Update: California Carpool Decals Offically Extended To July 2011

I think the Prius community should shower Senator Yee with praise & thanks for getting us another 6 months of HOV usage. Let's let him know how important it was to us.

You can send a thank-you letter to him at:

Senator Leland Y. Yee, Ph.D.
State Capitol, Room 4074
Sacramento, CA 95814

or you can call his Sacremento office at (916) 651-4008.

If you are not in his district, his website won't accept your emails.

 

Read the article carefully. The bill is not quite yet law. Although it has passed both houses of the legislature, it still needs to get past the governor He can either sign it or let it become law without his signature. As long as he does not veto it, it will be the law, but that procwess hasn't yet occurred.

 

I just did a google search on Prius HOV to see if there have been any updates since several months ago when the expiration for the HOV privilege was to be 1/1/11, and i saw this link. All i know about this extension is what i just read here.

Does anyone know what the reasoning behind the extension is? What caused this? was it because of appeals from people with the stickers, or something else?

Any idea on what the time frame is for the governor's decision? If he lets it pass without signing, does anyone know what the deadline for him to sign would be?

Thanks for this hopeful news.

 

Answering my own post, i just found this article:

California Senate Gives HOV Access to Plug-in Hybrids, Extends Hybrids for 6 Months | Hybrid Cars

The governor has 12 days to sign it. I think that will be around 8/24 approximately.

The bill was sponsored by GM and backed by Toyota, Chrysler and Tesla.

The reasoning for the extension is that it will give hybrid owners time to purchase an all electric vehicle or plug in hybrid; the LEAF electric car will become available later this year but in limited quantities, so the bill gives more time to people to evaluate the electric cars and to obtain one.

 

The governor signed AB 535 on 8/31. Those of us blessed with decals get a reprieve. I'm really grateful grateful and relieved.