Bill Requiring Drunk Drivers to Lose License Plates Advances

Anyone convicted of a second drunk driving offense would be required to surrender automobile license plates and vehicle registration papers under legislation that has been approved by the Senate.

A 23-8 vote forwarded the bill (SB 628) by Sen. Becky Morgan (R-Los Altos) to the Assembly.

“There is a clear need for tougher penalties for drunken driving beyond taking away driver’s licenses in order to protect innocent drivers and pedestrians,” Morgan said, adding that lack of license plates would alert law enforcement officers.

She said studies have shown as many as two-thirds of drivers with suspended licenses continue to drive, and are more likely to be involved in fatal accidents involving alcohol.

The proposal is sponsored by the California chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

ASSEMBLY

Committee Action

* Defense Conversion Dollars: The Consumer Protection, Government Efficiency and Economic Development Committee approved a bill (SB 458) by Sen. Gary K. Hart (D-Santa Barbara) to create a state council to come up with ways to secure maximum federal defense conversion funding for California companies. A 9-2 vote sent the bill to the Ways and Means Committee.

SENATE

Floor Action

* Illegal Drugs: Passed and sent to the Assembly on a 39-0 vote a bill (SB 1203) by Sen. Rob Hurtt (R-Garden Grove) to increase the maximum sentence for the manufacture of illegal drugs from three, five or seven years to three, six, or nine years in state prison.

* Higher Education Bonds: Passed and sent to the Assembly on a 33-0 vote a bill (SB 46) by Sen. Gary K. Hart (D-Santa Barbara) to place on the June, 1994, primary election ballot a $900-million bond issue to finance higher education building projects.

* Sexual Relations With Minors: Passed and sent to the Assembly on a 31-2 vote a bill (SB 22) by Sen. Newton Russell (R-Glendale) to make it illegal for an adult female to engage in sexual relations with a minor male.

* Alcoholic Beverages: Passed and sent to the Assembly on a 21-7 vote a bill (SB 689) by Sen. Quentin Kopp (I-San Francisco) to allow law enforcement officers to seize the driver’s license of any person under the age of 21 with a blood-alcohol content of 0.01% or greater who drives a motor vehicle.

Committee Action

* Cesar Chavez Holiday: The Appropriations Committee approved a bill (SB 1253) by Sen. Art Torres (D-Los Angeles) to designate March 31 as a legal state holiday in honor of the late Cesar Chavez, who founded the United Farm Workers union. A 10-1 vote sent the bill to the Senate floor.

* Lawyer Beneficiaries: The Judiciary Committee approved a bill (AB 21) by Assemblyman Tom Umberg (D-Garden Grove) to prohibit lawyers from naming themselves as beneficiaries in their clients’ wills. An 8-0 vote sent the bill to the Senate floor.

Miscellany

* Fourth of July: California Highway Patrol Commissioner Maury Hannigan has urged drivers to make it a sober and safe Fourth of July holiday weekend. From 6 p.m. on Friday, July 2, to midnight on Monday, July 5, extra CHP officers will be on patrol, he said. “Those (drivers) suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol will get special attention,” he said, “but so will those traveling without the benefit of safety belt protection.”