Update on SB 708

[bmalone]

This was passed on to me today by the SoCAL Shelby Club:

From: "Hagerty Insurance News"
Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2003 11:20:48 -0400

LEGISLATIVE ALERT UPDATE

Congratulations everyone on your hard work and commitment to stopping
Senator Florez from pursuing his repeal in S.B. 708 of the current
emissions exemption for collector vehicles. Following is an article we
thought you would enjoy reading since it reports your tremendous
legislative efforts and victory. Keep up the good fight.

McKeel Hagerty
President, Hagerty Protection Network
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FLOREZ REVERSES ON CLASSIC CAR SMOG RULES
By VIC POLLARD, Californian Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO -- With Jay Leno and the rest of California's classic car buffs
on his case, State Sen. Dean Florez has dropped his proposal to require
smog checks for cars as old as 1958 models. Leno, "The Tonight Show" host
who has a large collection of vintage autos, personally called Florez's
office to lobby against the plan. The lawmaker was also inundated with
letters, e-mails and phone calls from many other members of the highly
organized hobby car community.

One of their tools was a cartoon depicting Florez in his state-leased SUV
chasing classic cars out of California. Florez was forced to back down on
the bill, one in a package of 10 bills aimed at cleaning up the air in the
Central Valley, before it even got its first legislative hearing.

The bill, SB 708, isn't dead, but it has been amended to crack down on cars
that emit visible smoke. Originally, it called for requiring regular smog
checks and repairs for cars up to 45 model years old. If in effect this
year, it would apply to cars made in 1958 or later. That would have
replaced the state's existing exemption for cars older than 30 model years,
which this year is 1973. "Given all the fights we have on all the other air
pollution bills," Florez said, "it wasn't going to help to push that one."

He said classic car fans made a convincing argument that most of the oldest
cars on the road, while they may be some of the worst polluters, aren't
usually driven to and from work daily. "We told the classic car folks that
we're going to continue to talk to them," Florez continued, "but that was
just too much of a detailed type of proposal."

Florez's legislative aide, Michael Rubio, said Leno called after reading a
newspaper article about the smog bills. "He said he wanted to know what
the deal was with (SB) 708," Rubio said. "Several days later, he called
back and said, 'You've got me thinking now.' And I said 'Can I start at the
beginning?'"

He said Leno listened carefully and discussed his thoughts on the smog
problem and the bill at some length, urging Florez to carefully distinguish
between older cars that are driven for basic transportation and those that
are merely exhibited most of the time.

Other problems, he said, are the difficulty of getting repair parts for
older cars and the fact that emission controls were not mandated on cars
until the late 1960s. The same arguments were made by the classic car
community's chief lobbyist, Steve McDonald of the Special Equipment
Marketing Association, a trade group of manufacturers, retailers,
publishers and restorers. "Obviously we're thrilled that the senator has
agreed to modify the legislation and refocus the target on what we believe
is a more effective one, that being smoking vehicles," McDonald said.

So are hobbyists like Jan VanderPool of Bakersfield, who, with his fiancie,
owns three vintage Ford Mustangs."That's definitely a big relief to me," he
said. VanderPool said it took years and a lot of effort to get the rolling
exemption from smog checks for cars that are more than 30 years old enacted
in 1997.

Florez and his staff appeared surprised, if not shellshocked, at the size
and aggressiveness of the lobbying campaign against the smog check
proposal. But it was no surprise to VanderPool, who has been through
similar drills before when legislation was proposed that helped or hurt car
hobbyists. "A lot of us have had to get pretty political," he said. "We've
had to get active and kind of watch our backs."

[TerrysSPF]

..........so much for me getting a good deal on a Cobra from one of you California guys. Oh well, looks like $money$ talks (Leno). I'm happy for you guys in the Republic of Kalifornia!!! Congrats!

[Rick Parker]

That is good news for us here in California. I am very glad to hear this has been sidlined. I certainly cringe whenever I see a clapped out vehicle emitting huge clouds of blue smoke while pulling away from a stop light or motoring along some city street. Rarely do you see this type of car on the open hiway because there are usually mechanical defects that prevent it from being driven at high speed, and unfortunatly are often driven by those who cannot afford to have them repaired.

A sincere "Thank You" to all of you in California that made the effort to help derail this misguided, misdirected effort to clean our air.

Rick

[Turk]

I am sure someone else will step in and try to modify it again, hoping to get a compromise bill.

TURK

[Carroll DeWeese]

This gets me thinking back to BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit). For the money that was spent on it and to operate it, every liscensed driver in any of the counties where it operated could have been given a brand new small 2 seater commuter vehicle and every non-liscensed adult could have been given stipend for free cab and bus rides for the cost of BART. With the smaller commuter cars, they could have effectively double the number of freeway lanes during rush hour (by effectively halving the width of freeway lanes due to the smaller car widths) without spending a cent in new freeway construction. Parking capacity in the Bay Area would have increased dramatically. Total emissions and fuel consumption in the Bay Area would have dropped substantially and almost immediately. Instead the Bay Area ended up with a nice, heavly subsidized, little used "mass transit" system and iis same old gridlock and problems. Government seems not to realize that the automobile is the mass transit system in the US. It is also the preferred system for most people.

Government needs to leave the old cars alone and give incentives for people to get cars with better fuel economy, less emmisions, etc. The "junkers" are driven because the people that drive them can not afford a better alternative. The "classics" are driven because they are "classic". To change them is to disrupt living art. They are a very small part of fuel or emissions activity.

Goverment likes to act on the first order effect -- that which is immediate and highly visible. It is like a doctor treating the symptoms of a disease instead of its root cause.

Do you know why gas is so expensive in Europe, Japan, etc. It is not the price of crude. It is government policy. The gas is expensive because of taxes. High gas prices provide an economic incentive for people to purchase fuel efficient cars. The newer fuel efficient cars also are built to meet tighter emission standards. By giving people an economic incentive to buy newer cars and get rid of junkers, government gets money to fix the infrastructure, better fleet fuel economy, better emissions, and other benefits. Government will not do it because increasing the price of gas is unpopular and it will "hurt the poor." If government was really concerned about the poor, they could have a negative income tax to offset the increased burden on the poor.

We have a hypocritical elite mentality that the automobile in all forms is basically bad and the root of all evil. Horse drawn transportation is not polution free or sanitary. So-called "mass transit" does not give the freedom and independence that most people desire. Even if a person refuses to own a car, they are still dependent upon trucks to deliver the goods that they need. I use the word "elite" because some people believe that they are right and everyone else should live according to their values. We need a way to live together, not to live in opposition or suppression.

The Taliban destroyed icons that did not meet their view of Islam. We have some legislators that would try to destroy icons that do not meet their view of a polution free society. To change some of the classic cars by retro fitting emissions is to destroy them. To force a replica to have emissions is to no longer have a replica. We would not tolerate government going into an art museum and retrofitting all nude statues and paintings with clothes. This destroys the original. This destroys the art. This destroys a part of all of us.

Keep up the good fight is keeping our art (classic cars and replicas of them) and our freedom to have and use our art.

[Back in Black]

That this pos proposal from a pos "legislator" Flores (who also was a foremost proponent of the so-called "assault weapons ban" in about 1990, that has since been enforced there in true statist fashion).. was not passed yet, virtually banning your cars. It is disgusting to me that a hollywierd celebrity has more clout than Turk or Ron. The founding fathers of this country would not even recognize it today. If it was just 10s or 100s of thousands of "regular" peasants there protesting, the statists would simply ignore you and pass whatever they want. But if Leno speaks up (I am glad for you that he did) then the politicians listen to the "nobility". Sad state of affairs.

[Ron61]

BIB,

There really wasn't much of a discussion between Leno and Flores. Leno told him I have millions of dollars in my cars and if you want to stay in office make this change was basically the discussion. And the change still doesn't let us keep the Cobras or any other replica unless there has been another change to the bill that I am unaware of. I have sent over 50 e-mails and made so many phone calls to Senators that I am sick of them. Not a single one will explain just why they want all replicas and street rods gone. The key word in the last amendment that I
saw was MANAFACTURED vehicles by a manafacturer such as Ford, GM, etc. The two Senators that I did get to talk to both told me that under their interpitation of the bill, if passed, SB-100 is gone and all replicas, street rods and such not made by a manafacturer will eigher have to be brought up to todays enhanced emission and crash standards or crushed. The only way I can see for us to continue to have the Cobras and any other replica or vehicle not made by a licensed manafacturer is to have that bill voted down. Shelby is ok on one side as he is a specialty car manafacturer and his Series 1 car meets enhanced emission and crash test criteria. His Cobras are in a really no mans land so far as this state is concerned if SB-708 passes. This I was told by one of the few people that would actually talk to me and seemed to understand what this bill is about. He was also opposed to the bill and said he was going to vote against it but he is afraid to many of the others will vote for it. If anyone else has any later and better information please post it as quickly as you can.

Ron

[Tinker51]

[quote]Originally posted by Carroll DeWeese

Instead the Bay Area ended up with a nice, heavly subsidized, little used "mass transit" system



Uhhh, every time I ride Bart it is almost standing room only.

[JT]

A few years ago I was in Cleveland. They have a mass transit system quite similar to BART, except that it actually stops inside the airport terminal. No parking (you know what that can cost), no curbside unloading, no traffic-period. Any attempt to pursue that now would mean years of public hearings, EIRs, review boards, etc. Too bad, it could have really been effective, especially if it could have gone north of the Golden Gate.

[Tongue Pirate]

If the polititians here in California really want to put some money down on a solution they could always work on some sort of incentive plan to lower interest rates on new vehicles for those who are financially bound. It seems that a good number pollutors are owned by people of a lower income bracket or who have too many bills to afford a new vehicle. This may not be a surefire solution in itself but niether is removing classic cars from the road which are barely driven anyhow! I would also agree that obvious pollutors should be removed or repaired whether they be "new" or "classic". It just seems that there are sollutions out there & that the enthusiast is going to take it in the rear in the end. Our government is trying to find the easy fix & it's not fair to us especially when it won't do anything to fix the problem in the end anyway.

[JT]

Have you ever seen a diesel emitting "visible smoke"?

[Ron61]

JT,

Yes, at least a very black soot. Looks like an old steam engine train. One of the school busses just went by my house about 2 minutes ago and I can still see traces of the black smoke, soot they leave behind. Never follow one or you can't see through your windshield after the first two or three minutes.

Ron

[Tongue Pirate]

I passed what looked like a brand new school bus on the way in to work this morning that was driving down the freeway that must have been leaking oil on to the exhaust. It had a cloud of smoke behind as a bad as any old worn out car I've ever seen!

[Mark Husar]

Am I glad that 708 is on the way out. Please keep the pressure on as the politicians have been known to say one thing and do another when the vote comes up!!
In my own sixteen month ordeal to get my cobra registered, I finally completed the process yedterday. I got helped by a young man at the dmv in Sac. that understood my complaint that my car was registered as a 1966 in Texas and that I was not trying to register a newly built car. ( The dmv has been trying to force me to register this as a 2001 spcn car).
His recognition that this is a fully completed car with registration and a pink he went to the computer and made the changes!! I have finally got the 1966 designation and based on getting my insurance squared away I will be able to drive soon.
(excuse my spelling. I am havunf eye trearments and cannot see well)
Till next time...

[Rick Parker]

I heard on the news this morning that today was the day they were to hear several bills to help potentially clear the Air in California. Flores's name was mentioned specifically as the author. Haven't heard of the outcome. Should be in the papers tomorrow or soon.

Rick

[Ron61]

Rick is right. Today is the big day for SB-708 so it would not hurt to flood your Senators and all others that will be involved with vote NO calls. I have already made three and plan to keep on. It may not help but at least we tried.

Ron