From the SEMA Washington, D.C., office
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) will have new leadership, following the retirement of Chair Liane Randolph at the end of September. California Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed Lauren Sanchez, his senior advisor for climate, to take over CARB, effective October 1.
Before joining the Newsom administration, Sanchez advised the Biden administration's Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, held senior posts at CalEPA and CARB, and served as a climate negotiator at the U.S. Department of State.
"We look forward to working with Lauren Sanchez to ensure California remains a place where the aftermarket industry can innovate and grow. The automotive aftermarket thrives on creativity and engineering, and it's essential that state policies recognize the value of an industry that supports more than one million jobs, drives hundreds of billions in economic activity, and delivers real solutions for consumers," said SEMA CEO Mike Spagnola. "We're committed to working with CARB's new leadership to make sure innovation and industry go hand-in-hand with California's goals, and that regulations are not unnecessarily burdensome for small businesses."
Randolph, whose term was set to expire at the end of the year, guided CARB for four years, led the agency through a period of major regulatory change, including overseeing the adoption of the now-defunct Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) regulation, which would have mandated 100% zero-emissions new-vehicle sales by 2035. SEMA, through relentless advocacy and litigation, led the efforts to halt ACC II, along with its counterpart, Advanced Clean Fleets, which would've installed onerous, precedent-setting electric-vehicle (EV) mandates for the work truck industry.
SEMA works closely with CARB to ensure aftermarket products meet clean-air standards through the issuance of Executive Orders (EOs), which certify parts as emissions compliant and legal for sale nationwide. The SEMA Garage facilities in Diamond Bar, California, and Plymouth, Michigan, provide members with advanced testing tools, emissions labs, and compliance expertise. Over the last decade, SEMA has assisted with half of all aftermarket EOs issued by CARB, completing nearly 800 applications and investing more than $30 million to help members bring innovative, emissions-compliant products to market.
For more information, contact Christian Robinson, SEMA senior director of state government affairs, at christianr@sema.org.
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