Not even classic car collector Jay Leno could convince California’s legislative Democrats to give an inch on what a critic called the state’s “regulatory hellscape.”
The Assembly Appropriations Committee blocked Republican Sen. Shannon Grove’s Senate Bill 712, informally known as Leno’s Law, from advancing, according to KABC-TV.
“SB 712, also known as “Leno’s Law,” offers a practical solution for owners of collector vehicles that have difficulty complying with the state’s smog check law,” according to a fact sheet issued by Grove.
“Leno’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’s smog check law,” the fact sheet said.
California did not pass Leno’s Law, meaning that classic cars still need to pass smog inspections.
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“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,” the fact sheet said.
“Exempting them from the biennial smog check would strengthen California’s ‘car culture’ by helping preserve these historical treasures,” the fact sheet said.
The fact sheet said forcing classic cars to meet current standards “is an overreach by the government.”
Leno’s Law Is Officially Dead, Which Means Classic Car Owners In California Will Continue to Suffer https://t.co/iN02oovok6
— The Autopian (@the_autopian) September 2, 2025
“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,” the fact sheet said.
Writing about the demise of the law in an Op-Ed on Auto Wire, Steven Symes vented that potential passage “was too good to be true in the regulatory hellscape known as California, especially with so many politicians there deciding internal combustion engines are literally killing the planet.”
“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,” he wrote.
“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,” he wrote.
Symes said it is time for classic car lovers to hit the road.
“What this latest move signals is that if you’re a classic car owner and love the hobby, but you happen to reside in California, now is the time to make your exit,” he wrote.
Would you ever live in California?
“Just remember, if you’re a gearhead and you do leave the Golden State, don’t bring the political mess you left along with you. Vote differently if in the past you’ve supported the nonsense which has led to this aggressive push against your beloved hobby,” he wrote.
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