LEGISLATIVE UPDATE 5-08
Download the Legislative Update 5-08(Microsoft Word Document)

Download the Legislative Matrix(Microsoft Word Document)

Date: Mon, 26 May 2008
ACCC Legislative Alert: SB1549

Dear ACCC Supporters,
SB 1549 has been completely rewritten and is now a DMV study bill. This bill is a study to how to identify the cars in our hobby. This can result in a bill to protect our hobby. The ACCC is supporting this bill and we would like everyone to contact their respective Senator and ask for their support on this bill.

You can find your Senator and their contact information here at: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html

Again we urge you to support SB1549 and contact your Senator to help keep our hobby alive.

The ACCC thanks all of you for your support and if you are not a member now's the time to join.

Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Fred Evenson , President - Association of California Car Clubs

Date: Thu, 29 May 2008
SB 1549 (Florez) Passes the Senate

SB 1549 just passed the Senate with a 23-13 vote. The bill now heads to the Assembly for consideration.

Rod Brewer, Capitol Director
Office of Senator Dean Florez
(916) 651-4016 • (916) 327-5989 (fax)

The Latest Bills to Watch

Date: Sat, 24 May 2008
ACCC Legislative Alert: AB2063 and AB616

Dear ACCC Supporters,
Below is an update on legislation affecting the ACCC. Please take a moment to read the below information and send a letter to your appropriate representative communicating disapproval of AB 616.

A.B. 2063, which as introduced, would have required all counties in Calif. to have biennial smog check. This bill has been abandoned by the author, Assemblyperson Nicole Para (D- Bakersfield), so is no longer an issue.

A.B. 616, as introduced would require all vehicles in the smog check system to be smoged every year when they reach 15 years old. This has turned into a 2 year bill, and the author, Dave Jones, (D-Sacramento) has decided to proceed on with it. At this time the bill has passed the complete Assembly and is in the State Senate Appropriations Committee awaiting the author to call for a vote on it. After that, it will come before the entire Senate, then to the Governor. It is speculated that if it passes the Appropriations Committee, it will also pass the Senate on Party lines, and the Governor will sign it.

It is very important for people that live in Senatorial Districts where their representative is on the Senate Appropriations Committee to communicate their disapproval of this bill. A letter is best, a phone call is 2nd best. Doing both is ideal. If you know someone in these Districts, that is not aware of this bill, please let them know the importance of this critical situation.

Again the ACCC thanks all of you for your support and if you are not a member now's the time to join.
Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Fred Evenson, President - Association of California Car Clubs

MAY 7-9, 2008: THE 2008 ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA CAR CLUBS, INC. LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD AT THE TOWE AUTOMOBILE MUSEUM 2200 FRONT STREET SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA
Download the Conference Info (Microsoft Word Document)

ACCC-Legislative Matrix and Update

March 11, 2008. This is the legislative matrix update.
Download the Legislative Matrix (Microsoft Word Document)

Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:53:35 +0000

SB 1549 was passed in the Senate Appropriations Committee with a 14 yes and 0 no vote. The bill is now in the Senate suspense file and is estimated to cost $100 - 250K for the study.The study is under evaluation with the DMV and the DMV will be contracting out with a private firm and will be consulting with us. The DMV person is Dennis Clear and he and I have been in contact about his presentation at the conference. I will be personally contacting him about the study and let you know of any further progress.

Thanks for all your support

Bob Stearns
ACCC Legislative Liaison

Old Car Emissions Exemption Threatened in 8 California Counties; Hearing Scheduled for April 1

Legislation (S.B. 1549) has been introduced in the California State Senate by Senator Dean Florez (senator.florez@sen.ca.gov ) to repeal the state's current emissions test exemption for pre-1976 vehicles registered by new owners in the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District. The District includes eight counties in California's Central Valley: San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and the valley portion of Kern. Under the bill, after Jan. 1, 2009, new owners seeking to register a pre-1976 vehicle in these eight counties would be subject to emissions tests for the life of the vehicle. S.B. 1549 is scheduled to be considered by the California Senate Transportation and Housing Committee on April 1, 2008.

We Urge You to Call, E-Mail or Fax Senator Florez and Members of the Senate Transportation Committee (List Attached) Immediately to Oppose S.B. 1549

Existing law in California exempts all pre-1976 vehicles from emissions testing.

California's current emissions testing exemption recognizes the minimal impact of pre-1976 motor vehicles on emissions and air quality.

Pre-1976 vehicles constitute a small and shrinking portion of the overall vehicle population in California and are a poor source from which to look for further emissions reductions.

Pre-1976 antique and classic vehicles are overwhelmingly well-maintained.

Repeal of the exemption in the San Joaquin Valley could lead the Legislature to target other areas in the state in the future.

Legislators and regulators are again feeling the heat from a failed effort to meet air quality goals and are looking for a convenient scapegoat. The old car hobby should not carry the burden of their mistakes, as it has in previous amendments to the old car exemption!

 

ACCC Legislative Alert: SB-1549 Update

Dear ACCC Supporters,

Please wait to contact any Legislators in reference to SB-1549. We are in the process of talking with the author of the bill (Senator Dean Florez) to either pull the bill or amend it to benefit our cause.

Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Fred Evenson
President - Association of California Car Clubs 

Information on SB-1549

Legislation (S.B. 1549) has been introduced in the California State Senate by Senator Dean Florez (senator.florez@sen.ca.gov) to repeal the state¢s current emissions test exemption for pre-1976 vehicles registered by new owners in the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District.  The District includes eight counties in California¢s Central Valley:  San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and the valley portion of Kern.  Under the bill, after Jan. 1, 2009, new owners seeking to register a pre-1976 vehicle in these eight counties would be subject to emissions tests for the life of the vehicle.  S.B. 1549 is scheduled to be considered by the California Senate Transportation and Housing Committee on April 1, 2008.

To learn more about the Association of California Car Clubs visit our website www.acccdefender.org

February, 2008. This is the legislative matrix documents (see link at end of story) on all the bills and their status. Chaptered means the bills will be law and part of the vehicle code effective July 09.  This information was given to me from Bob Stearns of the A.CC.C. .  Please take the time to open the attachment and study the bills.  Two of the bills of interest, the Black Plate Bill and the Vehicle Abandament bill are on the chaptered status. I'm sending this information out so you can read it at your leisure.  It's very important that we all support the A.C.C.C. and SEMA on all they do to protect our hobby.

According to the Auto Club (AB 118) violates the State Constitution

“Some Democratic lawmakers said a large share of the money could end up going to oil companies to fund pollution reductions already required by law, something the bill's proponents dispute.”

Car owners will pay more to clean up the state's air
Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, October 16, 2007

Motorists' fees in California will increase under a bill signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that is intended to raise millions to develop alternative fuel and clean-air technology.
 
But consumer advocates condemned the bill for putting the costs on the backs of motorists rather than oil companies.
 
AB118, by Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, D-Los Angeles, increases fees charged to car owners to raise $210 million for new energy subsidies and clean-air programs. In mid-2008, registration costs will go up $3 per year for all vehicles and a smog abatement charge on new cars will jump from $12 to $20 a year.
 
A spokeswoman for the Republican governor denied he was being inconsistent by approving increases in the smog abatement and vehicle registration fees after initially winning election on a vow to kill an increase in the vehicle license fee.
 
The bill follows the 2006 passage of AB32, which requires the state to cut the emission of carbon dioxide and other planet-warming gases by 25 percent by 2020.
 
Some Democratic lawmakers said a large share of the money could end up going to oil companies to fund pollution reductions already required by law, something the bill's proponents dispute.
 
This article appeared on page D - 2 of the San Francisco Chronicle
 
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2007/10/16/BAL7SQEFK.DTL&type=politics

CAPP contact: Charlie Peters  (510) 537-1796

AB468 & AB462-10/12/07: As you can read the vehicle abatement bill (AB468) passed.  As soon as I find out more about the bill passing I will let you know.   Hopefully there were some adjustments to it's content. The good news is  AB462 passed also. (black plate bill)   I will pass on any new info as I receive it.
Thanks Ralph (Roamin Angel in charge of legislation)

Subject: AB468
Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2007

Although we were successful in getting AB 462 passed and signed by the Governor, unfortunately we were not successful in defeating AB 468 (vehicle abatement). It was also approved and signed by the Governor. I know that much effort was taken to defeat this bill and I would like to thank all members and car enthusiasts that sent in letters, e-mails and made phone calls. I do believe that because of the involvement of car enthusiasts, the bill was amended from it's original text. Again thank you to all for trying to defeat AB 468.

Bob Stearns, Past President, Legislative Liaison

Subject: AB462
Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2007

AB 462 (Black Plate bill) was approved and signed by the Governor on October 11, 2007 and filed with the Secretary of State on the same day. This is a good win for the car hobbyist and I want to thank all of our members and other car enthusiasts for their ongoing support and the many letters, e-mails, and phone calls. It does make a difference when we all work together to protect our hobby. A special thanks goes out to Assemblyman Mike Villines and his staff for their continued effort and for working with the hobby in sponsoring and carrying this important bill.

Bob Stearns, Past President, Legislative Liaison

AB462, AB468 Current Status 9/07
We need to get letters written for AB462 (black plate bill) and against AB468 (vehicle abatement bill). The address of the Governor is Governor Schwarzenegger, State Capitol Sacramento, Ca. 95814. Faxes, letters and e-mails would work the best. For more info: You can go to the Governor's web site www.governor.ca.gov.  It might also be a good idea to send to Senator Sam Aanestad also.  Contact info: State Capitol, Room 2054, Sacramento, CA 95814, Phone: 916-651-4004, Fax: 916-445-7750. For details on the bills go to the A.C.C.C. site, SEMA site, or the Roamin Angels site under legislation.   
Thanks for all your support.- Ralph

The following is information from Bob Sterns (9/21/07): The Governor's phone number is 916-445-2841 and fax is 916-445-4033. I believe he has until Oct 18th to sign, veto or not review the bills. If any bills sent to him are not looked at, they will automatically become law. He most likely will be reviewing them on a daily basis since there were over 900 sent to his desk. AB462 looks like there will not be a problem, but opposing AB468 is the one we need to focus on. I just got off the phone with our lobbyist. He will be getting back to me early next week after he finds out more from the law enforcement aspect relative to AB468.