By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Staff Writer

Q. What a coincidence that you ran a letter (last week) about front license plates. I just had mine stolen from my 1999 Tahoe — no vanity plate or anything special, just three letters followed by three numbers. How do I go about replacing it without a total "do over"? Whom do I contact? And what can be done to stop this from happening again?

A. Sorry, but you'll need to apply for a pair of replacement plates at your neighborhood satellite city hall, said Dennis Kamimura, head of the Division of Motor Vehicles for the city. State statutes require all passenger cars and trucks to have two plates.

The registered car owner needs to present the last issued certificate of registration, a safety-check certificate and a completed application for replacement plates — Form CS-L(MVR)3, which is available at satellite city halls. It will cost you $5.50. You will be issued new plates, an emblem and a new certificate of registration matching your new license plates.

Kamimura's staff offered no suggestions on how to prevent the theft of license plates. The Bureaucracy Buster hopes you called 911 to report that your plate was stolen. You never know where your stolen plate may end up, such as on a stolen vehicle.

Q. Can anything be done about autos waiting to park at Jamba Juice/ Starbuck's Kapahulu store? Parking is usually full and people insist on waiting for space to open up even if it means blocking the sidewalk and Mo'oheau Street. Oftentimes it overflows into the Kapahulu/Date Street intersection, creating a hazard for pedestrians and other drivers and at times stopping traffic flow.

A. To regular readers of this column, the following may sound like a broken record. But Capt. Jose Gaytan of the Honolulu Police Department's Traffic Division again recommends his two-step approach to this kind of problem.

• When you see violations occurring, call 911.
• If it's "a chronic and protracted problem," Gaytan said, you should "contact the district in charge, in this case District 7, ask for the captain and explain the problem." The district will assign someone to analyze and "try to work out a plan to remedy" the problem. "If it's a safety issue, they can't ignore it." In this case, they may try to find personnel to monitor the situation. The number for Honolulu patrol District 7 is 529-3362. For numbers of other police districts and stations, see the second column on Page 37 of the government pages toward the front of your Verizon white-pages phone book.

Do you ever get frustrated or confused trying to navigate the various layers of government? Are you looking for an answer to a simple question but can't figure out where to start? If you have a question or a problem and need help getting to the right person, you can reach The Bureaucracy Buster one of three ways:

• E-mail: buster@honoluluadvertiser.com

• Phone: 535-2454 and leave a message. Be sure to give us your name and daytime telephone number.