Changing my license over (vehicle registration, versus, car)

[1200RT]

Originally Posted by drshang

Impounding a car with one month expired tags is harsh, but if you told the officer you moved here a year ago, you probably deserve it.

Arresting you for having an invalid license when you have a current valid US drivers license seems totally nuts and inappropriate to me. No way in hell would a $5000 fine stick, IMO.

Your excuses for why you haven't registered your car here are weak as hell.

A lot of people on this thread are being pretty mean to you.

That is all...

S/He wasn't arrested or fined, so we're all good.

[drshang]

Originally Posted by 1200RT

S/He wasn't arrested or fined, so we're all good.

Yeah I realize that, not sure if how I worded was confusing.

If they impounded you under this:

V C Section 22651 Circumstances Permitting Removal

It says pretty clearly that registration needs to be at least 6 months out of date for a tow. There may be another law that states an out of date expired tag can be impounded/towed, but make sure you figure out exactly what rule you were cited and ensure that impounding is allowed under your circumstance. What anyone on this board thinks in terms of "if this is a valid punishment" is irrelevant, it is what the law says, so do your due diligence.

Cops still have to follow the law and many here since the recession have been on massive revenue grabs doing things that range from "borderline" to "blatantly not allowed." I wouldn't trust a cops word over any random persons in regards to the law. The courts ultimately decide if you violate the law, not police officers, they merely make recommendations.

[TurcoLoco]

Originally Posted by drshang

A lot of people on this thread are being pretty mean to you.

Oh so, he doesn't register his vehicle, for whatever reasons, and the tags expire then the cops does what the law allows him to do for it and people supposed to feel sorry for him and back him up? When people state the obvious, they are being mean?

What happened to him sucks and I can relate but he continued driving with expired tags (CA plates or otherwise) then he had it coming. If he was a cute blonde with big ****, the cop might have been nicer but I don't believe cop would do penalize him more than what the law called for. According to your link and my personal belief, based on the info OP gave, towing the vehicle was extreme if not unjust but there might be something OP has not disclosed, who knows? Also this from your link "(B) An address within this state at which he or she can be located."

If I were him and felt the fees/treatment were unjust, instead of whining on an online forum and looking for validation from random strangers, I would research this to find out if there was a foul play with the way I was treated such as vehicle getting towed, etc. If I found verifiable, reputable info that suggested so, then I would appeal to it in the court.

[West of Encino]

Originally Posted by TurcoLoco

State is broke, cops are unpredictable but generally more aggressive than before. DMV no longer forgives expired registration and penalizes dearly those who missed doing but cops typically do not care about out of state plates (as long as they are still valid). I think you hit a *****-hole of a cop who probably hadn't gotten any in a long while.

Even then, you were asking for it by driving a vehicle with an out of state plates that had expired tags. I don't know if it was normal or proper for him to get your car towed but like I said, they are a lot less forgiving than before!
Did he at least give you a hug or a kiss afterward?

Welcome to CA!

This.

[california_peach]

Usually you have 30 days to obtain a license when you move to another state (I live in GA). I don't know how you could be considered as "unlicensed" if you have a valid license in another state.....I guess the moral of the story is to learn the laws of your new residence because ignorance is not a valid defense in court! Obtaining my license & tags are near the top of my list when I relocate to CA.

[Mike121]

Here's what the DMV has to say about driving on an out-of-state license:

If you are a visitor in California over 18 and have a valid driver license from your home state or country, you may drive in this state without getting a California driver license as long as your home state license remains valid.

If you become a California resident, you must get a California driver license within 10 days. Residency is established by voting in a California election, paying resident tuition, filing for a homeowner’s property tax exemption, or any other privilege or benefit not ordinarily extended to nonresidents

[ferretkona]

Residency is also established by employment. When you start working you are now a resident.

[hockfan86]

^^^Not true as a lot of companies are not incorporated in California. I file taxes in Atlanta though I have never been a resident there.

[ferretkona]

Originally Posted by hockfan86

^^^Not true as a lot of companies are not incorporated in California. I file taxes in Atlanta though I have never been a resident there.

No need to be difficult. You work in California = resident. Who cares where the paycheck is coming from.

[Patrolman]

Just to clarify matters, law enforcement officers enforce the law. Our job, contrary to popular belief, is not to generate revenue for any city, county or the State. The court system does that. Some people think law enforcement gets a kick-back for every citation we write. We don't. In the City of Los Angeles, any revenue generated by the LAPD gets put into the City's General Fund. The PD doesn't see one cent of it.