Vehicles: impoundment and sale.

Existing law authorizes a peace officer who determines that a person was driving a vehicle while his or her driving privilege was suspended or revoked, driving in violation of a driver's license restriction, or driving a vehicle without ever having been issued a driver's license, to cause the removal and seizure of the vehicle. Existing law requires a 30-day impoundment period for these seized vehicles, subject to exceptions allowing earlier release. This bill would, until January 1, 2018, prohibit the impoundment of a vehicle on the basis that the driver has not been issued a driver's license if the driver establishes that he or she has applied for, but not yet received, a driver's license pursuant to a specified law. Existing law requires the impounding agency, within 2 working days of impoundment, to send a notice of impoundment to the legal owner of the vehicle. Under existing law, failure to notify the legal owner within 2 working days prohibits the impounding agency from charging for more than 15 days' impoundment when the legal owner redeems the impounded vehicle. This bill would expand these provisions to require that a registered owner of the vehicle receive a notice of impoundment. Existing law authorizes the imposition of a lien on a vehicle to compensate a person who is legally entitled for compensation for towing or storage of the vehicle, and provides procedures for the sale of a vehicle at a lien sale. This bill would declare the intent of the Legislature to prohibit a lien sale of a vehicle subject to a 30-day impoundment under the above-described provisions prior to the conclusion of the 30-day period.