THE BILL THREATENING TO REMOVE THE SMOG EXEMPTION TO CLASSICS FROM 1958 ON IS SB708. TO FIND WHO IS YOUR STATE SENATOR, CHECK:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/memberinfo
HERE IS A SAMPLE LETTER, OR JUST TELL YOUR SENATOR TO VOTE NO ON SB708

Senator XXX
State Capitol Room XXX
Sacramento, CA 95814

Dear Senator XXX:

Classic Car owners in California include a good number of senior citizens and retired persons, as well as students, artists, and professionals. Those owners are proud of their classic vehicles. Since restoring and maintaining those cars in beautiful shape is expensive, those persons contribute vigorously to the health of the California economy. Please vote NO on SB708. SB708 proposes to remove the smog exemption for 1960-1974 Classic Cars by changing section 44011 of the Health and Safety Code:. "Existing law exempts from those requirements until 1/1/03, any motor vehicle manufactured prior to the 1974 model year, and after that date, any motor vehicle that is 30 or more model years old. This bill would delete the exemption for those motor vehicles, and would instead, commencing 1/1/2005, exempt any motor vehicle that is 45 or more model years old."

These 60's and early 70's cars are part of a glorious automotive history and should be cherished instead of banned. The real problem is the millions of SUVs that are gas guzzlers and that are on the roads every day -- not the few remaining Classic Muscle Cars. Statistically, Classic Cars (1974 and older, or over 30 years old) contribute a negligible and minuscule amount to total pollution. Again, it is the millions of SUVs, large trucks, and industrial machinery which create 99 percent of the pollution in California.

In addition, Classic Car owners take good care of their vehicles and are proud of them. The many Classic-Car clubs, conventions, exhibitions, and parades in California, contribute to make the State a magnet for tourists and keep a good sector of the economy healthy. Businesses that benefit from the Classic-Car industry include auto parts stores, body repair shops, mechanical repair shops, wax and paint manufacturers, and again, the tourism sector. All over the State millions of older or retired persons spend considerable funds in restoring and maintaining Classic Cars in beautiful condition. California should encourage such healthy activity. The State benefits by collecting sales taxes on every commercial transaction related to Classic Car activities. Please vote AGAINST SB708 and propose another bill which SIMPLY SETS 1974 (or a 30-year threshold) as the year marking smog exemption. Preserve our automotive history and the work of the collectors, mechanics, and restorers who love these Classic Cars.

Thank You,

I dont mean to sound like a dick...but this will sound like it:

1.We went over this about a month ago.

2.They try and repeal it every year.

3. Even though we went over this, it has been brought up now 3 times since then.

4.Because of the web... you hear about it more now.

I appreciate the concern, but we have already sent our letters to the state.

B

Dave Bell just posted on 914@rennlist.org that he actually got a response from Senator Dean Flores, the bill's author. According to the letter, what we've read in the past was just a draft. Here is what the letter says:


Thank you for contacting my office and sharing your thoughts on SB708.
InJanuary of this year, I was appointed Chairman of the Senate Select
Committee on Air Quality in the Central Valley. To date, the committee
has conducted four hearings and nine more are scheduled to be held this
year. After all the hearings, a report to the legislature will be
submitted
detailing the committee's findings from the hearings.

Why have I undertaken this initiative to clean up our air? Air
pollutants in the San Joaquin Valley have gone up 17 percent in the last
three yearsalone. According to the Los Angeles Times, air pollution is to
blame formore deaths in the San Joaquin Valley in the last three years
than caraccidents and murders combined. The San Joaquin Valley has
surpassed LosAngeles as the worst air basin in the state and the second
worst in thecountry. The asthma rate for children in Fresno County is the
highest inCalifornia - twice that of Los Angeles and triple the national
average. Without swift and decisive intervention, this problem promises to
escalate into a public health crisis, if it isn't already.

In response to this, I have introduced ten bills targeted at cleaning
the air in the San Joaquin Valley. SB708 is one of those bills.
Unfortunately,what much of the public does not understand is that SB708 is
a work in progress, and amendments have been written since the original
version was first circulated. Our bill has two important objectives.

First and foremost, I want to get the worst gross polluters off the road,
to mitigateozone emissions into the air. Second, I am working hard to
preserve andprotect the rights of car owners who keep well-maintained
older vehicles,many of them classic cars, as enacted in SB 42.

SB708, with our most recent amendments, will require vehicles over 30
years old which are driven 12,000 or more miles a year to get a smog
check.

Cars which are not used as a primary vehicle, driven on a daily basis,
should not fall under this definition. The collector car industry
representatives we have worked with so far agree that this is a fair
compromise which protects collectors and hobbyists, while cutting down on
auto emissions.

My staff and I have worked diligently on this issue. We have conducted
more than 30 hours of meetings on the subject, returned hundreds of phone
calls and collaborated with prominent people within the classic car
industry - even Jay Leno himself. Steve Davis, one of the leaders of the
initiative that became SB42, has worked closely with our office to craft
SB708 in a way that protects the classic car hobbyist and targets only
gross polluters. We are confident that the amended SB708 will prevent
gross polluters from taking advantage of SB42 and undermining the purpose
of the 30-year rolling exemption.

I thank you for your input and your willingness to participate in our
effotrs to clean the San Joaquin Valley air basin.

Now, how they will determine which cars drive over 12K miles per year is a different question.

Yep.

My speedo doesnt work.

B

Hah! I love it! The poeple in politics are a different breed. I envision them all driving around in four door sedans with painted steel wheels and center caps. I would like to think of legislating against something that would hit a little closer to home. How 'bout cheap suits??

My speedo works, but my odometer dont. If the insurance co. asks to see the reading in person, Ill have to "rebuild" the numbers to say the right reading!

Move here, but waterproof yer cars...

I'd move there Dave if I could keep my skin color. Pail white doesnt look good on me. I was kicked out of several "Goth" cults because I tan nicely.

B

Mueller, this is a business opportunity for you. Re-design the VDO odometer so that it will count down when turned backwards.

As a rule, goverments don't pass laws to give people freedom.