SECOND MAY, 2008 UPDATE

Before I start I would like to remind everyone of the change we have made to our email. Because of the huge amount of SPAM we had been receiving, it is now necessary to fill in the subject line. Any email that doesn’t have that line filled in will be deleted.

Everything is in place to petition DMV for our plates. We have three different designs will be submitted in order to eliminate any objections based upon plate design.

What will happen is our three plate designs will be submitted with at least ten applicants to DMV. They will review the designs, approve one of them and start the process. Though we don’t like it, applicants will have to pay the usual veteran plate fees until the state budget is settled. At that time we will push for either the elimination of the fees or have them greatly reduced.

If you are interested in applying for one of the non-handicapped, disabled veteran license plates email us with your name and address. We will, in turn, email you progress reports. Please review the requirements listed on this site to see if you qualify.

In other news, we have found two websites that are truly dedicated to our veterans and active duty; Soldiers’ Angles and Military Connections offers the help and support that these men and women need. We ask that you visit these sites and do whatever you can to help. As time permits, we will provide more information about both of these very helpful sites. In the meantime they can be reached through our links page.

MAY, 2008

E MAIL: Due to the amount of SPAM we are receiving, we now require that you fill in the subject section. Any email received without that will be deleted unopened.

NEW LINK: The Wounded Warrior Project has been added to our list of links, www.woundedwarriorproject.org. As everyone knows, there are numerous web sites devoted to providing veterans with all sorts of help. The Wounded Warrior Project is just such a web site. We ask that you visit the site and do what you can to help these men and women.

DV LICENSE PLATE UPDATE: Senator Able Maldonado introduced SB 1229, calling for the license plate. Right now it.s in the Senate.s Transportation and Housing Committee with no expectation of moving forward. Seems there are rules prohibiting any new plates from being introduced because it.s felt we have too many already and some them, according to administrative types, are too hard to read.. It would take major political influence to get the bill past.

However, we do have a positive side to this problem. A consultant to the committee discovered a way to make the license plate a reality without having to go through committees. It requires cooperation from the Cal. VA, DMV and the CHP. What would happen is an additional decal would be added to the list of veterans. plates that are already being used. Once this concept is agreed upon, it will only take ten qualified veterans to apply for the plate then the decals would be printed and issued.

We are working hard to make this happen and we need your help to make it so. We ask you to contact you state representatives and the Cal. VA and urge them to quickly move this through. These deserving men and women have waiting long enough for California to show some respect and gratitude to those who are deserving of such an honor.

February Update

I apologize for being late with this update but; so much was accomplished during my month long visit to the state capitol that I.m still working at categorizing it. Add to that a serious case of some sort of flu and my productivity dropped to near zero.

Senator Able Maldonado (R. Dist 15) introduced SB 1229, our license plate bill. The Senator coauthored the original bill (AB 445) without being asked. All I did was explain to him what it was I wanted to do and he immediately volunteered. In regard to SB 1229, I visited his office on a Monday and I was told Mr. Maldonado was very interested and they would do the usual research needed. On the following Thursday I walked into his office and the Legislative Director looked at me and said, .Yes..

We have about forty-two potential coauthors and at least one sponsor.

I met with senior consultants from both the Senate and Assembly Appropriations Committees and ironed out all of the things that would prevent the bill from moving forward. Unfortunately, the changes made do not benefit the veteran. Though no one liked the idea, the qualified veteran will have to absorb all costs for the time being. On the upside is the fact that everyone is more than willing to remove or reduce these costs when the state budget settles down.

Progress reports will be posted as needed.

12/17/07

Today, Assemblyman Nava’s staff advised me the he will not be reintroducing the bill this session. Because of the lack of enthusiasm on the part of his staff when I met with them in September, I suspected this would happen. In preparation for this, I contacted other Assembly members and asked them to consider authoring the bill on the Assembly side. On my January trip to the state capitol I will be meeting with them to iron out any problems that may exist.

In the mean time, Senator Able Maldonado is seriously considering authoring the same bill on the Senate side. The idea here is to be able to move it quickly through both houses.

I was told that CALTRANS may oppose issuing a new plate because they feel we have too many already. A meeting is being setup with them so I can explain that this plate isn’t a vanity plate, but a show of gratitude and respect.

Because of the current budget problems we have been forced to remove from the table just about every additional benefit we would have liked to see attached to the plates. And we are well aware that other, far less worthy bills, will be passed that will cost far more than ours. And when you look at the cold hard realities you will see that this is one of the reasons why this plate is so important. Our veterans need this exposure in the state so they too can receive better attention in our state government.

November 21, 2007

January is fast approaching and with it the next trip to the State Capitol and, once again meet with all of our legislatures with the objective being the gathering of additional supporters and the finial resolution to the funding problem. The visit in September resulted in the gathering of additional legislative supporters and several constructive suggestions and ideas.

The governor has asked for voluntary cut backs in state spending because of the looming financial problems. A portion of the problem is the result of what appears to be frivolous spending, the failure to institute logical cut backs in areas that are over funded and a lack of financial control over various other programs. Because of this, we are once again forced to consider reducing the cost to the state for the non-handicapped veteran.s license plate by having the qualified veteran pay some of the fees that we want to state to absorb. At a later date we can address either the reduction or total elimination of these charges. Our first objective is to get the bill passed and funded.

The news media reports citing the fact that one in four homeless people are veterans, and that includes veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan fighting, makes clear the fact that help is sorely needed. Health care, job assistance, education and training and, in some instances, housing are the areas of concern. While there are agencies already in place that can help our veterans in need, many are either not aware of them or too removed from the social mainstream to try and get help. Our non-handicapped, disabled veteran.s license plate is the first step in correcting these problems. Our license plate is the first step on the road to correcting these problems. The plate will receive at least state wide news coverage and that will lend itself to a raised public awareness to just how serious the needs are for our veterans. And that.s when we will be joining with other like minded groups in a united push to correct these problems.

I can not emphasize enough the need to not only tell others about what we are doing and will be doing in the future, but to continually urge your state legislatures to do everything they can to insure the passage of this bill.

10/25/07

We are waiting for the results from the effort to get the funding issue resolved, and that is a slow process. The Appropriations Committee primary staff member, Steve Archibald, has to review the changes we are suggesting and determine if they are feasible. Because of increased spending within the DMV and the CHP, DMV will be in the red by the end of next year. And, naturally enough, they are reluctant to ignore a possible source of additional income this plate would generate if they applied the usual fees charged for vanity plates. We have impressed upon them the fact that these are not vanity plates, but a modest show of support and gratitude to those who have sacrificed so much.

Because the funding is the only stumbling block, we are trimming the cost to the state while keeping any cost incurred by the veteran at a minimum.

You'll notice the license plate posted on this site has changed. Gone are the ribbons that where located on the bottom. We feel that it gives the plate a stark reality that is inline with the reason the plates are issued.

We will keep you posted on the progress we make and what everyone can do to help.

Dave Troescher

10/5/07

I apologize for not updating our web site sooner but I've been pretty busy visiting every California state legislator, explaining who we are, what we are doing and how they can help. And, for the most part, things have gone well. Numerous members of both Houses have pledged to vote for the bill while others are seriously considering coauthoring.

Several legislative staff members went so far as to recommend having the bill introduced in the Senate at the same time it's reintroduced in the Assembly. I've been told this action would help insure the bill would receive serious consideration and a united support base here in the capitol. And, to that end, I've asked every Senator to consider taking the position as the Senate author. About four are going to review the issue and make their decision by January.

As you already know, the bill was held in the Assembly's Appropriations Committee. For the most part there were two reasons it was held; the asking for the plates to be free for life and DMV's demand for the annual "vanity" plate fee. We removed the free plate for life and have two people in Sacramento working on rescinding DMV's request for the "vanity" plate fee. However, because of the projected financial problems facing DMV in 2008, we may be forced to remove even more and work on cost reductions at a later date. Because of these obstacles, Mr. Nava's office asked that we amend the bill and present it to them. The primary consideration now is to get the bill passed and enacted.

On another note, I met with Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia's legislative director Sharon Gonsalves, and she informed me that Ms. Garcia had introduced AB 540, a bill calling for a one time $1,000.00 "welcome home" payment to every California veteran returning for Iraq or Afghanistan. AB 540 is based on what the state of Massachusetts is already doing. The bill met some opposition and she has asked us to review it and see if we can be of any help in the matter.

In closing I want to remind you that your participation is still a critical factor. A number of legislatures said they received the form letters on our web site and they were helpful in making the decision to support our bill. Both the Senate and the Assembly introduce a large number of bills each session and many of them are nothing more than fluff designed to appease a segment of their voting constituency. We need to make it perfectly clear that our bill is not "fluff" but in fact a serious commitment to our veterans.

Dave Troescher
Founder and Chair

8/14/07

A few days after Labor Day, Dave Troescher will be traveling to Travis Air Force Base, near Sacramento, and staying at their FAMCAMP for about a month while he visits the offices of Assembly and Senate representatives. He will also be visiting the cities in the area and asking the city councils, county supervisors and other civic and business groups for there support in getting this idea reintroduced in the next secession. We want to get as many legislators as possible to coauthor this legislation.

If you live within the Travis AFB area, and want him to make a presentation, just email us and we will do what we can to accommodate your request.