4850.  (a) The department, upon registering a vehicle, shall issue
to the owner two partially or fully reflectorized license plates or
devices for a motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle, and one
partially or fully reflectorized license plate or device for all
other vehicles required to be registered under this code.  The plates
or devices shall identify the vehicles for which they are issued for
the period of their validity.
   (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no contract shall
be let to any nongovernmental entity for the purchase or securing of
reflectorized material for the plates, unless the department has made
every reasonable effort to secure qualified bids from as many
independent, responsible bidders as possible.  No contract shall be
let to any nongovernmental entity for the manufacturing of
reflectorized safety license plates.
   (c) In addition to any other fees specified in this code, a fee of
one dollar ($1) for reflectorization shall be paid only by those
vehicle owners receiving license plates or devices under this
section.
   (d) This section does not require vehicle owners with
nonreflectorized license plates or devices to replace them with
reflectorized plates or devices.
   (e) This section shall be known as the Schrade-Belotti Act.




4850.5.  (a) Notwithstanding subdivision (a) of Section 4850 and
Section 5200, the department, upon registering a truck tractor, shall
issue to the owner one suitable license plate or other device which
identifies the vehicle for which it is issued and for the period of
its validity.  The license plate or other device shall be attached to
the front of the vehicle.
   (b) This section shall become operative only when and if the
Department of the California Highway Patrol implements a program
which requires identifying numbers on the right and left sides of
truck tractors.



4851.  Every license plate shall have displayed upon it the
registration number assigned to the vehicle for which it is issued,
together with the word "California" or the abbreviation "Cal." and
the year number for which it is issued or a suitable device issued by
the department for validation purposes, which device shall contain
the year number for which issued.



4852.  (a) License plates issued for motor vehicles, other than
motorcycles, shall be rectangular in shape, 12 inches in length and
six inches in width.  The number and letter characters on the plates
shall have a minimum height of two and three-quarter inches, a
minimum width of one and one-quarter inches, and a minimum spacing
between characters of five-sixteenths of an inch.
   (b) Motorcycle license plates shall measure seven inches in length
and four inches in width, and the characters on the plates shall
have a minimum height of one and one-half inches and a minimum width
of nine-sixteenths inches, and shall have a minimum spacing between
characters of three-sixteenths of an inch.



4853.  The department may issue one or more stickers, tabs, or other
suitable devices in lieu of the license plates provided for under
this code.  Except where the physical differences between the
stickers, tabs, or devices and license plates by their nature render
the provisions of this code inapplicable, all provisions of this code
relating to license plates may apply to stickers, tabs, or devices.