Schwarzenegger did not have proper motorcycle license, police say

ap on Bakersfield Californian ^ | 1/10/06 | Steve Lawrence and Jeremiah Marquee - ap

[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.

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Associated Press writers Steve Lawrence in Sacramento and Jeremiah Marquez in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

[calcowgirl]

Licenses from foreign jurisdictions are only valid if you are a "resident" (as defined) of that jurisdiction.
See sections 12502 and 12505 of the California Vehicle Code.

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=veh&group=12001-13000&file=12500-12527

[calcowgirl]

Thanks. That would explain it.

[b9]

No wonder there's no corroboration on google!
:::thanks:::

[Amerigomag]

My apologies for the misleading statement I offered in reply #66. You are correct. Schwarzenegger was properly licensed to operate a three wheeled vehicle in California. Thanks for your good manners in electing not to embarrass me.