(a) Any person otherwise eligible under this article who qualifies under subdivision (b) may apply for special license plates that shall run in a separate numerical series and shall contain the words “Pearl Harbor Survivor.” The plates may be issued for any vehicle, except a vehicle used for transportation for hire, compensation, or profit, or a motorcycle, which is owned or coowned by the person.
(b) To qualify for issuance of the special plates, the applicant by satisfactory proof shall show all of the following:
(1) The applicant was a member of the United States Armed Forces on December 7, 1941, and received an honorable discharge from military service.
(2) The applicant was on station at Pearl Harbor, the Island of Oahu, or offshore within a distance of three miles, on December 7, 1941, during the hours of 7:55 a.m. to 9:45 a.m., Hawaii time, as certified by a California chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association.
(c) Upon the death of a person issued special license plates pursuant to this section, his or her surviving spouse may retain the special license plates subject to the conditions set forth in this section. Upon the death of the spouse, the retained special license plates shall be returned to the department either (1) within 60 days following that death or (2) upon the expiration of the vehicle registration, whichever occurs first.
(d) Sections 5106 and 5108 do not apply to this section.
(Amended by Stats. 1999, Ch. 612, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2000.)