Jay Leno car bill passes California
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The gist
California lawmakers passed Leno's Law, exempting pre-1981 classic cars from smog checks. The bill now awaits Governor Newsom's signature, affecting car collectors and emissions policy.
Background
California has strict emissions rules requiring smog checks for gasoline vehicles from model year 1976 onward. Car collectors and enthusiasts argue these rules are overly restrictive for classic cars, which are rarely driven and hard to service at smog facilities. Jay Leno, a comedian and noted car collector, has championed this bill to ease regulations for older vehicles.
How it unfolded
- 2025First attempt, SB 712, introduced by Sen. Shannon Grove, passed Senate and Assembly Transportation Committee but stalled in Assembly Appropriations.
- Feb 2026SB 1392, authored by Sen. Dave Cortese with Sen. Shannon Grove as principal coauthor, introduced.
- Sep 1, 2026California Legislature passed SB 1392 with a bipartisan 49-4 vote in the Senate and 55-4 in the Assembly.
- Sep 2, 2026Bill heads to Governor Gavin Newsom for consideration.
Who’s saying what
- Support
- Proponents, including SEMA and Jay Leno, argue the bill resolves the difficulty classic car owners face in finding smog facilities and preserves automotive heritage.
- Caution
- The American Lung Association called the bill a 'jailbreak' for high-emissions vehicles, opposing the exemption.
Still unverified
The specific vote counts in the Senate (49-4) and Assembly (55-4) are from SEMA and FOX40, but the exact breakdown by party is not detailed.