Snoopy license plates OK'd

Gov. Jerry Brown has cleared the way for California to begin issuing license plates adorned with the classic Peanuts beagle, Snoopy.

Revenue generated from the specialized plate sales will benefit the California Cultural and Historical Endowment and fund museums statewide under AB 482, proposed by Assemblywoman Toni Atkins, D-San Diego. Brown signed the bill earlier this month.

More than 9,200 Californians have pledged to buy one of the plates, according to Atkins. The Department of Motor Vehicles will begin issuing the plates as soon as 7,500 people have submitted paid applications.

"Snoopy is himself a cultural institution and having his partnership in support of our museums is sure to make a huge difference in keeping them financially strong," Atkins said.

The bill also will transfer the endowment from the California State Library to the Natural Resources Agency.

The endowment had been using bond money to make grants and loans to museums and other nonprofit groups, but with that program winding down, it was looking for new funding, Atkins said.

After founding a Santa Rosa museum in honor of Charles Schulz, Jean Schulz, widow of the "Peanuts" cartoonist, recognized the need for additional museum funding, according to the California Association of Museums. The association is receiving royalty-free rights to establish the plate.

Last year, the endowment accepted an offer by the association to sponsor a plate using the Snoopy character.

The plates will cost $50 each, and an extra $48 if motorists want to specialize their plates.