CITY OF OAKLAND
City Hall
1 Frank Ogawa Plaza
Oakland, CA 94612
Council President Pro Tempore Sheng Thao 510-238-7004 DISTRICT 4 [email protected]
Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas
DISTRICT 2
Date: 3/10/22
To: The Oakland City Council and Members of the Public From: Council President Pro Tempore Sheng Thao, District 4 & Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas
Re: Resolution Supporting Assembly Bill 1740 (Muratsuchi)
Members of the Oakland City Council and the Public,
Catalytic converter theft is a serious issue in the State of California. Catalytic converters are required by the State of California on most motor vehicles, including almost all motor vehicles operated by private community members. Catalytic converters contain semi-precious metals such as palladium, which are valuable to recycle. As a result, catalytic converters are frequently stolen from vehicles and sold to private recyclers.
The cost on the owner of the automobile to replace a catalytic converter can be thousands of dollars.
Catalytic converters are also frequently stolen from older model vehicles, so replacing a stolen catalytic converter can in effect “total” the vehicle, where the cost to bring the vehicle into working order is greater than the value of the vehicle itself.
Having a vehicle “totaled” due to catalytic converter theft can leave people with a difficult choice: not complying with State law, operating an unregistered vehicle, or buying a new vehicle all together.
This choice can be even more difficult if the victim of a catalytic converter theft is low income, and that vehicle is necessary to connect the victim with school or employment.
Currently, California state law requires individuals or businesses that buy catalytic converters to keep a written record regarding the transaction, including the type and quantity, amount paid, identification number, and vehicle identification for two years. AB 1740 would require core recycles to maintain a written record of the year, make, and model of the vehicle from which a catalytic converter the recycler purchased was removed and prohibit a recycler from entering a transaction to purchase or receive a catalytic converter from any person that is not a commercial enterprise or owner of the vehicle from which the catalytic converter was removed. If enacted into law, this requirement would therefore prohibit recyclers from buying catalytic converters from anyone that is not a business or an owner of the vehicle to which the converter belonged. This could have a strong effect of reducing the
demand for stolen catalytic converters and therefore discouraging their theft. I urge my colleagues on the Oakland City Council to join me in supporting this resolution in the State Legislature.
Sincerely,
Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas Council President Pro Tempore Sheng Thao