If you look up the vehicle codes there's a lot of fines an officer can give you. You would be surprised. I work at a courthouse here in socal and see all different kinds of cases, from no front plates to homicide. We have laws in california that also limit your tire size and the width relative to the body. 99% of officers won't give you those kinds of tickets. Most of those types of violations are mostly used as a reason to pull someone over for a bigger crime.