Calif Trying to crush our cars again

Aww man...you spoil all the fun. I didn't really want your piece of junk. I just wanted to come see you so I could hug your avitar one time.

 

Of course, Texas' cost of living (while having gone up substantially over the past ten years) is still FAR less than California, which is why a lot of Californians sell their 1500 sq. ft. $750K homes and come to Dallas to build mansions. The weather is great (yeah, it's hot in the Summer, but the winter is great, and we don't have California traffic, smog, and goverment). We have plenty of sunshine, and plenty of recreational activities.

Back in the 80's, while on business, I was amazed at the high cost of gas (by comparison to the North East) and the cost of living in California. I had a buddy who lived near Santa Cruz, on an acre hillside lot overlooking route 17. His house was a mere 1300 sq. ft., built in the 40's. The bathroom had never been remodeled. The lot was large, and was nicely "fitted" with olive trees.

I asked him what he paid for the house. They had bought it ten years earlier - in the 70's - for $300K. I was aghast; I thought he was rich, but he was squaking by on a $50K salary. Apartments in that area were over $1k/month.

I imagine he has long since sold his house and retired. If that's not a high cost of living, I don't know what is.

Chris

 

FYI...from the latest SEMA newsletter...

SEMA eNews, Vol. 11, No. 36 - Sep 04, 2008
CALIFORNIA BILL TO REQUIRE ANNUAL EMISSIONS INSPECTIONS FOR OLDER CARS FAILS . . . AGAIN!


SEMA defeated California legislation to require annual (rather than biennial) smog-check inspections for vehicles 15 years old and older. The bill would also have required that funds generated through the additional inspection fees be deposited into an account which could then be used to scrap older cars. In an effort to sneak the bill through in the closing days of the legislative session, California Assemblyman Dave Jones amended a completely unrelated bill with the annual smog-check inspection language.
While pre-'76 motor vehicles would have remained exempt under existing California law, this proposal ignored the fact that vehicles 15 years old and older still constitute a small portion of the overall vehicle population and are a poor source from which to look for emissions reductions. This latest action represents the second time SEMA was able to defeat this legislation.
For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

 

All over nothing

It helps to read the actual bill and the code to find out what it is really doing. This bill is to get people with older (post 1976) high polluting cars to fix them. It sets up a fund of up to $750 for low income people to repair high polluting cars.

All vehicles listed as exempt in Section 44011 of Health & Safety Code are still exempt. Here's what it says in the latest update of the proposed AB3053 (you can look it up here http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/bilinfo.html and enter AB3053),

(d) Both of the following shall be exempt from the annual inspection:
(1) All vehicles not subject to biennial inspection, including vehicles exempted by Section 44011.
(2) All vehicles or classes of vehicles determined by the department to be likely to pass the annual inspection pursuant to subdivision (c).


Section 44011 (you can look that up here http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/calaw.html . Check Heath & Safety code and search on 44011). Says:


44011. (a) All motor vehicles powered by internal combustion engines that are registered within an area designated for program coverage shall be required biennially to obtain a certificate of compliance or noncompliance, except for all of the following:
(3) Any motor vehicle manufactured prior to the 1976 model-year.



There are exemptions to the exemptions for vehicles from another state being registered in California and vehicles where the emissions controls have been modified. Older vehicles only have to pass the test at the level they were designed for. The current bill will replace an exemption granted to vehicles over 35 years of age, but the exemption for pre-1976 vehicles will remain.

Roz

 

That must have just happened. The Bill's status online as of 8/25/08 is "Active."

I just checked the history and the bill was introduced in February as An act to amend Section 2013 of, and to add Section 6390 to, the Family Code, relating to domestic relations.


It's amazing what these politicians think they can get away with!




Roz

 

I agree about LA for the most part, I used to live in that area spent the better part of my childhood growing up there. I lived in Alhambra a small suburb just east of LA. We had our share of problems but nothing like Watts or Rampart I never ventured into those areas. From what I remember of Hollywood there isn't much to it outside of the movie studios and Hollywood Blvd. What I do remember vividly is the Hollywood Fwy (101) and the fact it was always a parking lot. The Air Quality sucked my PE Classes were always getting canceled or moved inside the GYM, when we did play outside it was always limited. I can remember being able to see Mount Wilson and the San Gabriel Mountains from my front porch (on a clear day that is) if I couldn't see them I knew it would be a bad air day, somedays it was so bad all I could see was a thick gray haze, on days like that it was like breathing cement.

Most of what I remember about Orange County is Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm, and of course Angels games so I can't say anything negative because I always had fun . San Diego I liked although I only saw it a couple of times.
I think I visited the Inland Empire once all I remember is desert though.

As for Sacramento (where I live now) the air can get pretty bad here too, esp during the summer on hot days. Traffic can be nasty too but pales in comparison to the LA and Bay Areas. The Capital City Freeway (Business 80) is the worst one esp during rush hour, Downtown it can be bad all day on weekdays. As for Fresno I can't comment too much there been through it a couple times but thats about it usually avoid it along with Modesto by taking I-5.

I myself have never been to extreme Northern California (Redding, Red Bluff, Shasta, etc) I hear it's nice but gets even hotter then we do during summer months.

 

I think what you don't see in a bill like this is how it effects the enthusiast. Unfortunately the people that cannot afford to repair these cars are usually the ones that own them. Think back about 20 years ago, Mavericks were just another economy car that nobody wanted. If someone owned one and didn't want to invest in having it repaired they would scrap it. Even the forelorned 4 door cars have parts to donate, but they are being crushed and recycled. The stock 6 cylinder 2 door cars are being crushed as well since they didn't have a percieved value. What that leaves the enthusiast is less cars to purchase and a dwindling stock of cars to take spare parts from. And truth be told, (at least in Minnesota where I lived up until 3 years ago) these old cars comprise such a small percentage of the cars on the road (due to rust) that they really do not impact the smog problem. I know that they were able to prove that in Minnesota and just recently they proved it here in Arizona as well (even without the rust issue). Please don't get me wrong, I'm all for clean air and more efficient automobiles but the collector side of me just dies when I see a car going to the crusher just because the owner couldn't or wouldn't spend the money to pass emissions. Ok enough of my ranting...crush them all but send the MAVERICKS AND COMETS to me!

 

Very good point.

 

That's an old photo... it now looks more like big cheeks...

Told her she looks much younger when she goes bra-less... pulls the wrinckles out of her face...

 

Sadly it happens to all of them...unless there is a silicone content involved! Must have been a mechanic that came up with those! LOL