Jay Leno rallies around California State Capitol to push classic car smog exemption law
SACRAMENTO – Legendary late-night talk show host Jay Leno visited the California State Capitol on Tuesday to help push a proposed rolling exemption from smog checks for classic cars.
A noted car enthusiast, Leno led a rally involving numerous classic cars in front of the Capitol building before the scheduled hearing on SB-712.
Leno drove a classic Pontiac Firebird around the Capitol with state Sen. Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) riding shotgun. Grove is the measure's lead sponsor.
Senator Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield, who introduced the bill – which its proponents have taken to calling "Leno's Law" due to his advocacy – announced late Tuesday afternoon that the Senate Transportation Committee had passed it. "Leno's Law" will now head to the Senate Appropriations Committee for further consideration.
"Leno's Law" would exempt collector vehicles 35 years and older from California's smog check program.
Proponents of the exemption argue that these older classic vehicles only make up about 1% of the vehicles on California roads and are rarely the daily driver of commuters.
California already doesn't require smog inspections for gas-powered vehicles from model years 1975 and older.
The bill is co-sponsored by more than a dozen Republican representatives along with three Democrats.
Leno, 74, has a famously large -- more than 100, but the number seems to fluctuate -- collection of classic vehicles.
