California will be banning the sale of all new gas cars starting in 2035 in an effort to lead the U.S to a more environmentally friendly nation by cutting down on greenhouse gases.

This cause is being frontiered by Governor Gavin Newson and the executive order he signed in September. The bill takes effect in 15 years and bans the sale of all new gas vehicles, but will allow older gas vehicles to still be resold.

This means that after 2035, all new cars being sold from dealerships will be electric. Many are concerned with the power situation that will evolve from this change, wondering what will happen to gas stations and how cars will be powered. 

Some are also concerned by what this implies for their lives. “I think it’s impractical,” said Sultana student Madelyn Embrey.  She thinks this legislation “would hurt a lot of people financially.” 

Many people feel that they are being forcibly controlled by the government and view this bill as a violation of freedom.

Other parties are not happy about this bill either. The Trump administration’s Judd Deere said “They want the government to dictate every aspect of every Americans’ life, and the lengths to which they will go to destroy jobs and raise costs on the consumer is alarming. President Trump won’t stand for it.”

 Joe Biden also doesn’t support the change. A member of his team said that “Biden considers a transition to electric vehicles as an ‘enormous opportunity’ to create a million union jobs and work on the climate crisis. He’s got a plan to do that and thinks of it in terms of incentives and investments, not bans.” Many believe that with both party leaders against the ban, it might be struck down.

There are many against the bill, but a lot of people are for the change. Another Sultana student Ambrose Mendoza stated “I think it’s a hard but positive step forward into the next generation.” Madison Grubbs says “I think that banning gas cars could be a very good thing, for cars that use gasoline put great harm on the environment.”

Overall, it seems to be a mixed bag, and at the moment we don’t know if the bill will get support or opposition from the president or the president elect. What we do know is that whether the bill goes through or not, there will be people unhappy on both sides. If it does go through, it will be a change that impacts current Sultana students as they purchase cars in the future.