Baldwin Park

Since a new law went into effect on Jan. 1, officers in the Baldwin Park office of the California Highway Patrol have issued more than 7,000 citations that could lead to the recovery of about $497,000 in previously unpaid automobile registration fees. The law cracks down on unregistered or fraudulently registered vehicles by establishing broad residency standards that prohibit many uses of out-of-state licenses. Capt. David Hensel said two recent citations netted $14,000 in back fees and fines from car owners who had illegally avoided California registration fees, taxes and pollution-control regulations.