Governor Signs Car Buyers Protection Bills
Gov Schwarzenegger signed two car buyer protection bills. Given the fact his own administration had publicly opposed them both, this is a stunning reversal. Senate Bill 95(Corbett) will require auto dealers to pay off liens on cars that were traded in with negative equity, before they can sell or transfer them -- which usually happens within a day or two -- or within 21 days (if they keep them that long). The auto dealers and their trade associations were hugely opposed to this bill -- especially the provision for pay-offs prior to resale.
Assembly Bill 647 (Yamada) will require the CA DMV to allow public access to the
national database of totaled/wrecked/stolen autos (NMVTIS), and to comply with the federal Anti-Car Theft Act.
Both bills were sponsored by CARS, a non-profit run by Rosemary Shahan. Rosemary was in large part responsible for the passage of these bills into law.
