In a letter to United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-California) and Adam Schiff (D-California), State Senator Tony Strickland (R-Huntington Beach) urged them to repeal Governor Newsom’s aggressive electric vehicle mandate, which would ban gas-powered vehicles by 2035. Click HERE to read the entire letter.
“When General Motors – one of the biggest sellers of electric vehicles in the United States – is putting the brakes on this governor’s ban of gas cars, you have to take notice and realize that the goal is lofty and unrealistic.
“The wealthy governor from Marin County can afford to buy any expensive EV he wants, but most Californians don’t have that luxury. In the real world, it still doesn’t make economic or practical sense for most working families to buy an EV and try to keep it charged.
“A new EV can cost nearly of $60,000 per Kelley Blue Book and even Democratic gubernatorial candidate Antonio Villaraigosa agrees with its high costs. I hope Governor Newsom wakes up and smells the coffee as the sales of electric vehicles have stalled because consumers are not buying them fast enough no matter how much this idealistic governor wants it to happen.”
In an exclusive report dated on May 17, the Wall Street Journal reported that “GM Is Pushing Hard to Tank California’s EV Mandate” and in February, CalMatters reported that Californians are not buying EVs fast enough. In a separate article from 2024, CalMatters reported back then that California needed a million EV charging stations, which would be ‘unlikely’ and ‘unrealistic.’
Below is an excerpt of the letter signed by Senator Strickland. Click HERE to read and download the entire letter.
… “The state is already struggling to maintain a dependable electric grid during heatwaves and peak usage periods. While Democrat leadership in this state has boasted about ‘nation-state’ or ‘nation-leading’ policies, a strict mandate that drives up the cost of living without reliable infrastructure in place to support is not just unwise, it is reckless rule making.” …