Is there any facet of your life from birth to death that the state of California does not feel it has a right to intrude upon and then dictate terms for?
If you live in the formerly Golden State, I'm not sure this is purely a rhetorical question anymore.
As purely an interested but unaffected and unassociated bystander watching from afar - and, lemme add, a truly horrified one at that - I find myself doubting that there ever will come a time that the majority of the state will willingly throw off the authoritarian bonds that are now constricting the very lifeblood that used to pulse through, arguably, one of the most vibrant, unfettered places to live in the country.
From Sacramento to the various commissions and agencies throughout the state, there are so many levels of unelected and enabled satraps who, at the stroke of a pen, can issue edicts affecting the way tens of millions of citizens live their lives. Citizens who have little recourse, in fact, often have little warning that some bureaucrat is once again fixin' to rock their world with a regulation concerning something as mundane, but essentially a right-to-choose, as what replacement tire you prefer and can afford when you have a blow-out or the whole set goes old baldy.
And yet, God bless their pointy little bureaucratic, Big Brotherish heads. That's exactly where we are.
The California Energy Commission has voted to phase out the sale of replacement tires that do not meet its desired energy-efficiency threshold.
And you thought you could just buy what was on sale at Pep Boys or order from TireRack, right? Save a couple bucks between paydays?
Do I gots news for youse.
The commission isn't doing this 'for the children,' though.
This time?
WE'RE SAVING YOU FROM YOUR OWN BAD DECISIONS
California regulators on Monday approved new rules that will restrict what tires you can buy when it's time to replace them on your car.
In a unanimous vote, the California Energy Commission voted to adopt new rules that will phase out the sale of replacement tires that don't meet certain energy efficiency standards.
"This ultimately is about protecting consumers," said David Hochschild, the chairman of the California Energy Commission. "I see this as sheltering the public from higher costs in the long run."
Tire manufacturers and the commission's staff are at odds over whether this will add to the cost of living in the state. Both sides acknowledged this will no longer allow the sale of a significant portion of the tires currently sold in California.
At the center of this is a tire's rolling resistance, or how much energy a tire uses as it rolls down the road. Lower resistance means a vehicle uses less gas or electricity. New cars come with generally efficient tires, but consumers typically replace those with higher rolling resistance tires.
The first phase would begin in 2029, which would allow the sale of tires with a maximum rolling resistance level of 9.1 newtons per kilonewton (N/kN). In phase 2, the standard lowers to 7.2 (N/kN) starting in 2033. The commission came up with the standards after testing 537 types of tires
See? The COMMISSION came up with the 'STANDARDS,' so trust the Science™!
The COMMISSION HAS MADE THE BEST CHOICES FOR YOU, simple peasant. And now that's all you get to buy.
..."These regulations are a tool within our authority that can save money for every Californian," said Commissioner Nancy Skinner.
Isn't it funny how only one TV news crew was there to report on what seems to be a pretty momentous hearing?
California is banning most of the tires currently on sale.
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) August 18, 2026
You read that right.
The cruelty is the point. https://t.co/5fZyTeUOLm
Nancy Skinner is the commissioner who cheerfully explained above how she's forcing everyone to save money her way. In the next video, she's smirking about how if she'd been on the committee twenty years ago, maybe tire sales would have been regulated long before now, all while coyly denying she 'pushed' the issue. The commission chair, David Hochschild, says he didn't know the first thing about it until Skinner brought it up.
The commission vote was unanimous. Like all these geniuses never heard a thing about it before Nancy brought it up, and then said, 'Swell idea. Let's do it.'
It turns out, little old Nancy's responsible for beating up on the oil and gas industry, too, and then has the nerve to bitch about gasoline prices, using them as leverage and the excuse to take away the freedom to choose what tires you buy.
She is a slick little minx, no?
I'll bet she's a great neighbor to have, too. Probably not intrusive at all.
...Hochschild admitted he had no idea about the legislation until Skinner brought it up. Skinner is a well-known environmentalist who, as a State Senator, wrote several current state laws regulating the oil and gas industry.
After the vote, KCRA 3 asked Skinner if she pushed the rulemaking process around tires. She didn't directly answer the question but says it was a joint effort with the other commissioners.
"If I had been on the commission 20 years ago, maybe it wouldn't have taken so long," Skinner said.
When asked why the CEC didn't act on the legislation for the last two decades, Skinner said, "there may not have been those cost pressures."
This is who just said you couldn't buy the perfectly serviceable tires you could afford. You now can only pick from the small selection of tires she and her fellow authoritarians chose for you.
Regulation for the sake of regulation pic.twitter.com/mrCMCewH27
— OzBodkins (@OzBodkins) August 18, 2026
Oh, she's so totes adorbs, you just want to squeeze her.
EXPECTED TO ELIMINATE 70 PERCENT OF THE TIRES CURRENTLY SOLD IN CALIFORNIA BY 2033
JUST IN:
— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) August 17, 2026
California approves new rules limiting what tires you can buy when it’s time to replace them on your car.
It’s expected to eliminate 70% of tires currently sold in CA in 2033.
Tire makers and regulators are at odds over the impact on costs:https://t.co/PcT8sHcHLu
Exsqueeze me - I thought this was still America.
It might still be, but that don't make no nevermind when you live in Nancy Skinner's California.
I can't wait to see who takes what away next...from over here in Florida, where I'm safe.
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