California Budget Crisis Fix Is In: Digital License Plate Ads

by Edward Niedermeyer

Published: June 22nd, 2010

california budget crisis fix is in digital license plate ads

Unsure of what to do about its nearly $20b budget deficit, California is entertaining some pretty wild ideas. And no, not legalizing and taxing marijuana. According to Yahoo News, State Sen. Curren Price is introducing legislation that would replace license plates with digital versions which

would mimic a standard license plate when the vehicle is in motion but would switch to digital ads or other messages when it is stopped for more than four seconds, whether in traffic or at a red light. The license plate number would remain visible at all times in some section of the screen.

Yes, advertising on license plates. Ray LaHood’s distracted driving crusade be damned, California is on a mission to prove that the movie Idiocracy was right. Luckily there’s a slight hitch…

Obviously converting all of California’s 32m registered vehicles to digital license plates won’t be so cheap. At least, it wouldn’t be cheap if there were digital license plates available on the market. Which there aren’t. The bill would have California’s DMV work with firms like San Francisco-based Smart Plate, which is developing digital license plate technology but has yet to bring it to market. Except Smart Plate doesn’t especially want to be associated with the legislation. SP’s CEO tells Yahoo News

The idea is not to turn a motorist’s vehicle into a mobile billboard, but rather to create a platform for motorists to show their support for existing good working organizations

Senator Price, meanwhile, insists that other states are looking into this technology as well. But even he seems to realize that he may just be a little bit ahead of his time. He bleats

We’re just trying to find creative ways of generating additional revenues. It’s an exciting marriage of technology with need, and an opportunity to keep California in the forefront

On the forefront of what exactly, the reader is left to decide.

#Advertising #California #Government #LicensePlate

Edward Niedermeyer

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2 of 34 comments

Njdave on Jun 23, 2010

My question is, if you legalize pot and prostitution, does that mean you have to smoke pot before you nail a hooker? Or does the hooker have to get high before she does you? For some guys I know the poor hooker would have to be REALLY high. One guy I know, I don't think there is enough cannabis in all of Mexico to get a girl to sleep with him....

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Jon Johnston on Jun 23, 2010

This calls for a TTAC investigation: What tech company will most likely benefit from these new plates? How much did that company contribute to the Sen. Price campaign fund?

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Recent Comments

Lou_BC Blows me away that the cars pictured are just 2 door vehicles. How much space do you need to fully open them?
Daniel J Isn't this sort of a bait and switch? I mean, many of these auto plants went to the south due to the lack of unions. I'd also be curious as how, at least in my own state, unions would work since the state is a right to work state, meaning employees can still work without being apart of the union.
EBFlex No they shouldn’t. It would be signing their death warrant. The UAW is steadfast in moving as much production out of this country as possible
Groza George The South is one of the few places in the U.S. where we still build cars. Unionizing Southern factories will speed up the move to Mexico.
FreedMike I'd say that question is up to the southern auto workers. If I were in their shoes, I probably wouldn't if the wages/benefits were at at some kind of parity with unionized shops. But let's be clear here: the only thing keeping those wages/benefits at par IS the threat of unionization.