|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office on Sunday announced Newsom has signed two bills aimed at cracking down on catalytic converter theft.
AB 1740 by Assembly member Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) will require catalytic converter recyclers to include additional information in the written record, including the year, make and model of the vehicle from which the catalytic converter was removed, and a copy of the title of the vehicle from which the catalytic converter was removed.
The law also would prohibit recyclers from buying catalytic converters from someone other than a commercial enterprise or the vehicle’s owner.
SB 1087 by Sen. Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) would prohibit people from buying a used catalytic converter from anybody other than certain specified sellers, including an automobile dismantler, an automotive repair dealer, or someone with documentation proving they’re the lawful owner of the catalytic converter.
A mostly useless law.
As a person who has had their converter stolen three times, I have researched this issue.
Thieves are not taking catalytic converters to resell them. They are breaking them down for the constituent rare elements such as palladium that are inside, which they then sell, and then they throw away the rest. So passing a law to prevent resale of stolen converters won’t help anything.
This is likely an example of our government wanting credit for appearing responsive, but actually being too stupid to do anything meaningful, like give more money to law enforcement so that they can break up the organized crime that’s rife in the Central Valley and who are using these thefts to fund themselves.