{"id":2483407,"date":"2025-09-07T13:17:01","date_gmt":"2025-09-07T17:17:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-dems-kill-bill-backed-by-jay-leno-that-would-have-exempted-classic-cars-from-emissions-regulations\/"},"modified":"2025-09-07T13:19:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-07T17:19:14","slug":"california-dems-kill-bill-backed-by-jay-leno-that-would-have-exempted-classic-cars-from-emissions-regulations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-dems-kill-bill-backed-by-jay-leno-that-would-have-exempted-classic-cars-from-emissions-regulations\/","title":{"rendered":"California Dems Kill Bill Backed by Jay Leno That Would Have Exempted Classic Cars from Emissions Regulations"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcalifornia-dems-kill-bill-backed-by-jay-leno-that-would-have-exempted-classic-cars-from-emissions-regulations%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2483407&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>California&#8217;s proposed Senate Bill 712, known as &#8220;Leno&#8217;s Law&#8221; and supported by car enthusiast Jay Leno, aimed to exempt classic cars-defined as those 35 years or older-from the state&#8217;s smog check requirements. The bill also sought to exempt such vehicles from smog checks upon transfer, arguing that these infrequently driven, well-maintained collector cars represent a small fraction of vehicles on the road and that forcing them to meet current smog standards is excessive government overreach. Despite these points, the bill was blocked by California&#8217;s Assembly Appropriations Committee, with critics calling the state&#8217;s regulations a &#8220;regulatory hellscape.&#8221; The bill&#8217;s failure reflects ongoing political resistance in California against internal combustion engine vehicles amid efforts to push electric vehicles and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-vetoes-gop-measure-to-roll-back-epas-heavy-duty-truck-pollution-rule\/\" title=\"Biden rejects GOP attempt to reverse EPA&#039;s truck pollution rule.\">stricter emissions standards<\/a>. Classic car enthusiasts are discouraged by this outcome, with some viewing it as a signal that California is becoming increasingly antagonistic to car culture and hobbies involving historic cars.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Not even classic car collector Jay Leno could convince California&rsquo;s legislative Democrats to give an inch on what a critic called the state&rsquo;s &ldquo;regulatory hellscape.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Assembly Appropriations Committee blocked Republican Sen. Shannon Grove&rsquo;s Senate Bill 712, informally known as Leno&rsquo;s Law, from advancing, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/abc7.com\/post\/lenos-law-does-not-pass-jay-leno-backed-california-bill-aimed-ease-smog-test-requirements-classic-cars\/17705138\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KABC-TV<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;SB 712, also known as &ldquo;Leno&rsquo;s Law,&rdquo; offers a practical solution for owners of collector <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/florida-lays-plan-combat-californias-lax-licensing-illegal-truckers-following-tragic-accident\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">vehicles<\/a> that have difficulty complying with the state&rsquo;s smog check law,&rdquo; according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/sr12.senate.ca.gov\/sites\/sr12.senate.ca.gov\/files\/SB%20712%20Fact%20Sheet%20Final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fact sheet<\/a> issued by Grove.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Leno&rsquo;s Law is sponsored by renowned car enthusiast and television icon Jay Leno. The bill would exempt, on an ongoing basis, collector cars whose model year is 35 years or older from the state&rsquo;s smog check law,&rdquo; the fact sheet said.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">California did not pass Leno&rsquo;s Law, meaning that classic cars still need to pass smog inspections.<\/p>\n<p>MORE:<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ElicbJoL5s\">https:\/\/t.co\/ElicbJoL5s<\/a><br \/>  (Photos: Savanna Torres) <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/5UMeD2fXJq\">pic.twitter.com\/5UMeD2fXJq<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; FOX26 News (@KMPHFOX26) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KMPHFOX26\/status\/1962172352445235431?\">August 31, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The bill would also exempt classic cars from the smog check program upon transfer of a vehicle. These classic cars are infrequently driven, carefully maintained, and make up only a fraction of cars on the road,&rdquo; the fact sheet said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Exempting them from the biennial smog check would strengthen California&rsquo;s &lsquo;car culture&rsquo; by helping preserve these historical treasures,&rdquo; the fact sheet said.<\/p>\n<p>The fact sheet said forcing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/jay-leno-roasts-todays-late-night-hosts-nobody-wants-hear-lecture\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">classic cars<\/a> to meet current standards &ldquo;is an overreach by the government.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Leno&rsquo;s Law Is Officially Dead, Which Means Classic Car Owners In California Will Continue to Suffer <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/iN02oovok6\">https:\/\/t.co\/iN02oovok6<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; The Autopian (@the_autopian) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/the_autopian\/status\/1962909641794376172?\">September 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It targets a small group of people without providing any significant benefit or detriment to overall air quality in the state. In most other states, vehicles over 25 years old, considered classic cars, are exempt from smog checks,&rdquo; the fact sheet said.<\/p>\n<p>Writing about the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/bed-bath-beyond-pulls-plug-gavin-newsoms-california-leftist-policies-take-toll\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">demise<\/a> of the law in an Op-Ed on <a href=\"https:\/\/theautowire.com\/2025\/09\/02\/lenos-law-is-dead-california-smacks-down-classic-car-owners\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Auto Wire<\/a>, Steven Symes vented that potential passage &ldquo;was too good to be true in the regulatory hellscape known as California, especially with so many politicians there <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >deciding <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-passes-behemoth-build-back-better-act\/\" title=\"House Passes Behemoth Build Back Better Act\">internal combustion engines<\/a><\/a> are literally killing the planet.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Everyone knows why this bill was killed: the party that controls California has waged open warfare on any car that burns gasoline. That means your classic ride is public enemy number one,&rdquo; he wrote.<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-embed\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Jay Leno visits California State Capitol to push classic car smog exemption law\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/extRyC75pmU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>&ldquo;We were skeptical this bill would ever be passed into law. After all, California is the same state which has been leading the charge with EV mandates and even talking about banning not only the sale of vehicles with internal combustion engines, but the operation of them on public roads,&rdquo; he wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Symes said it is time for classic car lovers to hit the road.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;What this latest move signals is that if you&rsquo;re a classic car owner and love the hobby, but you happen to reside in California, now is the time to make your exit,&rdquo; he wrote.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Just remember, if you&rsquo;re a gearhead and you do leave the Golden State, don&rsquo;t bring the political mess you left along with you. Vote differently if in the past you&rsquo;ve supported the nonsense which has led to this aggressive push against your beloved hobby,&rdquo; he wrote.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Not even classic car enthusiast Jay Leno was able to persuade California&#8217;s legislative Democrats to ease what a critic described as the state&#8217;s &#8220;regulatory hellscape.&#8221; The Assembly Appropriations Committee stopped Republican Sen. Shannon Grove&#8217;s Senate Bill 712, commonly called Leno&#8217;s Law, from moving forward, according to KABC-TV. &#8220;SB 712, also known as &#8216;Leno&#8217;s Law,&#8217; provides a practical solution for owners of collector vehicles who struggle to comply with the state&#8217;s smog check requirements,&#8221; stated a fact sheet from Grove<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2483408,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Lenos-Law-fails-in-California.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4045,62799,3685,62800,45375],"class_list":["post-2483407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-california","tag-classic-cars","tag-democrats","tag-emissions-regulations","tag-jay-leno"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Lenos-Law-fails-in-California.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2483407","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2483407"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2483407\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2483411,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2483407\/revisions\/2483411"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2483408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2483407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2483407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2483407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}