California says it won’t buy cars from GM, Toyota, others opposing tough tailpipe standards

California is struggling with a bevy of insane problems – power outages, a failing public school system, homelessness, the return of medieval disease, ballooning gas prices, a ridiculous cost of living, an overburdened pension program, illegal immigration…the list goes on and on. Californians would like to see their government actually address some of these burdens, but instead, Governor Gavin Newsom has decided to concentrate on something he deems much more important…sticking it to Trump.

In the latest evolution of Newsom’s obsession, the governor recently announced the state would no longer do business with automakers who side with the Trump administration’s relaxation of emission standards. 

Starting immediately, California state agencies will no longer buy gas-powered sedans, officials said Friday. And starting in January, the state will stop purchasing vehicles from carmakers that haven’t agreed to follow California’s clean car rules.

The decision affects General Motors, Fiat Chrysler, Toyota and multiple other automakers that sided with the Trump administration in the ongoing battle over tailpipe pollution rules. The policy will hit General Motors particularly hard; California spent more than $27 million on passenger vehicles from GM-owned Chevrolet in 2018.

California’s Department of General Services, the state’s business manager that oversees vehicle purchases for California’s fleet, announced the bans on Friday afternoon. The immediate ban on state purchases of cars powered only by gas will include exceptions for public safety vehicles.

In a statement sent to Calmatters.org, Governor Newsom scolded auto companies that aren’t on board with the state’s burdensome emission standards.

“Carmakers that have chosen to be on the wrong side of history will be on the losing end of California’s buying power.”

Carmakers that have chosen to be on the wrong side of history will be on the losing end of CA’s buying power.

CA will stop purchasing vehicles from carmakers that have refused to protect our air & chosen to follow the regressive ways of @realDonaldTrump. https://t.co/WpW2Eotaxl

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) November 16, 2019

The Trump Administration has yet to officially roll back the Obama-era emission standards (as has been promised) but they did make a move to push back some of the roadblocks for vehicle production earlier this year when the EPA changed rules to disallow California to set its own standards for “greenhouse gases”.

It is very telling that the state will still allow exceptions for public safety vehicles. That indicates that they understand the best choice for the safety of the public isn’t always going to be electric vehicles from environmentally “friendly” manufacturers.

Gavin Newsom may not be a good governor, but he’s a Grade A certified virtue-signaler.