Thread by @SamBraslow

ok twitter, so I filed a Public Records Act request for rejected vanity plates in CA. I spent *days* combing through the documents, which show the applicant's intended meaning and the DMV's comments. My abs still hurt. Bonus plates in thread. @LAmag lamag.com/citythinkblog/…

Just 4 DMV employees go through hundreds of thousands of applications each year. To keep up with the youths (slang, the internet, etc) and other cultures, they use the whole suite of high school essay research tools—google, wikipedia, urban dictionary, google images & translate.

I have hundred of plates that didn't make it into the article. These are from the raw PRA request. First column is the plate, ignore the second, the third is applicant's explanation, fourth is DMV response, and 5th is the verdict. Note: dollar sign = heart.

The @CA_DMV shares its thoughts on @NICKIMINAJ's Anaconda in this one

It seems like every now and then something slips past the hallway monitors at the DMV. I actually asked them about one plate that @mariellewakim snapped in LA traffic (XDADDYX). Mind you, per the guidelines, you can't have anything with "a sexual connotation" (lol good luck).

Here was my question (in purple) followed by their response (in red)

Someone of Italian Decent: I can't think of anything objectionable with the plate "PIE ZANA," which is clearly a feminized version of the Italian word "paisano"

DMV Reviewer: Sure, let's just consult google firs--NOPE *safe search: ON*

Also, shoutout to the cat who shares a name with this donor to @StephenAtHome's old super pac