Posted on 01/10/2006 5:24:19 PM PST by NormsRevenge
SACRAMENTO (AP) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle illegally over the weekend when he collided with a car in his Brentwood neighborhood, the Los Angeles Police Department said Tuesday.
Police Lt. Paul Vernon said Schwarzenegger does not have the proper motorcycle endorsement on his California driver's license, contradicting statements made by his spokeswoman since the Sunday accident that left the governor with 15 stitches in his upper lip. "He does not have the license," Vernon said.
Police did not cite the governor because they arrived after the accident, Vernon said. Police referred their findings to the Los Angeles city attorney's office, which will determine whether the governor should be cited for an infraction.
The city attorney's office could not immediately confirm receipt of the department's report.
Schwarzenegger spokeswoman Margita Thompson, acting on initial information Sunday, said the governor's Class C license allowed him to ride the motorcycle with its sidecar attached. His 12-year-old son, Patrick, was riding in the sidecar but was not injured.
Schwarzenegger, a Harley Davidson owner who rides regularly with friends along the California coast, said Tuesday that he never bothered to obtain a California motorcycle license because he "never thought about it."
"I just never really applied for it," he said, responding to a reporter's question during a state budget briefing. "It was just one of those things that I never really did."
Schwarzenegger collided with a car while riding his motorcycle with his son near his Los Angeles home.
In a statement issued after the LAPD's announcement, Thompson said the governor "will move forward to get the appropriate endorsement."
To get an M-1 or M-2 endorsement, a motorcycle rider must pass a Department of Motor Vehicle skills test or take a motorcycle training course from a program approved by the California Highway Patrol.
Driving a motorcycle without the proper license is an infraction that can result in fines ranging from $100 to $250 or more.
Schwarzenegger said he had a motorcycle license when he lived in Europe, but never thought about getting another one after he immigrated to the United States in 1968.
California Highway Patrol officers accompanied Schwarzenegger on Sunday's ride, but a spokesman said he could not discuss if the officers had checked, or would check in the future, if the governor had a proper license.
"I can't comment on any procedure that our protective services detail utilizes with the governor," spokesman Steve Kohler said. "That's standard CHP policy."
Schwarzenegger was asked about his lack of a proper motorcycle license on the same day that state Sen. Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, reintroduced his bill to allow illegal immigrants to get California driver's licenses. Schwarzenegger has vetoed that bill twice.
---
Associated Press writers Steve Lawrence in Sacramento and Jeremiah Marquez in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles, left, and state Sen. President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, right, hold up their driver's licenses to show they have valid licenses during a news conference in Sacramento, Calif., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2006. The response by the two Demcratic lawmakers was in reference to the motorcycle accident Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was involved in over the weekend where it was revealed that the governor did not have a proper motorcycle license. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Sadly enough you may have a point of issue.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger discusses his proposed $125.6 billion, 2006-07 state budget, he unvield during a news conference in Sacramento, Calif., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2006. The governor's 2006-07 budget proposal includes $97.9 billion in general fund spending, $25 billion in spending from special funds and $2.7 billion to to repay bonds. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
KEERIST, it's on it's way to achieving tax code status knowledge just to ride a bike in CA.
If the F4 weights < 1500lbs, it's a class C + M1. If >1500lbs, just class C.
That's the way it is in most states. There's a regular license for the majority of us, a commercial license for carrying freight, a special one for driving heavyweight articulated freight vehicles, another one for carrying passengers, and another one for operating a motorcycle. Those are the usual breakdowns, with additional endorsements depending on if you are carrying hazmat, large numbers of passengers, schoolkids, etc, each with different requirements.
What does one have to with the other? Crappy reporter with an agenda strikes again.
Then screw the paper; it's just another damn tax.
My Texas DL has a "CM" for Motorcycle added to the class "C". Sidecars can be more tricky to handle than the two-wheelers. Most modern Harley posers who learned to ride a bicycle will instinctively counter-steer a motorcycle without even thinking about it, or even understanding the physics behind the concept. I've had idiots on Hogs critize my riding ability who did not even understand the concept of braking distances at speed that is taught in high school driver's ed. Loud pipes and leather do not make a skilled motorcyclist.
Not quite. He seems to have a problem with the brakes.
In December 2001, Schwarzenegger broke six ribs and was hospitalized for four days after a motorcycle crash in Los Angeles.The accident occurred when a car stopped in front of him, and he was unable to change lanes to avoid the vehicle. His ribs were broken when his chest hit the motorcycle windshield.
Ouch! Thanks. Forgot about that one.
Well, I 'spose, whatever it takes to prove worthiness to be a free citizen in one's country.
Trying adding an M1 endorsement to your California driver license and watch the California, motor vehicle, insurance condors circle. Try having an accident with a motorcycle involving the assistance of the CHP and watch the rates on your auto insurance skyrocket.
I have sympathy for the Austrian. I also appreciate why he didn't get the M1 endorsement.
Don't be so down on taxes, they are good for the whole and if one can afford to ride a bike $$, let alone a bike with a sidecar $$$$, just understand that "all for one, and one for all" dictates human compassion and to hold individual values can only leave one prone to the chopping block for their dis concern for humankind as a whole....
Damn, it worked in Communist Russia didn't it? ; )
I've always been a "bottom line" thinking guy, however when one gets into politics, the line no longer exists.
Yea, he's braking in the state of California......
He was legally licensed to operate this sidecar-equipped bike in CA on his driver's license.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.