Photo by philliefan99

Councilmember Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) plans on introducing legislation next week that would urge President Obama to put the city’s “Taxation Without Representation” license plates on the presidential limo, a move he avoided during his first term.

Cheh’s legislation comes in the wake of a petition on the White House website similarly urging him to do so before the January 21 inaugural parade; so far, the petition has attracted 2,631 signatures, and it’ll need 25,000 before the White House offers an official response.

The license plates were produced in 2000 as a protest to the city’s longstanding second-class status, and President Bill Clinton had them placed on his limo. President George W. Bush, though, removed them, and Obama hasn’t yet opted to use the plates.

Should the council pass the legislation, it’ll be primarily symbolic: the city has no actual authority to enforce the measure, though it could try and impound the presidential limo if it really wanted to make a point.