CITY HALL JOURNAL : BELL GARDENS : Official Gives Up His ‘Cold’ License Plates

The great plate debate has ended in Bell Gardens.

It was common practice for Bell Gardens city managers to have their vehicles equipped with so-called “cold” license plates, which the California Vehicle Code says can be requested by a police chief or district attorney for city employees who are engaged in “investigating actual or suspected violations of the law.” So Police Chief Andy Romero requested the plates for City Manager Charles Gomez’s city vehicle.

A political firestorm erupted. When the smoke cleared, Gomez gave up the special plates, saying that they were not worth the aggravation.

“Cold” plates, which look like ordinary license plates, are coded to make it difficult to obtain information about the driver from the Department of Motor Vehicles, said DMV spokesman Bill Madison. They are issued primarily to police officers, judges and district attorneys, and are often requested by police agencies for use by undercover officers.

The controversy started when residents received flyers in the mail charging that Gomez and Romero “allegedly participated in perjury of documents violating the California Vehicle Code.” The origin of the newsletter was not included.

Gomez said he filled out a DMV form requesting the plates after city staff members told him two former city managers had used them. Romero said he signed the DMV form authorizing Gomez to receive the plates because he also understood previous city managers had them. The plates were placed on Gomez’s city vehicle in February.

Gomez’s use of the plates is not illegal, “but may be unethical,” the DMV’s Madison said. The department relies on police personnel and district attorneys who apply for “cold” plates to police themselves, he said.