The Buzz: Indecency is in the eye of the DMV

Quick! What do the state Senate, the Department of Motor Vehicles and hell have in common? Besides two of them being suburbs of the other? Right. Keith Wagner's license plate.

Wagner is a Sacramento attorney who has a personalized license plate on his 2004 Toyota that reads "GO 2 11." A couple of weeks ago, he got a letter from the DMV informing him the department had received a complaint about his plate, and they wanted him to return it.

Although the letter didn't say what was offensive, a DMV minion told Wagner it had been interpreted to mean "Go to hell" and was therefore odious to at least part of the California driving public. As if that were possible.

Anyway, Wagner says the plate means "Go to 11," which he says is homage to a line from the rock mockumentary "This is Spinal Tap," wherein a somewhat addled guitarist points proudly to the fact that the knobs on his amp "go to 11" instead of the usual 10. So where does the Senate fit in all this?

In requesting a hearing to defend his plate, Wagner points out that in a recent debate on the Senate floor -- as reported by The Buzz last week -- the word "hell" was ruled not to be a profanity under Senate rules.

At press time, Wagner was still waiting for the DMV to tell him where to go.

They're at the gate ...

With the 2010 gubernatorial primary only, let's see, 36 months away, seems it's high time for someone to be handicapping the Democratic wannabes. Wait! Here's Steve Maviglio, former New Hampshire legislator and current communications guru for Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, with a rankings list posted on the California Majority Report Web site.

The way Mavigs sees it, L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa ranks first, despite the fact that the mayor has been racking up enough political baggage lately to fill a good-sized airport.

Second is the venerable former guv, Attorney General Jerry Brown, mostly on the strength of Brown's well-known name. Third is S.F. Mayor Gavin Newsom, whose baggage cart rivals Villaraigosa's, followed by Treasurer Bill Lockyer and Light Governor John Garamendi, mostly because they are statewide officers.

As for Maviglio's boss, Núñez is only ranked No. 10. Maviglio points out that whether the Speak is even interested in the job may hinge on whether he can hold on to his current post through a voter- approved term-limits extension next Feb. 8.

Still, putting the boss at No. 10 is pretty gutsy. Good thing no one around here cares about ranking editors.

Why the Kings are still looking for a coach

The most recent edition of the monthly California Taxpayers Association report suggests that prospective Kings coach candidate Stan Van Gundy may have turned down the locals and signed with the Orlando Magic at least in part because Florida has no state income tax, while in California he would have been in the 10.3 percent bracket. Could be -- but the smart money as to why Van Gundy went south is on Bibby's errant jump shooting. Or maybe the Maloofs wined and dined him at Carl's Jr.

About the writer:

• The Buzz is compiled by The Bee's Capitol Bureau and written by Bee columnist Steve Wiegand. Reach him at (916)321-1076 or swiegand@sacbee.com.