$1 Auto Fee Surcharge for Theft Prevention Urged
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department asked county lawmakers Tuesday to approve a $1 surcharge on automobile registrations to help pay for car theft prevention programs.
Under a bill authored by Sen. Ed Davis (R-Northridge) and signed into law in 1990 by then-Gov. George Deukmejian, the state vehicle code was amended to permit each California county to levy the registration and renewal fee, which the Department of Motor Vehicles would collect.
Sheriff Sherman Block wrote the board last month, asking its support for the program. He estimated that the fees could generate $6.5 million a year in the county, where about 130,000 cars are stolen every year.
The Board of Supervisors asked the Sheriff’s Department and the countywide Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee to supply more information on the program, then scheduled a vote on the matter for later this month.
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