Countywide : Unlicensed Motorist Crackdown Is Hailed

Orange County activists are hailing a new state law that cracks down on people who drive with suspended or revoked licenses.

A group of more than 50 residents from Seal Beach and surrounding cities have been pushing for the “safe streets” law since July, when a 12-year-old boy was struck by a car and killed while waiting to cross Seal Beach Boulevard. Police said the accident was caused by a woman driving on a suspended license.

Gov. Pete Wilson last week signed legislation creating the law, which requires that people caught driving with invalid licenses forfeit their cars. The law applies only to drivers who have been convicted in the past five years of driving with a suspended or revoked license. It goes into effect Jan. 1.

Seal Beach resident Renee Handler, leader of the local group pushing for the law, said its passage brought “mixed emotions.”

“It was very positive that this passed. But I also felt a wave of sadness because it reminded me that this little boy died for no reason at all,” Handler said.

Handler and other residents have spent the last few months calling, faxing and writing letters to lawmakers urging them to approve Assembly Bill 3148.

“We wanted to keep the pressure on the senators who were on the fence,” Handler said. “One senator asked us to please give him his fax machine back.”

Christopher Schneider, who lived in housing at the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station, was struck July 12 when a car jumped a curb after being cut off by another. Police arrested the driver of the second car on suspicion of reckless driving and driving with a suspended license.