CAN YOU FIGHT CITY HALL?
There's an old saying that "you can't fight city hall."
And Pamela says, "Oh, yes you can!"
There's an old saying that "you can't fight city hall."
And Pamela says, "Oh, yes you can!"
In early 2008, I learned that I was not the only ham radio license holder who received
a misprinted license plate from the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
Historically, the DMV correctly issued vehicle license plates to hams with their call
signs printed in the middle of the plate. Somewhere along the way, someone at the
DMV decided that there should be a space in the call sign. This was a very annoying
policy to the hams who knew that inserting a space in a call sign is the same thing as
misspelling it. We worried that other drivers who recognized call signs would think we
were "dummies who can't spell."
Once I realized that I was not the only ham trying to "fight city hall," that is, trying to
get the DMV clerks to realize the policy of adding a space was wrong, a few of us
hams exchanged emails. I looked at the statute (state law) and discovered that it
says that the DMV shall issue the license plates to the ham with the ham's call sign
as issued by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC does not
issue call signs with spaces. Therefore, the DMV's policy was in violation of state law.
Many other hams took this information and bombarded their state representatives
with requests to get the DMV to change its policy and to reissue the plates, correctly
"spelled," at no charge to the ham radio operators. The DMV bowed to pressure --
after years of ignoring individual hams who had battled the DMV alone.
If you're going to "fight city hall," it does help to have allies! Warm thanks and
congratulations to all of the hams who took action. Victory is sweet.
DMV bows to ham radio community - legal research provided by Pamela Royce
a misprinted license plate from the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
Historically, the DMV correctly issued vehicle license plates to hams with their call
signs printed in the middle of the plate. Somewhere along the way, someone at the
DMV decided that there should be a space in the call sign. This was a very annoying
policy to the hams who knew that inserting a space in a call sign is the same thing as
misspelling it. We worried that other drivers who recognized call signs would think we
were "dummies who can't spell."
Once I realized that I was not the only ham trying to "fight city hall," that is, trying to
get the DMV clerks to realize the policy of adding a space was wrong, a few of us
hams exchanged emails. I looked at the statute (state law) and discovered that it
says that the DMV shall issue the license plates to the ham with the ham's call sign
as issued by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC does not
issue call signs with spaces. Therefore, the DMV's policy was in violation of state law.
Many other hams took this information and bombarded their state representatives
with requests to get the DMV to change its policy and to reissue the plates, correctly
"spelled," at no charge to the ham radio operators. The DMV bowed to pressure --
after years of ignoring individual hams who had battled the DMV alone.
If you're going to "fight city hall," it does help to have allies! Warm thanks and
congratulations to all of the hams who took action. Victory is sweet.
DMV bows to ham radio community - legal research provided by Pamela Royce
Yes! You can "fight city hall" -- and the DMV, too!
Photo by Tom McDonough, Copyright © 2008 by Pamela Royce
| Pamela Royce, Attorney at Law 626 285 8987 |
PAMELA ROYCE, ATTORNEY AT LAW
(626) 285 8987
All contents of this web site are copyright © 2007, 2008 and 2009 by Pamela Royce, except
for those proprietary properties owned by Yahoo SiteBuilder and any associate links to other
web sites. No content shall be directly quoted in whole or in part without prior written
permission from Pamela Royce. Links to other web sites are provided as a courtesy and
should not be construed to be an endorsement of the other web site(s) or its/their owner(s)
or vice versa.
Disclaimer: This web site is for general information purposes only. Nothing in it should be
construed as legal advice nor relied upon as such. Reading this web site does not create
an attorney-client relationship.
for those proprietary properties owned by Yahoo SiteBuilder and any associate links to other
web sites. No content shall be directly quoted in whole or in part without prior written
permission from Pamela Royce. Links to other web sites are provided as a courtesy and
should not be construed to be an endorsement of the other web site(s) or its/their owner(s)
or vice versa.
Disclaimer: This web site is for general information purposes only. Nothing in it should be
construed as legal advice nor relied upon as such. Reading this web site does not create
an attorney-client relationship.
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