrast, the general public must pay $49 to $98 for a special plate and $38 to $78 for annual renewals.

The DMV estimates that over the life of the program, it has issued almost 700 California legislator license plates with 116 currently in use, according to Portantino, who wrote in his release that he was pleased to see a bipartisan vote to do away with the perk.

Find out what's happening in Arcadiawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"“Even veterans pay the state an annual fee. Not California legislators.  Current and retired legislators get their personalized license plates almost for free.  The bi-partisan support for this reform is greatly appreciated and significant," Portantino wrote.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Arcadia