‘Save the Whale’ License Plate Orders Surge

A last-minute push by Californians to “save the whales” seems headed toward success, with orders for license plates bearing the image of a whale’s tail surging toward the minimum needed to save the program.

The state’s “Whale’s Tail” license plate will be canceled if 5,000 aren’t ordered by midnight tonight. Last week, sales were lagging far behind that goal, but after a wave of publicity, motorists flooded the phone lines.

By Monday afternoon, an estimated 4,400 plates had been sold, said Jack Liebster, a spokesman for the California Coastal Commission.

“We’re getting inundated right now, and it looks pretty close,” said Vanessa Miller, a Coastal Commission worker who was answering one of 20 phone lines taking orders. “We’re feeling very confident.”

Half of the $50 initial cost for the special plates goes to Coastal Commission and Coastal Conservancy programs for cleaning up the coastline, improving beach access and offering special school programs. The other half goes to a special fund administered by the Legislature for environmental protection and restoration. Annual renewal of the plate costs $40. Most of the fees are tax-deductible.

Personalized plates are $90 the first year and $65 for annual renewal.

The campaign to save the license plate was boosted when the American Plastics Council and Universal Studios pledged funds to offer $25 discounts for 1,200 plates. That money was gone by Monday. But other incentives still are available--a “See and Ski” package for the first 5,000 plates includes a free whale-watching tour, Sea World two-for-one discount, a free lift ticket to Mammoth Mountain and children’s admission to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. To receive the incentives, motorists must request them when ordering.

Coastal Commission staffers--including biologists and administrators--are working the phones 24 hours a day. They say the program is vital to fund projects that improve coastal resources and educate the public. For example, a pilot Adopt-a-Beach program in which inner-city schoolchildren recycle materials and get matching state funds to visit a beach is about to run out of funds.

For more information or to place an order, call (800) 262-7848.

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Because phone lines have been jammed, Liebster said motorists can mail a check for “Whale’s Tail” plates made out to the Coastal Commission, 45 Fremont St., No. 2000, San Francisco CA 94105. If the letter is postmarked today, it counts toward the deadline.

“We are confident that we will make it, but it’s going to be tight. It is controlled pandemonium here right now,” Liebster said.

If the 5,000 quota set by the Department of Motor Vehicles is achieved by tonight, motorists will still be able to order the plates at any time. But if that number is not reached by the stroke of midnight, the plate will be canceled by the DMV.

Similar environmental plates commemorate Yosemite National Park, Lake Tahoe and the Monterey Bay. The Yosemite plate has been extremely popular, generating $1.5 million a year for park restoration projects.

“We’re hoping to reach not just 5,000 but 50,000. We want to emulate the Yosemite plate, because we think people care about the coast just as much,” Liebster said.