Automakers warn California vehicle sales could be halted Wednesday if bill doesn’t pass By onAnnouncements The Alliance of Automotive Innovation (Auto Innovators) warns that new and used vehicle sales in California could be suspended if the July 1 effective date for legislation passed in 2024 is not pushed back. It asks that the California Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom enact SB 719, which would update the implementation schedule for vehicle technologies required under SB 1394. The passage of SB 1394 in 2024 requires OEMs to provide options for vehicle tracking to be disabled by the owner in an attempt to protect victims of domestic or sexual assault and human trafficking. Starting July 1, OEMs are required, by the bill, to provide a driver with the ability to terminate a person’s access to a connected vehicle service. The provider should terminate a person’s access to the vehicle within two business days after a request from a driver is made, the bill says. A driver can prove they have the authority to terminate a person’s access to the vehicle via multiple options such as legal title, dissolution decree, or a court order proving exclusive use or possession of the vehicle. Starting Jan. 1, 2028, vehicles must clearly indicate to those inside of it, who has accessed the connected vehicle service and/or location from outside of the vehicle. OEMs also would be required to include a mechanism in vehicles that allows the driver to immediately disable connected vehicle location access, according to the bill. “Without SB 719 being signed into law before July 1, there is substantial risk that auto sales in California will be suspended,” said Curt Augustine, Auto Innovators senior director of state affairs, in a release. “Automakers are already implementing the domestic violence victim protections required by SB 1394, but