Then again, Pomona apparently doesn't need SB626 to exert local control and issue a reduced penalty.
I asked Whitney if he believed people should drive without a license. He answered no. Should they drive without insurance? He said no, again.
Then what should the punishment be? Whitney did not want to answer, but he finally said, impounding a car for one day.
Great. One day. So the next day, an unlicensed driver can pick up the car and drive without a license or insurance, secure in the knowledge that there is a not much of a penalty for doing so. L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca opposed SB626. Bilowit explained that a one-day impoundment makes breaking the law cheap and easy.
While Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office has no official position on SB626, he did veto a similar bill in 2005, noting that such legislation "would send a message to unlicensed drivers that it is acceptable to break the law." The pro-illegal immigrant lobby likes to complain that the law sends mixed messages to illegal immigrants. Then they push for laws -- like a slap on the wrist for driving without a license -- that muddle the message again. I have to ask: If California lawmakers don't respect the law, why should California voters respect their lawmakers?