August 2, 2022
The Honorable Anthony Portantino
Chair, Senate Appropriations Committee
1021 0 Street, Suite 6240
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: AB 2682 (Gray) Catalytic Converters
City of South San Francisco – Notice of Support
Dear Senator Portantino,
On behalf of the City of South San Francisco, I write in strong support of AB 2682 (Gray), which requires any automotive repair dealer that installs or replaces a catalytic converter on a vehicle to ensure that the catalytic converter is permanently marked with the vehicle identification number (VIN) . Additionally, the bill requires a smog check inspection site to inspect the exterior of the catalytic converter, and if any, notify the customer whether or not the catalytic converter is permanently marked with the VIN of the vehicle being tested. Further, the bill prohibits a person from removing, altering, or obfuscating any VIN or other unique marking that has been added to a catalytic converter and prohibits a dealer or person holding a retail seller’s permit from selling a new or used vehicle with a catalytic converter unless that catalytic converter has been permanently marked with the VIN of the vehicle on which it is being installed.
The City of South San Francisco has seen a drastic uptick in catalytic converter theft in recent years. Stealing catalytic converters has become a common trend as it can take less than 10 minutes to remove one from the underside of a parked car. Scrap metal yards are paying as much as $1,000 for the stolen converters for their valuable materials such as platinum and palladium, while victims end up paying up to $3,000 to replace the stolen converter. What's more, manufacturers often exclude serial numbers when making the car part, adding another layer of ease for the criminal activity.
Catalytic converter theft has both large payoffs and often goes undetected because of a lack of tracing methods. When converters are stolen, victims must file police reports in order to activate insurance reimbursement, which strains existing public safety personnel resources, particularly when cases increase drastically.
AB 2682 adds common sense tools to prevent catalytic converter theft by adding specific traceable requirements and associating misdemeanor penalties for violators. The bill will help discourage, prevent, and prosecute the growing crime of catalytic converter theft in California.
For these reasons, the City of South San Francisco supports AB 2682.
Sincerely,
Mark Nagales
Mayor
City of South San Francisco