Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed SB 1392, suitably nicknamed Leno’s Law, after the most well-known car collector anywhere went to bat for changing California’s smog check policy.
“Jay presented better arguments, better evidence, that these are not commute cars. That’s what we’re trying regulate, appropriately, is 99% of those cars that are out there on the roads 24/7. And if we start to over-regulate, we’re going to lose people,” said Newsom, after signing the bill in a private ceremony at Leno’s massive car collection in Burbank.
Being dubbed Leno’s Law was not just a courtesy. The comedian and car enthusiast has worked for years to get the rules eased. A similar bill last year failed, but this revised one got all sides on board.
“It just seemed like a fair bill to do. When we presented it to him, God bless him, he stuck with us all the way through and made phone calls. So we certainly couldn’t have done it without him,” said Leno after the governor’s signature made it official.
The new law will add more cars into the exempt category.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2028, vehicles from model years 1976 to 1980 will be immediately exempted. Then, each year, the exemption will roll forward by one model year.
By 2033, model years up to 1985 will be exempt. This change to the smog check parameters does not affect pre-1976 vehicles, which were already exempted from testing.
To qualify, a vehicle must be covered by specific collector car insurance; the companies which write those policies have their own guidelines about usage. Or, an owner must be able to verify that a car in the qualifying age range is driven no more than 1,000 miles annually.
A lot of work went into this, with citizen Jay Leno lobbying members of the legislature, explaining that collector cars are not like everyday cars.
“You go to a car event, like a lowrider event, you drive to the park at 9 in the morning. It sits there until 5 in the afternoon, and then you drive home,” noted the comedian and former “Tonight Show” host.
Newsom’s office wanted to make it clear, this revision to the smog check law does not apply to just any old car. It has to be a bona-fide classic or collectible – the kind of cars that see limited use.
In the end, it came down to both the Senate and assembly passing the bill, then sending it to the governor.
“There was really no legitimate argument with respect to those that are still upset about this bill, against doing, in this case, the right thing,” Newsom said.
So a big victory for the classic car contingent in California, pushed by their head cheerleader, Jay Leno, who used his knowledge and power of persuasion to get things done.
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