Kokua Line June Watanabe

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Certain groups eligible for license decal

Question: I have seen people remove the flag-colored sticker from the left side of patriotic license plates and replace it with a custom item. Is that OK and, if so, is it OK to put your own sticker there?

Answer: The state allows special license plates with organization decals, but you can't just slap on any decal.

In Honolulu, in addition to the "America United" red-white-and-blue decal, 23 others are approved for organization license plates specially designed to have two letters and three numbers.

Qualified organizations -- certain nonprofits, military service veterans groups, approved state or county agencies, and schools -- are allowed to apply for those plates, under Section 249-9.3 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, said Dennis Kamimura, administrator of the city Motor Vehicle & Licensing Division.

The special plates are used as a fundraising tool via an extra $25 fee, of which $20 goes to the organization.

In Honolulu, organizations with the special decals are: Bishop Museum, Hawaii Alliance for ARTS Education, Honolulu Symphony, Palolo Chinese Home, Kapiolani Health Foundation, Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii, The International Association of Lions Clubs, Iolani School, Special Olympics Hawaii, University of Hawaii, Hawaiian Humane Society, Hawaii Pacific University, Honolulu Fire Department Firemen's Fund, Inc., American Red Cross, Honolulu Police Relief Association, Hawaii Community Foundation, Hawaii D.A.R.E. Officers' Association, Rotary International, Aloha Pregnancy Care & Counseling Centers, Saint Louis School, Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Hawaii, Ke Alii Pauahi Foundation, USS Missouri Memorial Association, Inc., and Planned Parenthood of Hawaii.

The America United decals, however, do not support any organization, so purchasers are not assessed the additional $25 fee. It was created by the City and County of Honolulu, but available in all counties, to honor victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

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Q: When events are scheduled at a community recreation center down the street, two neighbors are always putting orange cones in front of their houses so people can't park there. Can you remind people that as long as the driveway is not obstructed, anyone may park on a city street?

A: City and other public roadways are just that, for the public, and not just for occupants of a home adjacent to a roadway.

The Honolulu Police Department cites Section 291C-36 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes -- the state Traffic Code -- regarding complaints about individuals, without a permit, placing orange cones on a street to either save a parking space or prevent someone from parking.

It says "no person shall place, maintain, or display upon or in view of any highway any unauthorized sign, signal, marking, or device which purports to be or is an imitation of or resembles an official traffic-control device ... or which attempts to direct the movement of traffic ... "