Mike is right. You would probably lose in court. The law is not flawed, nor is the code hard to understand. Passenger cars fall under California vehicle code 5200 (a), NOT 5200 (b).... Simple as that. You don't need to argue this "all day long", because you are merely stating your opinion and what you're going to do, as opposed to the facts that fall under state law. The car was issued two plates when first registered in California. Just because the owner of the car chose not to mount the front plate doesn't change the law.