Newsom Signs 1981 Classic Car Smog Exemption as California Phases It In by 2028

Q: Where exactly will the new revenue generated by California's lowrider specialty license plates go within local communities?

The money from California’s new lowrider specialty license plates is intended to be reinvested into local communities through grants for youth programs, community arts, and cultural organizations tied to lowrider heritage. Under the bill creating the plate, net revenue goes into the state’s Specialized License Plate Fund and is then distributed by the California Arts Council. Reporting on the measure says those grants are meant to support lowrider arts and cultural preservation, youth engagement, and public educational exhibitions. The available details indicate the funding is aimed especially at organizations working in the communities that built and sustained lowrider culture. Related coverage says the Arts Council is expected to prioritize nonprofit groups serving Chicano and Latino communities, while supporters have described the plate as a way to “reinvest the proceeds back into those same communities.” So, while the money does not go to a single city or neighborhood account, it is designed to flow back locally through nonprofit and arts-based grant programs that fund community-centered cultural and youth initiatives.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 16

California will exempt collector cars built before the 1981 model year from biennial smog checks after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the Jay Leno-backed bill on Wednesday.
The law applies to owners with collector-car insurance or vehicles driven under 1,000 miles a year, takes effect Jan. 1, 2028, and over five years will expand to cover cars made before 1986.
Jay Leno and other collectors had argued California's current rules for 1976-and-newer gas vehicles were too strict and hard to comply with because older-car testing equipment is scarce.
Environmentalists opposed the measure, warning looser smog rules could worsen air pollution and asthma, but the bill still cleared the Legislature with bipartisan support despite Democratic resistance.
The signing gives vintage-car enthusiasts a carve-out from one of the nation's toughest emissions regimes, even as Newsom has championed electric vehicles and a phaseout of new gasoline-car sales.