Politicians Are Regulating California’s Car Culture Out of Existence
California’s classic car scene helped define global automotive culture. It fuels small businesses, tourism, and a billion-dollar aftermarket industry. Yet, outdated smog laws are pushing collectors, restorers, and industry leaders out of the state—taking jobs and innovation with them.
SB 712—also known as ‘Leno’s Law’— proposed to exempt collector vehicles from California’s broken smog check system, saving historic cars—including JDM, ‘80s muscle, and Euro classics—from unnecessary regulation.
🚨 SB 712 was Held in Assembly Appropriations Committee. By holding the bill in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, legislators effectively halted its progress for the year. Despite earning major bipartisan support in the California Senate and surviving a narrowed scope in the Assembly, the bill was still not allowed to advance.
This Bill represented the first meaningful progress in two decades by California legislators. This effort marked the first phase of our long-term mission to expand protections for automotive heritage in California.
We are more committed than ever to delivering meaningful reform. Moving forward, we now have two major advantages:
- Lawmakers are already educated on the issue.
- We understand what worked and what didn’t.
This was not our first attempt, and it will not be our last…
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