CALIFORNIA
Classic Automotive was relocated from Santa Cruz to Portola in January. The shop, owned and operated by Joel and Claire Allen, performs mechanical repairs on cars and trucks, as well as specializing in working on classic vehicles and building racecar motors.
Caliber Collision Centers, an Irvine-based operator of high-quality collision repair facilities in California and Texas, announced the appointment of Mark Sanders to the position of chief operating officer, along with the promotions of Rusty Barsanti and David Goldstein to vice presidents of operations. Additionally, Robert Tavarez assumes the title of vice president for client support, and Anita Altounian has been named vice president for field administration.
Broadway Ford, a fixture in downtown Oakland for more than 50 years, closed its doors on March 31 as part of Ford Motor Co.'s nationwide cutbacks.
Dorene Carlson, manager of Miller Catalyzer Corp. in Manteca, pleaded no contest to three misdemeanor counts of attempting to receive stolen property in a Stockton courtroom on Feb. 25. Carlson received a sentence of 150 hours of community service, three years of probation, and a small fine for purchasing catalytic converters from undercover Stockton police officers posing as thieves in December 2007.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) voted March 27 to triple the number of zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs) proposed for production by automakers from 2012 through 2014. CARB staff members originally proposed a requirement of 2,500 vehicles, but the board increased that to 7,500. CARB also maintained the portion of the program that allows flexibility for automakers in their alternative-fuel programs. The board also requires an additional 66,000 plug-in hybrids during the same period; however, if the automakers produce 25,000 ZEVs, there are no remaining plug-in hybrid requirements.
The Automotive Service Councils of California (ASCCA) Chapter 16 is sponsoring "Technology Education Recognition Night" on May 13 at Doral's Auto Repair in San Leandro. Local college, high school and regional occupation programs (ROP) will be honored, and top students will receive Career Technical Education (CTE) awards. For more information, contact ASCCA Chapter 16 President Stephen Small at stephen_a_small@yahoo.com.
The California/Nevada/Arizona Automotive Wholesalers' Association (CAWA), the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA), and the Coalition for Automotive Repair Equality (CARE) hosted a private meeting with Abby Donovan, legislative counsel to U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona to highlight and promote the national Right to Repair Act. Held at Blackwell's Automotive in Phoenix on March 19, several industry members and automotive aftermarket friends attended the private meeting where Kyl's staff heard stories of the aftermarket's inability to obtain the necessary information to diagnose and repair vehicles, supporting the need for the passage of the national Right to Repair Act pending in Congress.
The California/Nevada/Arizona Automotive Wholesalers Association (CAWA) has announced that Fast Undercar Inc. has made a major financial commitment to CAWA's government affairs program. Fast Undercar joins other supporters including NAPA, CARQUEST, AutoZone, Affinia, Standard Motor Products, Gates, and the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association.
The U.S. House of Representatives has introduced legislation to create an exemption in the U.S. patent law to enable the production of aftermarket automobile parts. H.R. 5638, introduced by Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., creates an exception from infringement for certain component parts used to repair another article of manufacture. The bill has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee. It reads in part, "It shall not be an act of infringement to make, use, offer to sell, or sell within the United States or import into the United States any article of manufacture that itself constitutes a component part of another article of manufacture, if the sole purpose of the component part is for the repair of the article of manufacture of which it is a part so as to restore its original appearance."
MacKenzie Warehouse in San Francisco recently announced that it has selected the DST TurboParts II Plus Iternet-based parts ordering and sales system, integrated with the Activant PartExpert and Cover-to-Cover electronic parts catalogs, as its new e-commerce engine.
Senator Ford in Sacramento is closing its doors in mid-May after a 28-year run, Owner Bob Creedon announced.
Marion and Michael Santos purchased Firebaugh Chevrolet in March. The Santos' have owned and operated Westside Ford in Firebaugh since 1980 and also own Santos Ford in Los Banos.
Paul's Automotive Center, a full-service mechanical repair shop in Oakley, opened a new 11,000-square-foot facility in Feb., with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, a chamber of commerce dedication, and a catered dinner, hosted by Owner Paul Rondelli.
In memoriam: Jack Renney, former owner of Renney Motors, one of Stockton's first car dealerships, and a World War II war hero who flew 89 missions over "The Hump," died March 16. He was 87.