Vehicles: Blackout License Plate Program.

Added Section 5023.5 authorizing commemorative 2028 Olympic reflectorized license plates available until December 31, 2028, with design determined in consultation with the LA Organizing Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Expanded Section 5024 (commemorative collegiate license plates) with detailed program requirements including a 5,000-application minimum before an institution can participate, a one-year deadline to reach that threshold, and biennial outreach by DMV to all WASC-accredited or candidate institutions

Added Section 5200.5 requiring DMV to update and modernize standard license plates to include the option of a black license plate with white lettering

Established the 2025 Los Angeles Fire Relief Fund in the State Treasury, continuously appropriated to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for wildfire relief and recovery in areas subject to Executive Order N-17-25 (issued February 4, 2025). All net revenue from Olympic plate fees goes to this fund

Established the California Collegiate License Plate Fund. Half of net collegiate plate revenue goes to this fund (for need-based scholarships at public institutions and Cal Grant-eligible students at private institutions) and half goes to the California Environmental License Plate Fund

Set special fees for 2028 Olympic plates: $15 for transfer to another vehicle and $30 for annual renewal. After January 1, 2029, new plates are no longer issued but existing holders may renew, retain, or transfer them

Set fees for collegiate plates: $50 initial issuance, $40 per renewal, $15 transfer, $35 replacement. Plates are permanent and do not need to be replaced

Added legislative findings (Section 1) documenting approximately 990 citations for altered license plates in 2022, cease and desist letters from San Francisco to retailers in 2023, and the demand for non-white plate options as justification for the black plate provision

Retained the original technical amendment to Section 15220 changing 'Any driver' to 'A driver' of a commercial motor vehicle, but it is now renumbered as the final section of the expanded bill

New Section 5004.4 establishes the Blackout License Plate Program, requiring DMV to create and issue California Blackout Plates with a black background and white lettering, identical in design to regular plates where feasible.

The program will not be established until DMV receives at least 7,500 paid applications. If that threshold is not met by January 1, 2030, all collected fees must be refunded to applicants.

New fee structure for Blackout Plates: $50 for original issuance, $40 for renewal, $15 for transfer, $35 for substitute replacement, and $38 for retention when renewal fees are not otherwise required. Revenue after administrative costs is deposited into the California Environmental License Plate Fund.

The appropriation vote changed from 'no' to 'yes' and the fiscal committee vote changed from 'no' to 'yes,' reflecting the new fund establishment and revenue provisions in the Blackout Plate Program.

Blackout Plates cannot be issued for vehicles exempt from registration fees under Section 9101 or 9103, and Sections 5106 and 5108 do not apply to these plates.

The amendment to Section 15220 (a technical, nonsubstantive change regarding commercial motor vehicle drivers notifying DMV of out-of-state convictions within 30 days) was removed from the bill entirely.