Times-Herald (Vallejo)

49ers license plate unveiled

- By Paul Rogers

By buying a license plate, California motorists already can show their love for Lake Tahoe, Yosemite and the state's beaches, along with firefighte­rs, museums and other programs.

Now, another cause may be coming to bumpers across the state — NFL teams. On Monday, California's Natural Resources Agency, which runs the state parks department, announced it is sponsoring a specialty license plate with the San Francisco 49ers Foundation to raise money for state parks programs.

The proposed plate has the 49ers logo on it, with the words “Faithful to State Parks.”

Proceeds from sales would go to the state's “Outdoors for All” program, which aims to expand access to parks to underserve­d communitie­s.

The 49ers Foundation also would get a cut for the team's youth and science education programs.

The plates will cost $50 initially and then $40 per year to renew. A personaliz­ed plate fee is $103 and $83 to renew. They are eligible for autos, trucks, motorcycle­s or trailers, and only for California vehicles. More informatio­n is at 49ersplate­s.com

But just like an extra point on a rainy day, the future of the license plate is no sure thing. Under state law, 7,500 people must prepurchas­e orders before the Department of Motor Vehicles will produce new any new specialty plate.

In February, the Los Angeles Rams announced a similar specialty plate campaign, with funding also going to expand parks access.

Such plates can be major money makers.

California has roughly a dozen specialty license plates. More than $200 million has been raised over the years, from the Yosemite plate which funds projects in Yosemite National Park; a Snoopy plate that raises money for California museums; a whale-tail plate that has generated money for beach cleanups and coastal programs; a veterans plate for military veterans programs and other specialty plates.

But they don't always succeed.

In recent years, other attempted plates to raise money for environmen­tal causes, including a redwoods plate in 2017 to help fund redwood protection in parks and a Salton Sea plate to fund restoratio­n of that beleaguere­d body of water in Imperial County, have died after not being able to reach the 7,500 mark.

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