Governor Gavin Newsom Sept. 27 signed AB 2496 into law, requiring vehicle owners receiving “fix it” tickets for illegally modified, loud exhaust systems, to show “proof of compliance” the cars have been fixed.
Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach, Seal Beach, Newport Beach, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department helped draft the bill authored by Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Irvine), saying it will improve the quality of life for residents, by lessening annoying noise.
Laguna Beach Councilwoman Toni Iseman told The Epoch Times this was good news for the city. She said noise from motorcycles and modified cars set off car alarms, make it difficult to hear conversations, wakes up babies, and disrupts the sounds of the ocean.
Newport Beach officials additionally applauded the new law, saying they receive numerous complaints each year about loud vehicle noise.
“This new law adds a layer of accountability and is a step in the right direction for the fight against vehicles with modified and loud exhausts. This is a quality-of-life issue that affects coastal cities greatly,” Newport Beach spokesperson Heather Rangel told The Epoch Times.
For residents of Huntington Beach, such noise is a constant issue, officials said, especially in the downtown area and Sunset Beach.
“Time will tell how much of a help or hindrance this [law] will be,” Lt. Thoby Archer of the Huntington Beach Police Department told The Epoch Times.
Under the new law, those that have not proven their cars have been fixed—which now includes tickets issued to those driving motorcycles—will not be able to renew their vehicle registrations with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
According to Archer, it will be hard to predict how much of an effect the law will have since, he said, it seems to require more action from the DMV when renewing registration.
