Vehicles: additional registration fees: vehicle-theft crimes.

(1) Existing law, in addition to the other fees imposed for the registration of a vehicle, authorizes a county to impose an additional fee of $1 on all motor vehicles, and an additional service fee of $2 on commercial motor vehicles of 10,001 pounds or more, as specified, and continuously appropriates the money to fund local programs relating to vehicle theft crimes. These provisions are repealed as of January 1, 2018. Existing law requires each participating county to issue a fiscal yearend report to the Controller, summarizing certain matters. This bill would authorize the County of Los Angeles, the County of San Diego, and the County of San Bernardino to increase the motor vehicle fee from $1 to $2, and would provide that the service fee on commercial motor vehicles would increase from $2 to $4, upon adoption of a resolution of its board of supervisors, and would require the resolution to be submitted to the Department of Motor Vehicles at least 6 months prior to the operative date of the fee increase. This bill would add a new source of revenue to be deposited into a continuously appropriated fund, thereby making an appropriation. (2) Existing law also requires the Department of the California Highway Patrol, in consultation with all participating county-designated regional coordinators, to review the effectiveness of reducing vehicle theft crimes that were funded by the fees imposed by the above provisions. Existing law requires the department to provide a report based on that review and to submit that report, on or before January 1, 2009, to the Legislature. This bill would repeal the above obsolete requirements imposed on the Department of the California Highway Patrol and would make other technical, nonsubstantive changes to these provisions. (3) This bill would make legislative findings and declarations concerning the need for special legislation.