Summary

Department of Motor Vehicles: No Firefighters’ License Plates Have Been Issued to the Public November 1995 93033 November 15, 1995 93033 The Governor of California President pro Tempore of the Senate Speaker of the Assembly State Capitol Sacramento, California 95814 Dear Governor and Legislative Leaders: The California Vehicle Code, Section 5080, authorizes the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to issue special license plates to motorists who are not firefighters which show support for California firefighters. A portion of the fees relating to those special firefighters’ license plates is required to be deposited in the California Fire and Arson Training Fund (fund) to be used for training employees of state and local fire suppression agencies. In addition, Section 5080 requires the Bureau of State Audits to audit all revenues deposited in, and expenditures from, the fund in 1995 and 1997. The California State Firefighters’ Association (association), the only participant in the program, undertook the task of promoting the special firefighters’ license plates to the public and collecting the minimum 5,000 applications required by law. On January 13, 1995, the association reported it had received only 256 applications for the special license plates. On January 17, 1995, the association’s board of directors voted to terminate its involvement in the program, citing the low number of applications and the cost of promoting the plates. In its letter to the DMV, the association stated it would return all fees it had collected to the applicants. Accordingly, as of June 30, 1995, the DMV had not recorded any revenues or expenditures in the fund as a result of the program. If there are no revenues and expenditures recorded in the fund by December 1, 1997, this report will meet our reporting requirements for both December 1, 1995, and December 1, 1997. Sincerely, KURT R. SJOBERG State Auditor The responses of the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency and the Department of Motor Vehicles are attached to this letter report. 1