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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 01121988 - IO.7 Tom• BbARD OF SUPERVISORS FROM: VVI �l� INTERNAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEE ClJJ1.Cl DATE'. CO * January 4, 1988 �/�� �� SUBJECT: Enforcement of Vehicle Registration Laws SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Direct the County Administrator to determine the financial advantage to the County of more rigorous enforcement of the vehicle registration laws and report his findings' to the Board of Supervisors. 2 . Indicate the Board' s conceptual support for a pilot project in which the County would fund the cost of an additional full-time CHP Officer in the County dedicated to enforcing vehicle registration laws, with the understanding that the County would be reimbursed by the State for the cost of this additional position from additional revenue generated by this additional officer, with' any surplus revenue to be distributed to the' County and cities in this County as is provided for under current law. 3 . Indicate the Board's intent to sponsor legislation, if required, to provide for a pilot project to accomplish this increased level of enforcement activity, or to pursue such a pilot project administratively, if possible. 4. Direct the County Administrator to work cooperatively with the CHP to accomplish the pilot project noted above either administratively .or legislatively. 5 . Direct the County Administrator to present a report to the Board by March 15, 1988 on the results of his discussions on the feasibility of such a pilot project during the 1988-89 fiscal year. 6. Request the Sheriff-Coroner to give increased emphasis to reporting to the California Highway Patrol out-of-state license plates which .may be owned by individuals who by law should have the vehicle registered in California. In addition ask the Sheriff to .give additional attention to citing persons driving vehicles with expired California registration tabs. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: X YES SIGNATURE: RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE THER SIGNATURE s : Supervi or N. C. Fanden Supervisor T. Torlakson ACTION OF BOARD ON January , APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS �1 1 HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE UNANIMOUS (ABSENT ) .AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES. AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATEe pSHOWN. ATTESTED JAN 12 �9DU PHIL BATCHELOR, CLERK OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR • � • M382/7-83 BY —'DEPUTY -2- 7 . Authorize the Chairman to write to the Mayor of each city in the County and each chief of police asking that they cooperate with the County in the above pilot project when it is implemented by reporting to the CHP out-of-state license plates which may belong to vehicles which ought to be registered in California and by intensifying their effort to cite persons driving vehicles with expired California registration tabs. 8 . Request the County Administrator to write to industrial associations and major employers in the County asking that in cases where possession of a vehicle is a condition of employment the employer voluntarily agree to assist the County, cities and law enforcement agencies by requiring verification that the employee' s vehicle is registered in California where state law requires such registration and that the vehicle' s registration in California is current. 9. Request the County Administrator to explore with the CHP whether increased penalties for failure to register a vehicle in California are needed and whether any other legislative changes are needed in order to make it easier for the CHP to determine that the owner of a vehicle is living or is employed in California and thereby require that the individual' s vehicle be registered in California. 10 . Remove this item as a referral to our Committee. BACKGROUND Our Committee has been concerned for some time about the number of out-of-state vehicles in this County which we suspect are supposed to be registered in California. We have two reasons for this concern, the lost revenue to cities and counties when vehicles are illegally registered out-of-state and the environmental damage which may be done by these vehicles because they do not have to comply with California emission-control standards. We met with Captain Ron Oliver, Commander of the Contra Costa Area Office of the California Highway Patrol on December 14. The CHP is doing an outstanding job of pursuing illegally registered - out-of-state vehicles. This Area Office is one of the few which dedicates a full-time officer to the enforcement of vehicle registration laws. This one officer is, however, kept fully busy responding to cases brought to his attention by CHP and other law enforcement officers as well as citizens who note an out-of-state plate where they believe the vehicle' s owner is working in California or is a resident of California. The formula for distributing motor vehicle license fee revenue is rather complex. However, after some apparently minor deductions are made from this source of revenue, 40. 625% of the revenue is returned directly to counties on the basis of population, and another 40. 625% is returned to cities, also on the basis of population. Other than property taxes, motor vehicle in-lieu fees form one of the major sources of discretionary revenue counties have ( $25 million in Contra Costa County this fiscal year) . The problem is that the increased revenue presently generated by our Area Office of the CHP is distributed statewide to all counties and cities. This County received only a minimal direct benefit for the CHP' s efforts. -3- We believe that it may be possible to show on a pilot basis that an intensified enforcement program could benefit this County. Toward that end, we are recommending that the County Administrator obtain the figures from the State Controller' s Office to determine whether this is, in fact, true. If it is, we urge a pilot program, either legislatively or administratively, under which the County would guarantee the cost of an additional CHP Officer to be dedicated to this program, with the County to be reimbursed off the top of the additional revenue which is generated by this officer. We would like to see the balance of the additional revenue generated by this position returned to this County and its cities, if at all possible. In any case, if we can be fairly well assured that there will be no net cost to the County, this might well be an excellent pilot program to pursue, and we urge the Board to approve our recommendations. The remaining recommendations (Nos. 6-9) are designed to elicit cooperation from other law enforcement agencies in the County and employees in the County to such a pilot project. cc: County Administrator County Auditor-Controller County Counsel Captain Ron Oliver, CHP