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Solano supervisors approve vehicle-registration fee hike to fund Cal ID fingerprint system
Summary
The board voted 5–0 to increase motor-vehicle registration fees (from $1 to $2; commercial from $2 to $4) to support the county's Cal ID fingerprint identification program, funding two latent examiners, system upgrades and mobile units; staff projected roughly $420,000 in additional annual revenue.
The Solano County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution to raise local motor-vehicle registration fees to fund the county's automated fingerprint identification (Cal ID) program.
Lisa Donahue, director of administrative services at the sheriff's office and chair of the county's RAN (Remote Access Network) board, told the board the increase — from $1 to $2 for motor vehicles and from $2 to $4 for commercial vehicles — is authorized under state law and allowed by Assembly Bill 2393. She said the fee revenue is to be spent exclusively on Cal ID: two latent fingerprint examiners, ABIS/ABUS software, mobile fingerprint units and training and certification costs.
"We are requesting an increase to the vehicle registration fees for the purpose of supporting the automated fingerprint identification system here in Solano County," Donahue said.
Cal ID staff described the unit's functions: processing latent prints from crime scenes, comparing prints against local and national databases, and operating live-scan and mobile units that support deputies in the field. The county's Cal ID presentation noted an anticipated $420,000 increase in annual fee revenue and a one-time DMV programming fee (about $40,000) that would be deducted from the first payment; staff said collections could begin in October following state processing steps.
Chair Mashburn shared a law-enforcement example to illustrate the program's public-safety value, telling the board a recent booking was later matched to an Interpol homicide warrant and the individual was held pending extradition. "Would not have happened if it was not for that machine and for Cal ID," the chair said.
No members of the public spoke during the hearing. After the presentation and a brief discussion the board approved the fee increase by a 5–0 vote.
What happens next: Staff will submit the resolution to the Department of Motor Vehicles for implementation, which staff said takes roughly six months; the county will pay an initial DMV programming charge and begin collections thereafter.
