Lawmakers like to introduce big-picture bills that attempt to solve some giant, unsolvable problem but often just make matters worse — or get so watered down that they end up making a statement rather than improving anything.
As a rule, we’d like to see less lawmaking but take solace in targeted bills that reduce regulations and help improve the lives of some segment of the population, however small.
A new bill by Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, fits in the latter category. Informally known as “Leno’s Law” — named after the famous actor and car collector Jay Leno — Senate Bill 712 would “exempt a collector motor vehicle from the smog check requirement if the vehicle is at least 35 model years old and proof is submitted that the motor vehicle is insured as a collector motor vehicle.” Currently, a car must be built before 1975 to be exempt.
These minimally driven cars contribute almost nothing to the state’s pollution problem. Bringing classic cars to modern smog standards is costly, cumbersome and has driven a lot of the car-restoration industry to other states.
As Grove wrote in a statement, “These rolling pieces of history are more than just vehicles—they have strong cultural ties in our communities and supply thousands of jobs in the aftermarket parts industry.”
California used to be the heart and soul of the American car culture. It’s often difficult for owners of older cars to find shops with the right equipment. One editorial board member owned a classic Lincoln and it was an ordeal to get it through the smog process for similar reasons—and involved a trip to the Bureau of Automotive Repair’s “referee” station for resolution.
Another crazy California law makes it infeasible for collectors to import classic Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) vehicles.
They are legal to import—but California requires costly modifications and only a few shops statewide do the work. These types of laws don’t help the environment, but frustrate owners and destroy small businesses.
We’re hopeful to see one of these bureaucratic rules taken to the junkyard.
