Requiring increased efficiency standards for all replacement vehicles and implementing robust low-income financing solutions are critical to maximizing the impact the vehicle retirement & replacement program in California.

What would California look like if it expanded its vision for a low-carbon economy to help low-income families reduce their huge gasoline and car maintenance expenses? What kind of state would we be if we paused to imagine a not-too-distant future in which more of our very young children have access to the kind of childcare that sets them up to thrive later in life?

Low-income, rural Californians, whose older vehicles are responsible for a significant portion of the state’s air pollution, are at risk of being left behind even as California pursues a range of strong sustainable transportation initiatives.

California’s high-tech, best-in-class transportation strategies risk unintentionally leaving out an important segment of the population: the sizeable, largely low-income subset of Californians who cannot afford electric cars or reach public transportation.