Expired Plates

While your editorial (Dec. 14), which pointed out the number of delinquent and expired California license plates, may have had some validity, it lacked a total view of all the facts.

I speak firsthand--I drove around with expired plates for six months while waiting for the Department of Motor Vehicles to process my registration renewal. I learned that delays of up to four months in the Sacramento office are common. I suspect the California Highway Police are aware of this and therefore are less than strictly enforcing the law.

As a postscript, I would like to add that my registration, which took so long to process, was eventually mailed to me. Unfortunately, Sacramento used an incorrect expiration date, and I now have begun the task of setting this error straight. I expect this to take another six months, as my first two phone calls have gone unanswered.

Don’t scold the motorists with expired plates--pity them.

RUSSELL CASTONGUAY

Los Angeles