It has been with great amusement that I have read these posts. I feel confident in saying that I have personally seen more vanity plates than almost anyone. For you see I have spent 16 of the last 19 years with the Ca Dept of Corrections as the Superintendent of the Prison Industry Authority, License Plate Factory at Folsom State Prison Ca.
All vanity plates in Ca are made on the #3 P/P (Punch/Press).
#3P/P (of 12ea) is a 150ton mechanical punch press (hydraulic's are to slow!) Each press is operated by a crew of 3 inmates. You don't want to know what a 150 ton press will do to a hand!
#3P/P crew are: "Frisco"(a bay area boy), "Cornfed"(guess why?), "Lefty"(only 4 fingers on right hand-see above). Their real names were changed because, they don't use them! lol! These guys have made all of the vanity plates in Ca for years. They actually do a great job, for $.60-.75 per hr! They also get: day-for-day(day off of sentence for every day worked) but these 3 guys are "lifers" so d-f-d doesn't apply.
It takes about 150 inmates to run the entire factory, with about 10 staff (talk about outnumbered!) We use the carrot & stick method. A few small carrots & a BIG STICK! There is a "no hostage" rule here: they would'nt trade a can of coke for me, so I'm worthless to them. Crazy, but it works! Also, there's something about "strip-searching" your employees at the end of each day that has a way of breaking down all of those barriers!lol! I know these guys "intimately"!
This is Ca DMV's only source for license plates! Guess who makes plates when the prison is on "Lockdown"
We REALLY don't like "Lockdowns"!lol!
We usually stay enough ahead with the regular issue plates, but vanity plates get made every day rain or shine! So I would have to include myself to the list above because I've made many a vanity plate (back in the day!)
& b-t-w: we run on a 5 day turn around on vanity plates (it's usually only 2 or 3) So don't let DMV tell you it takes that long!
About 3 years ago I had a chance to get out of the fire & took a job "outside the walls" in PIA Hqts., but I can still see the license plate factory from my office window.
Jamo, were you ever a criminal defense attorney? or do you look familiar from somewhere else? I didn't see any tattoo's in the naked cobra picture, but I could only see one side! lol!
jdog
P.S. One of my co-workers plates is "CONBOSS" mine will be: CSX4795 (I think I'll go watch it being born, haven't SEEN the crew in awhile)
"I hear that whistle blowing......" Johnny Cash