It’s only been a few weeks since Gavin Newsom faced off against Larry Elder and several other candidates to defend his record and try to stay in office. He ultimately survived, thanks to the demographics heavily swaying in his favor in the closing weeks before the election.
Newsom now has shifted his focus and has signed several new laws into effect, including permanent mail-in voting and a ban on gas-powered lawn equipment in California.
This means that certain gas-powered brands of lawn equipment will be banned in the coming years. By January of 2024, state regulators will likely implement the rule that Newsom has signed into law unless delays occur.
California has struggled with pollution in the past and is trying to take steps to correct these issues. It’s unclear if a ban on gas-powered lawn equipment will ultimately have an impact on the overall pollution situation in California.
There are millions of small landscaping businesses that rely on these pieces of equipment and they may be forced to acquire new equipment in order to stay in business. It’s unclear if current gas-powered equipment will also be outlawed or if Newsom only plans on banning new sales of these types of equipment.
Newsom did not rule out the possibility of offering rebates to landscaping companies and other clients who opt to trade their outdated equipment in for other environmentally-friendly brands. According to the state budget, more than $25 Million has been set aside for this process and much of it will likely need to be spent by 2024 to enforce these new laws and effectively have an impact on pollution.
