From the SEMA Washington, D.C., office
Left to right: Todd Payne, Magnuson Superchargers; Dean Schlingmann, SEMA Garage; Assemblymember Juan Carrillo; Jim Moore, SEMA.
On June 3, SEMA brought together advocates for the annual SEMA California Rally in Sacramento, bringing the voice of the automotive aftermarket directly to leaders of a pivotal state.
From classic and collector vehicles to emissions-compliant performance parts, SEMA advocates and staff helped lawmakers better understand how policy decisions affect real businesses, real customers and the broader enthusiast community.
Assemblymember David Tangipa (left) discusses local racing in the Central Valley with Cameron Carraway, Cam Man Races.
The rally brought a strong focus to Leno's Law (SB 1392), a bill sponsored by Jay Leno and SEMA and introduced by Sens. Dave Cortese and Shannon Grove to modernize California's smog-check rules.
They also discussed SEMA's bill to reform CARB (SB 1069), which would improve the approval process for aftermarket parts. Finally, advocates raised concerns about the California Energy Commission's tire efficiency rulemaking, which would negatively transform the state's vaunted car culture by limiting the availability of performance tires.
The event featured a legislative luncheon with Sen. Tim Grayson, the sponsor of SB 1069, who spoke with attendees about issues affecting California businesses and the importance of protecting California's automotive heritage. The event concluded with a reception attended by notable lawmakers, including Sens. Bob Archuleta and Steve Choi, and Assemblymembers Juan Carrillo and David Tangipa.
Senator Steven Choi greets Senator Bob Archuleta at the SEMA California Rally.
SEMA represents more than 1,500 member companies in California, with the specialty automotive aftermarket supporting nearly 150,000 jobs in the state, and plays a major role in California's economy and automotive culture.
More than anything, the California Rally showed the power of the SEMA community when members show up, tell their stories, put a face on the industry and remind lawmakers that the automotive aftermarket is built by passionate people, small businesses and enthusiasts who care deeply about the future of car culture.
For more information or to sign up for updates, visit semahq.org or contact Victor Muñoz, SEMA senior manager of state government affairs, at victorm@sema.org.
