Gone by 2035: Gas-Powered Car Sales Have an Expiration Date in California

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced yesterday an executive order that would ban the sale of cars powered by internal combustion engines by 2035. California is the first state in the country to take such action.

1 minute read

September 24, 2020, 9:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


"California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Wednesday that calls for a ban on the sale of new gasoline-powered cars and other passenger vehicles in the state by 2035," report Mark Olalde and Janet Wilson for the Palm Springs Desert Sun. 

"The executive order will not prevent Californians from owning gasoline-powered cars or selling them on the used car market," add Olalde and Wilson. 

The announcement came as part of a package of climate change action put in motion by Gov. Newsom. "The executive order sets July of next year as an important month when multiple reports and recommendations are due on topics ranging from incentivizing the electric vehicle market to the responsible closure and cleanup of oil wells," according to the article. 

The announcement attracted criticism from both sides of the issue, as cited in the article—from a Republican state legislator who said the move would disproportionately impact rural residents, and environmentalists who say the policy wouldn't go far enough.

Additional coverage of the announcement is available from Paul Rogers for The Mercury News and Andrew J. Hawkins for The Verge.

A video of the announcement is shown above.

Wednesday, September 23, 2020 in Palm Springs Desert Sun

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

People walking up and down stairs in New York City subway station.

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving

Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

April 18 - Scientific American

White public transit bus with bike on front bike rack in Nashville, Tennessee.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan

Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

April 18 - Bloomberg CityLab

An engineer controlling a quality of water ,aerated activated sludge tank at a waste water treatment plant.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding

The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.

April 18 - Smart Cities Dive