Senate OKs Costlier Auto Smog Checks

SACRAMENTO — In an attempt to comply with federal clean air standards, the state Senate on Friday unanimously approved the first major shake-up of the 4-year-old California vehicle smog check program, including stiff increases in what mechanics can charge to make exhaust emission repairs.

Without debate or a murmur of dissent, the upper chamber sent the wide-ranging legislation by Sen. Robert B. Presley (D-Riverside) to the Assembly on a 32-0 vote.

The blase manner in which the Senate acted contrasted sharply with years of pitched legislative battles, starting in 1977, when clean air activists first began pressing for automobile inspections and maintenance as an important way of cleaning smog from the skies.

‘Here to Stay’

“The smog check is here to stay,” declared Presley, the father of the state vehicle inspection program, which started operating in the smoggiest regions of California in 1984.

Under Presley’s bill, motorists could be charged from $60 to $300, depending on the age of the vehicle and the complexity of its emissions control system. Instead of the current $50 maximum on repairs, the figure would be $60 for 1966-71 vehicles, $125 for 1972-74 models, $175 for 1975-79 automobiles, $250 for 1980-89 cars, and $300 for models made from 1990 on.

Further, starting in 1990 car manufacturers would be required to give a warranty of seven years or 70,000 miles on certain emissions parts costing more than $300 each.

Stephen Blankenship, a legislative adviser to Gov. George Deukmejian, said the Administration favors some features of the bill and opposes others, adding, “I’m optimistic we can come to some kind of agreement.”

The Legislature created the inspection program largely on the basis that it promised a 25% reduction in automobile-caused air pollution in areas that did not meet federal standards. But Presley conceded to the Senate that the expectations were inflated and actual reductions have amounted to only about 11%.

Presley expressed hope that his latest bill would help meet the 25% goal demanded by the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

Presley said motor vehicles statewide produce 51% of California’s air pollution and account for more than 60% of it in the Los Angeles air basin and Sacramento Valley.

Currently, an automobile in such smoggy regions must be certified every two years as a non-polluter before it can be registered. The law allows mechanics to charge a maximum of $50 to make exhaust emission repairs so the vehicle can be approved. If repairs exceed $50, the vehicle is exempted from certification and can continue polluting.

Higher Costs Cited

Presley and others insist that the $50 maximum is insufficient to meet actual costs to repair sophisticated modern emissions systems. Consequently, more than 34% of polluting vehicles are exempted because the repair costs exceed the limit and are left free to continue spewing pollutants.

A Presley aide, Carla Anderson, said the proposed higher maximum repair costs on later-model vehicles reflect the difficulty in repairing increasingly complicated emissions systems.

Officials say that only one in three cars inspected each year requires repairs. Of those, 10% need repairs that reach the current $50 limit.

For the first time, diesel-powered vehicles, such as buses and trucks, would be subject to inspection because of their smoke’s threat to health. The bill would require the Highway Patrol, Department of Motor Vehicles, Air Resources Board and Bureau of Automotive Repair to establish random roadside diesel inspections by 1990.

Other provisions would:

- Create a new state department of vehicle inspection and repair and transfer operations of the vehicle smog inspection program from the Bureau of Automotive Repair to the new agency. The current inspection program, due to expire in 1990, would become a permanent fixture of government.

- Include 1966 and later cars for inspection and certification. Currently, any car 20 years or older is exempt.

- Require additional training for mechanics who work on increasingly sophisticated emissions systems.

Blankenship, the Deukmejian legislative aide, said Administration officials favor making the smog check program permanent but have taken no position yet on other features of the proposed overhaul.

“But we don’t see the need for the reorganization part of the bill,” he said of creating a new department to absorb the tasks of the automotive repair bureau.

He termed Presley an “easy author to deal with” and said he expects that the differences on the bill can be negotiated while it is in the Assembly.

Automobile manufacturers initially strongly opposed a 10-year/100,000-mile warranty provision for emissions control systems, but apparently backed off when a compromise seven-year/70,000-mile warranty was written into the bill. “They are kind of in a neutral stance right now,” Presley said.