(a) The department, in conjunction with the Department of the California Highway Patrol, shall design and make available for issuance pursuant to this article the California memorial license plate. Notwithstanding Section 5060, the California memorial license plate may be issued in a combination of numbers or letters, or both, as requested by the applicant for the plates. A person described in Section 5101, upon payment of the additional fees set forth in subdivision (b), may apply for and be issued a set of California memorial license plates.
(b) In addition to the regular fees for an original registration or renewal of registration, the following additional fees shall be paid for the issuance, renewal, retention, or transfer of the California memorial license plates authorized pursuant to this section:
(1) For the original issuance of the plates, fifty dollars ($50).
(2) For a renewal of registration of the plates or retention of the plates, if renewal is not required, forty dollars ($40).
(3) For transfer of the plates to another vehicle, fifteen dollars ($15).
(4) For each substitute replacement plate, thirty-five dollars ($35).
(5) In addition, for the issuance of an environmental license plate, as defined in Section 5103, the additional fees required pursuant to Sections 5106 and 5108 shall be deposited proportionately in the funds described in subdivision (c).
(c) The department shall deposit the additional revenue derived from the issuance, renewal, transfer, and substitution of California memorial license plates in the Antiterrorism Fund, which is hereby created in the General Fund.
(1) Upon appropriation by the Legislature, one-half of the money in the fund shall be allocated by the Controller to the Office of Emergency Services to be used solely for antiterrorism activities. The office shall not use more than 5 percent of the money appropriated for local antiterrorism efforts for administrative purposes.
(2) Upon appropriation by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or in another statute, one-half of the money in the fund shall be used solely for antiterrorism activities.
(d) The department shall deduct its costs to administer, but not to develop, the California memorial license plate program. The department may use an amount of money, not to exceed fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) annually, derived from the issuance, renewal, transfer, and substitution of California memorial license plates for the continued promotion of the California memorial license plate program of this section.
(e) For the purposes of this section, “antiterrorism activities” means activities related to the prevention, detection, and emergency response to terrorism that are undertaken by state and local law enforcement, fire protection, and public health agencies. The funds provided for these activities, to the extent that funds are available, shall be used exclusively for purposes directly related to fighting terrorism. Eligible activities include, but are not limited to, hiring support staff to perform administrative tasks, hiring and training additional law enforcement, fire protection, and public health personnel, response training for existing and additional law enforcement, fire protection, and public health personnel, and hazardous materials and other equipment expenditures.
(f) Beginning January 1, 2007, and each January 1 thereafter, the department shall determine the number of currently outstanding and valid California memorial license plates. If that number is less than 7,500 in any year, then the department shall no longer issue or replace those plates.
(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 32, Sec. 11. (SB 87) Effective June 27, 2019.)