Plateful of Controversy

The state Senate Transportation Committee today will consider a bill to take the approval of specialty auto license plates out of the hands of the Legislature and make it tougher to grant new designs. It’s a good idea. A better one is to not approve any more specialty plates at all.

The controversy over a proposed plate to honor the Boy Scouts illustrates how the special plates have gotten out of control. The bill by committee Chairwoman Betty Karnette (D-Long Beach), SB 1329, contains language requiring a group seeking a special plate to be nonprofit and tax-exempt and not to discriminate on the basis of race, nationality, religion, politics or sexual orientation. Karnette says that would exclude the Boy Scouts, which will not allow gays to be Scouts or leaders.

“The Boy Scouts are wonderful, but we can’t approve of discrimination,” Karnette said. She’s right. But Sen. Richard Mountjoy, a conservative Republican from Arcadia, insisted that the bill “is furthering the goals of the homosexual agenda.” That’s nonsense.

The Senate imposed a moratorium on new specialized plates for several years after permitting production of plates promoting Yosemite Valley, Lake Tahoe, the arts and other subjects. But senators caved in when faced with an Assembly-passed bill creating a plate honoring former President Ronald Reagan last year. Now plates are being sought for the Girl Scouts, Rotary International and a variety of veterans groups.

Karnette’s bill would give the Department of Motor Vehicles authority to issue new plates if 7,500 motorists applied and paid the extra fee. That’s up from the current 5,000. The sponsoring group’s symbol could be no larger than two inches by three inches. That would be a big improvement. But it still would not take political controversy out of the system. Better to end specialty plates right now.