US News

Nevada license plate with shortened message to ‘Go back to California’ revoked by DMV

By
Associated Press
Published July 19, 2023, 9:29 p.m. ET

RENO, Nev. — A revoked Nevada license plate that was meant to “drive away” Californians is getting one last chance to go back on the streets.

The plate — which reads “GOBK2CA,” short for “Go back to California” — was recalled by the state Department of Motor Vehicles in May after it received a complaint, KOLO-TV first reported. Now the vehicle owner is appealing the recall and will have a hearing on Wednesday, according to the Reno-area news station.

A section of the Nevada Administrative Code applied to the recall prohibits defamatory references to a person or group.

“In this case, the defamed group is Californians,” DMV spokesperson Eli Rohl told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He adding that the department “regularly” turns down license plates that share the same message.

A special license committee meets every Monday to review reported license plates, before determining which ones violate Nevada statute.

Nevada "GOBK2CA" license plate.
A license plate — which reads “GOBK2CA,” short for “Go back to California” — was recalled by Nevada state Department of Motor Vehicles in May. ABC 8

The DMV reviewed more than 700 license plates from July 2022 to early March. Denied license plates include the puzzling “GGGGGGG,” the overly rude “U 1D1OT” and many no-so-subtle allusions to profanity, according to KLAS-TV in Las Vegas.