HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 04051988 - IO.3 TO BOARD OF SUPERVISORS } 1.0. •3
FROM: Contra
INTERNAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEE
Costa
DATE: March 28 , 1988 Cai
SUBJECT:
Enforcement of Vehicle Registration Laws
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. Authorize the Chairman to send a letter to the Area
Commander of the California Highway Patrol requesting
intensified enforcement of vehicle registration laws as they
pertain to . out-of-state vehicles. Copies of this letter
should also be sent to the Governor of California and the
Commander of the California Highway Patrol.
2 . Authorize the Chairman to send a letter to the Area
Commander of the California Highway Patrol requesting that
he advise major employers in the County that the California
Highway Patrol will be doing intensified' spot checks of
out-of-state vehicles and requesting employers to remind
their employees of the requirement that out-of-state
vehicles be registered in California ` once the employee
"accepts gainful employment or becomes a California
resident" . Following this warning, the CHP should be
requested to undertake short-term intensive checks of
out-of-state vehicles throughout the County.
3 . Request the County Administrator to ask the California
Highway Patrol and Department of Motor Vehicles to clarify
whether and under what circumstances they interpret an
individual as being a California resident or interpret an
individual as being gainfully employed for purposes of
requiring that the individual' s vehicle be registered in
California and report the responses to our Committee.
4 . Agree . to sponsor legislation in 1989 which would do all of
the following:
o require employers to advise new employees of the need
to register their vehicles in California.
O if not already in statute, place in statute a
definition of gainful employment.
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE:
RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR X RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE
APPROVE OTHER
SIGNATURE(S): Sunne W. McPeak pp Tom Torlakson
ACTION OF BOARD ON April 5, 1900 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X OTHER
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE
X UNANIMOUS (ABSENT I ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN
AYES; NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD
ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN.
County Administrator / p
cc: Captain 'Tom'OlRoss, CHP ATTESTED —
Herbert Chu, DMV, El Cerrito PHIL BATCHELOR, CLERK OF THE BOARD OF
Sheri ff-Coroner SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
Steve Roberti , Central Labor Council
Greg Feere, Bldg. Trades Council
M382/7-83
Dean La Field, BIA BY —,DEPUTY
Page 2
o prohibit an individual from obtaining a driver' s
license until all vehicles registered to that owner are
currently and properly registered in California where
existing statutes would already require such
registration.
5 . Request the Sheriff-Coroner to work with the California
Highway Patrol on the problem of enforcing vehicle
registration laws in Contra Costa County, with particular
attention to the notification to new employees, and residents
of the County of the need to register vehicles in
California.
6 . Request the County Administrator to write . to this County' s
legislative delegation and to the police chiefs of each city
and town- in Contra Costa County asking for their cooperation
in enforcing vehicle registration laws.
BACKGROUND:
Our Committee has been concerned for some time with the ongoing
problem of enforcement of the vehicle registration laws in this
County. On March 28, 1988, our Committee met with the California
Highway Patrol Area Commander for Contra Costa County, Captain
Tom Ross, two of his officers, 'representatives of the State
Department of Motor Vehicles, and representatives from' major
labor organizations and industries in the County.
We received a fact sheet from the Department of Motor Vehicles on
the requirements to register out-of-state vehicles in California.
The fact sheet is somewhat ambiguous in that it does not contain
an adequate definition of gainful employment nor does it define
the precise circumstances under which residence in California is
established. We are, therefore, requesting clarification of this
from the Department of Motor Vehicles and are suggesting
legislation, if necessary, to clarify existing law. With Captain
Oliver' s departure from the California Highway Patrol and the
arrival of Captain Ross, we also believe it is necessary to
restate the Board' s previous request that the California Highway
Patrol undertake periodic intensive enforcement of the vehicle
registration laws following notification to employers and their
employees. Captain Ross was most cooperative in agreeing to
contact his headquarters in Sacramento and request that they
contact their counterparts in the Department of Motor Vehicles to
determine what additional cooperation can be undertaken by the
two departments.
The role of the Department of Motor Vehicles is one of producing
revenue for the State. It is not their job to actively look for
individuals who are violating State law. While the California
Highway Patrol does have as part of its job the active
enforcement of vehicle registration laws, it is not one of their
highest priorities. However, the Contra Costa County office of
the California Highway Patrol continues to have one full-time
officer dedicated to enforcement of vehicle registration' laws.
In addition,. our Committee learned that the Department of Motor
Vehicles also has a foreign vehicle registration unit in
Sacramento which has major responsibility for enforcement of
vehicle registration laws.
Based on our discussions with the California Highway Patrol, the
Department of Motor Vehicles, and the Sheriff, we have formulated
the above recommendations which we recommend that the Board
adopt