Vehicles: distinguishing placards and special license plates.

(1) Existing law prohibits a person to whom a disabled person placard has been issued from lending the placard to another person, and prohibits a disabled person from knowingly permitting the use of the placard, or special license plates for a disabled person or disabled veteran, for parking purposes by one not entitled to the placard or license plates. Existing law also generally prohibits a person from displaying a disabled person placard that was not issued to him or her or that has been canceled or revoked as specified, and prohibits a person using a vehicle displaying special license plates issued to another person from parking in specified parking stalls or spaces designated for disabled persons, unless transporting a disabled person. A violation of any of those prohibitions is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than $250 and not more than $1,000, imprisonment in the county jail for not more than 6 months, or both that fine and imprisonment. Existing law also provides that a person who, with fraudulent intent, displays or causes or permits to be displayed a forged, counterfeit, or false disabled person placard is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not less than $500 and not more than $1,000, imprisonment in a county jail for 6 months, or both that fine and imprisonment. This bill would make all of those violations punishable as either a misdemeanor or by the issuance of a notice of parking violation. If treated as a parking violation, a violation would be punishable by a civil penalty of not less than $250 and not more than $1,000. The punishment would remain the same for a violation treated as a misdemeanor, except that the fine for a misdemeanor punishment for a person who, with fraudulent intent, displays or causes or permits to be displayed a forged, counterfeit, or false disabled person placard would be not less than $250, rather than not less than $500, and not more than $1,000. (2) Existing law authorizes a local authority, as defined, by ordinance or resolution, to prohibit or restrict the parking or standing of a vehicle on streets or highways or in a disabled person's parking space at an offstreet parking facility within its jurisdiction when the vehicle displays a distinguishing placard issued to a disabled person or disabled veteran, and the records of the Department of Motor Vehicles indicate that the placard has been reported as lost, stolen, surrendered, canceled, revoked, or expired, or was issued to a person who has been reported as being deceased for a period exceeding 60 days. This bill, instead, would authorize a local authority, by ordinance or resolution, to prohibit or restrict the parking or standing of a vehicle on one of those areas in its jurisdiction when the vehicle displays that distinguishing placard, a temporary distinguishing placard, or a special license plate issued to a disabled person, disabled veteran, or specified organizations, and the records of the department indicate the placard or license plate has been reported as lost, stolen, surrendered, canceled, revoked, or expired, or was issued to a person who has been reported deceased for a period exceeding 60 days; the placard or license plate is displayed on a vehicle that is not being used to transport, and is not in the reasonable proximity of, the person to whom the placard or license plate was issued or a person who is authorized to be transported in the vehicle displaying that placard or license plate; or the placard or license plate is counterfeit, forged, altered, or mutilated. Because a violation of these provisions would be an infraction, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (3) Existing law imposes specified fines on a person convicted of a first, 2nd, 3rd, or subsequent offense related to parking or leaving a vehicle without a distinguishing placard or special license plate in a parking space designated for disabled persons and disabled veterans, blocking access to those parking spaces, or parking or leaving standing a vehicle on the lines marking the boundaries of one of those parking spaces or in any area of the pavement adjacent to one of those parking spaces that is marked by crosshatched lines and is designated for the loading and unloading of vehicles parked in the parking space. This bill, instead, would make a person who commits one of those offenses subject to either the issuance of a civil notice of parking violation imposing a civil penalty of not less than $250 and not more than $1,000 or a criminal notice to appear punishable, as specified, as an infraction. (4) Existing law requires an additional assessment equal to 10% of the fine, penalty, or forfeiture imposed under specified provisions of the Vehicle Code to be imposed by each county for a violation of specified provisions of the Vehicle Code. This bill would revise and recast these provisions to also require that an additional assessment be imposed of 10% of the penalty established for purposes of a violation described in (2) above. (5) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.