California News:
California Governor Gavin Newsom remained stubborn Thursday, signing an executive order advancing California’s electric vehicle transition despite his 2035 new gas powered car sales ban mandate having been shut down by the Trump administration earlier in the day.
According to Newsom’s new executive order, the state will advance development of next-generation policies to spur innovation, update state vehicle purchasing requirements, and direct the state to create new actions to accelerate affordable clean vehicle adoption. The order specifically highlighted environmental protections, wanting to grow the electric car industry in the state, and increasing the number of EV jobs as reasons to advance EV development.
Specifically, the order will do the following for EV development:
- Reaffirms the state’s commitment to zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) deployment
- Initiates the development of Advanced Clean Cars III regulation to advance new strategies for emissions reduction
- Updates state purchasing requirements to align with manufacturers that continue complying with clean car regulations
- Prioritizes funding for state incentive programs for clean manufacturers and fleets
- Continues Clean Truck Partnership work and requires reports on progress every six months
- Directs state agencies to assess additional actions for ZEV adoption and issue recommendations within 60 days, including strategies for consumer protection, infrastructure, voluntary efforts, and local partnerships
However, in a statement, it was clear that the primary reason for Newsom issuing the order was a way to get back at the Trump administration for killing the 2035 mandate, which was one of his signature mandates.
“We won’t let this illegal action by Trump and Republicans in the pockets of polluters stand in the way of commonsense policy to clean our air, protect the health of our kids and compete on the global stage,” said Newsom on Thursday. “I’m signing an executive order to keep California on track with our world-leading transition to cleaner cars.”
A new EO for Newsom
The order capped off a hectic day for EV vehicles in California. Before noon, President Donald Trump signed off on three resolutions, officially eliminating California’s 2035 new gas powered car sales ban mandate and fulfilling an inauguration day promise.
“Under the previous administration, the federal government gave left-wing radicals in California dictatorial powers to control the future of the entire car industry,” said Trump earlier in the day. “They approved Governor Gavin Newscum’s ridiculous plan to impose a 100% ban on all new gas powered cars within a very short period of time. Today we’re saving California, and we’re saving our entire country from a disaster. We officially rescue the US auto industry from destruction by terminating California’s electric vehicle mandate, once and for all.”
Nevertheless, Newsom, along with Attorney General Bonta, challenged the resolutions with a lawsuit, with the suit effectively being a last ditch chance to block the federal government from ending the mandate and allowing Californians to buy new gas-powered cars in-state past 2035.
“Trump’s all-out assault on California continues – and this time he’s destroying our clean air and America’s global competitiveness in the process,” expressed Newsom in a statement. “We are suing to stop this latest illegal action by a President who is a wholly-owned subsidiary of big polluters.”
This then led the Newsom administration to release the Executive Order.
California electric vehicle sales have been down in the last few years, with the most recent data from Q1 2025 showing that 23% of all new car sales in the state were electric. While significant, the number is nowhere near where the mandate goal of 35% by 2026 was set up to be at. And with the mandate now effectively ended, the suit and executive order are likely some of his last attempts for the state to be close to the 35% figure by the time he leaves office in around a year and a half.
As of Thursday evening, the Trump administration has yet to respond to Newsom’s new executive order.
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Author: Evan Symon
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