> Every time you pay your registration in CA (either online or through the mail) they ask if you want to register PNO or not

If we agree that owning a car for most people (I'm sure there are exceptions for collectors etc, that don't concern me) requires either paying registration or the PNO, why is not the PNO automatic choice until someone pays the registration?

That way, any car not registered is already on PNO and the owner has to do nothing. What's wrong with that?

Why is PNO not retroactive? Why is its active window only a short 90 days?

Cops can still pull over an late/unregistered car and ticket it. CA civil code authorizes the towing of any car that's due registration at the owner's expense, so why these additional restrictions?

> so doing it automatically would still result in an unpaid bill

I would imagine a $20 bill would be appreciated by most people over a $200 one.

A 20% late fee on a $20 bill is still lower than on $200.