CA Car Enthusiasts Were Key to Passing Leno's LawMediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images - Getty ImagesCalifornia officially passed its first new classic car smog exemption since 1997, when Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1392 into law on September 16. Known as Leno's Law, the bill exempts qualifying collector cars built before the 1981 model year from having to obtain a certificate of compliance with California's smog regulations.Road & Track reported on the updated version of Leno's Law earlier this year following an initial failure in the California Legislature in 2025. Following that roadblock, ensuring legal compliance and budget adherence became a central focus of lobbying efforts, representatives for the Specialty Equipment Market Association told R&T. However, beyond the typical means of wielding political power, a more down-to-earth approach showcasing car enthusiasts may have also put a dent in the legislative process.Office of Governor Gavin Newsom"There were always points in the legislative process where we didn't know what the outcome was going to be. We just tried to work as best as possible in our vote count and explaining the bill and trying to make it as easy to digest as possible," Victor Munoz, the senior manager of State Government Affairs in Western States at SEMA, told R&T. "We did a lot more on the diversity and access front to highlight that populations that grew up with new classics are starting to buy them and see roadblocks in making them street legal."Instead of painting a picture of wealthy vintage Porsche owners, SEMA and bill authors Senator Dave Cortese (D-San Jose) and Senator Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) wanted to highlight a more well-rounded picture of California car culture. SEMA's lobbying efforts focused on this human aspect of automotive enjoyment, and Pasadena Classic Cars owner Carmen Vera became the perfect archetype to show why Leno's Law mattered.Pasadena Classic Cars is an acclaimed body and restoration shop, and Vera is a prolific car builder. When Governor Newsom and Jay Leno announced the historic bill, Vera's stunning pink 1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass was featured prominently in the official media package. Better yet, Vera masterfully restored a 1972 Chevrolet C10 that burned in the Eaton Fires in 2025, which appeared at the SEMA Show and earned a feature in the Los Angeles Times earlier this year. But the impact of Leno's Law, which Vera testified in favor of at the State Capitol in Sacramento, goes beyond the positive benefits to her business."The main reason that I am such a hard die-hard of that law is that I own a 1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass, and I purchased that car five years ago, and that is my favorite car since I can remember," Vera said. "I bought it on OfferUp, and she was completely rusted. The interior was falling apart, but I saw the beauty in this vehicle. My dream was to restore a car. I didn't have the knowledge of exactly how to restore the car, but I knew that's what I wanted. So I purchased it, and I did a full restoration in seven months... My daughter is seven years old now. But at the time, she was about two, and she's always wanted me to take her out and give her a ride. How do I explain to a child that the law does not allow me to take this car out?"Protecting the classic car ownership experience for her children played a strong part in Vera's decision to advocate for Leno's Law. But Vera's own customers have been equally thankful since the law was signed. She explained that some of her customers finally feel empowered to rebuild vehicles owned by their late relatives without fear of an expensive smog process. These fears culminated in a lobbying event outside the California State Capitol on August 12, where classic car owners drove from across the state and put a face to the vehicles that would be potentially exempt."One of the things that really showcased the passion behind this bill was the press conference and car show on August 12, where we invited vehicles to the Capitol and held a press conference in front of the state Capitol building, and we really got to see the passion behind this community and the folks that want to preserve their vehicles," Munoz explained. "It was that moment of like, 'Oh man, we're actually doing this'. This is the community supporting this bill, and it just felt like it really captured the spirit of the bill. That this is what a qualifying car is meant for is coming out and being a part of your community and highlighting California car culture in that way."The San Diego Union-Tribune - Getty ImagesOnce the bill goes into effect on January 1, 2028, smog exemptions will be extended by one model year each year until January 1, 2033, and qualifying owners will need to use official collector car insurance. By 2030, the California DMV will allow age-appropriate vehicles that are driven fewer than 1000 miles per calendar year to skirt smog without collector car insurance. Munoz admitted that stakeholders in California government were particularly keen on the 1000-mile yearly limit for vehicles without collector car insurance, which was added late in the legislative process, in an effort to keep smog-exempt cars from becoming daily drivers. After California legislators approved a rolling exemption for vehicles 25 years or older in 1997, the legislature repealed the rolling exemption in 2004 and set a fixed smog exemption cutoff for the 1975 model year. Save for some fixed diesel exemptions, Leno's Law marks the first real change to classic car smog rules in over 20 years.It is not immediately clear how many vehicles will be exempt come 2028. Representatives for SEMA and the California Department of Consumer Affairs' Bureau of Automotive Repair did not have an estimate at the time of publication.VCG - Getty Images"SB 1392 requires BAR to establish the collector motor vehicle exemption process through regulation in consultation with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). BAR is currently developing regulations and plans to hold a regulatory workshop in October to gather input from stakeholders," the Bureau of Automotive Repair said in a statement to R&T. "The 1,000-mile qualification option does not take effect until January 1, 2030. Under SB 1392, BAR will determine whether a vehicle meets the exemption requirements, including the 1,000-mile qualification. BAR will establish the process for making those determinations through regulation as well."Despite its narrow exemption window, Leno's Law is a small change in California's strict emissions rules and signals a potential appetite to preserve the automotive cells in the state's DNA. It wasn't intended to include a sweeping population of vehicles, and it won't revolutionize smog exemptions for most classic car enthusiasts, but it is a symbolic win nonetheless."These cars are not metal. These cars are history. These cars come with a story. These cars need to be acknowledged. And I know that once I tell people the story that I'm telling you right now, it makes them think differently," Vera said.If You Can Only Own One Car, Make It One of TheseThese Are the Most Popular Cars by State