
Quoting
poncekim
Registration was paid on time.
How long before you got pulled over was the registration paid?
Without knowing the answer to that and since you clearly looked up 40610 (as proven by your including ^^the conditions^^ from 40610(b)), 4454 happens to be the ONLY correctable violation which clearly gives the officer the option to either cite it as a correctable violation or in cases where it was not in the vehicle while the vehicle was being used (i.e. cases of neglect where you as the operator failed to ensure that the registration was in the vehicle), that he could cite it under VC 40522 if he so chooses.
However, subsection 40610(c) clearly states:
40610(c) If any of the conditions set forth in subdivision (b) exist, the procedures specified in this section or Section 40522 are inapplicable, and the officer may take other appropriate enforcement action.
So clearly, he is not obligated to make it correctable, he can in fact make it as non correctable and no one here can guess as to why he did so.
In other words, he can write it as correctable pursuant to CVC 40610, he can write it as correctable pursuant to 40522, or if one of the conditions under 40610(b) exists (the neglect part does) and he could not qualify it under 40522, he may choose other enforcement actions including writing it as non-correctable!
So if a judge is fully aware of these provisions and he believes in this same interpretation, he clearly will not dismiss the 4454 upon your showing proof that you corrected it.
What I would do for starters is not to do anything by mail. This case require that you submit proof of correction -at least for the stickers part- by the date shown on the notice to appear. If that happens to get to the court late, or if it is received on time but isn't processed until a later date, then it becomes a full-fledged violation which would then require you to pay the full fine for BOTH, not just one.
And so what I would do is to put the stickers on the plate, (and make sure a copy of the registration card is in the vehicle), take the vehicle to the nearest CHP station (CHP will not charge to issue a certificate of correction whereas the Sheriff or PD will), and request that they sign it off for you. See if they'll do both the 5204 and the 4454, if not, then just do the 5204.
Then you take the correction certificate (if they printed one for you) or the actual citation (if they signed the back), and go to the traffic clerk window at the court shown on the notice. If they signed off both, then see if the clerk will accept it. Pay your $50 and be on your way. If they didn't sign both or if the clerk will not accept both then you have a choice of (a) pay $25 correction for the 5204 and the $232 for the 4454, or (b) request a court appearance to see the judge.
Choice (b) does not guarantee that the judge will allow the correction at the arraignment, if he does, then you can pay your $50 and be on your way, and if he doesn't, then you have three choices; either (A) pay $25 correction for the 5204 and the $232 for the 4454, or (B) post bail (for $25 + $ 232) and go to a court trial to have the officer tell the court why he opted to cite it as non correctable, or (C) Post bail (for $25 + $ 232) and opt for a Trial By Declaration. Come the date of your trial, or the time for a judge to decide your trial by declaration, if the officer provides a legit reason why he cited it that way, you lose and the court keeps the full $25 + $232... If he doesn't then you win, and the court will keep $25 + $25 and refund the rest (which will amount to a refund of $207).