Question

"California is banning the sale of all gas powered cars by 2030" is not true. The advanced Car Clean rule, which is part of California's actual plan, prohibits the sale of new gas-only vehicles beginning in 2035 rather then 2030.

Answer 1

This claim was initially true. In 2022, the date that the LA Times article was published, the mandate planned to phase out gasoline and diesel cars, minivans, utility vehicles, and pickup trucks that are powered by batteries or fuel cells. Under these new rules, throughout the next ten years laws would enforce that certain percentages of new cars sold must be zero emission, leading up to all cars being zero-emission by 2035. However, Senate republicans have moved to block California's ban on petrol cars, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgq4wxd583o. BBC states that, in 2025, the Senate killed California's law and nullified the waiver which contained the stricter standards for petrol-powered cars. President Trump proceeded to sign off on this decision which will set the stage for a legal battle. New York Times also has an article that gives more detail about the voting process. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/climate/senate-republicans-electric-vehicles-california.html

Comments

Nice work locating legitimate news sources besides the one that the OP used to support the claim.

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I really like how you mentioned it use to be true but the information was outdated, and proceeded to find reliable resources and correct the facts adding information that was missing or has been added.

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I think the way you answered the claim was really smart; by recognizing it used to be correct but also stating that the information was outdated, it was a respectable way of critiquing them, which is admirable. The sources you provided in rebuttal to the claim were accurate and credible as well as a good tool for completing your claim.

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I liked how you stated how this claim was initially true, then stated how senate republicans blocked the ban on gas powered vehicles, making it false.

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You made some good points about how the plan has continued to evolve and how our current political state has made things more complicated. I'll add, though that the rule never banned used gas cars or full hybrids, it’s about new gas-only vehicles sold after 2035. Also, California’s power to enforce this depends on an EPA waiver, which Congress is now trying to revoke. So it’s not set in stone yet it’s more of a back and forth thing right now than a total reversal on it.

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I think you did a good job in showing sources and how the story changed over time. However, I do think an important addition to this would be how California's authority to do any of this hinges on EPA waivers, which have recently come under fire, leading to more possible developments on this in the near future

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/22/nx-s1-5387729/senate-california-ev-air-pollution-waiver-revoked

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Great job investigating and proving the initial claim, but an even better job to peer more thoroughly and find that the initial source is outdated and that this is no longer true. I also appreciate your use of multiple sources to get a clearer picture.

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Good job using a reliable source to show how the claim was initially true but why it no longer is. I think it was also helpful that you provided another source with additional information on the case.

Answer 2

While the claim seemed to be partially true in the date it was written in 2022, the article is outdated and the new date for the ban of sale of gas powered cars is 2035. The claim is also slightly misleading as it only applies to new cars and not old gas powered cars from previous years. According to the California Air Resource Board "The regulation applies to automakers (not dealers) and covers only new vehicle sales. It does not impact existing vehicles on the road today, which will still be legal to own and drive". There are more complications with this claim since the senate recently voted against the mandate according to CalMatters a nonprofit and nonpartisan news source that highly awarded and respected that focuses on accountability journalism and in-depth reporting. Trump is expected to sign off on this in which California plans to sue the Trump administration for "an unlawful use of an act allowing Congress to review some regulations enacted by the previous administration". Overall the claim is dated and there is more nuance to the statement than is made clear by the Los Angeles Times.

Comments

Great job highlighting that there was a point in time where part of this was true, but now the claim is outdated. Good work explaining that LA Times doesn't fully explore the nuance of the issue.

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I thought that your comment was great and did a good job at explaining what information was outdated as well as misleading. This is important to note because a lot of people tend to only read headlines and take them for face value without doing more research. It is always important to point out what news sources are providing information that is not too clear which you did regarding the New York Times. I thought the two sources that you used were very reliable since one was a government site and the other was an organization. Overall good job!

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You did a good job explaining how it was true but is no longer as well as being misleading. Going in depth is important so people actually understand what they are reading. You also did a good job providing background on your sources as well as explaining how the original source from the original claim is outdated.

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Great job in explaining the parts that were misleading through credible sources and by backing up in your own words

Answer 3

The initial claim that California is stopping the sale of all gas-powered cars by 2030 is false. California had a plan in place to reduce the sale of all gas-powered cars and light trucks to eventually fully phase them out by 2035, not by 2030, according to a statement released by California's governor in 2020 (Governor Gavin Newsom). According to an article from the Los Angeles Times in 2022, "35% of new cars must be zero emission by 2026, 68% by 2030, and 100% by 2035." However, in a recent move, congress has voted to effectively kill the law, nullifying an auto emissions standards waiver that allowed the state to set stricter rules than those set by the government (BBC News). Trump is expected to sign the measure, which has led California's attorney general to say they are suing over the move. 

Comments

This is a great breakdown of the expected statistical growth of clean emission cars production in California, and the legitimate information in detail. With Trump wanting to stop this measure, it is interesting to think about the relationship between Federal and State governments. I also have to speculate that Trump will not be in office as president anywhere near to the year, that is expected for the elimination of gas powered cars in California, and what Newsom and the state of California will do to continue their mission to get rid of gas powered vechicles.

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I think it is very important that you used real data in your response. Also good catch clarifying the 2035 deadline instead of 2030 — a lot of people get that mixed up.

Answer 4

This claim is initially true as California state Governor Gavin Newsom originally proposed the bill in 2020 to end the sale of new gas-powered vehicles in order to phase them out over the next ten years and lower the use of fossil fuels. Newsom stated, “For too many decades, we have allowed cars to pollute the air that our children and families breathe. Californians shouldn’t have to worry if our cars are giving our kids asthma. Our cars shouldn’t make wildfires worse – and create more days filled with smoky air. Cars shouldn’t melt glaciers or raise sea levels threatening our cherished beaches and coastlines.”. https://www.gov.ca.gov/2020/09/23/governor-newsom-announces-california-will-phase-out-gasoline-powered-cars-drastically-reduce-demand-for-fossil-fuel-in-californias-fight-against-climate-change/
In May of 2025 the rule was blocked by the senate and killed in the house. President Trump signed off on the decision, with many upset that his administration is doubling down on fossil fuels. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgq4wxd583o

Comments

This answer is informative and concise, the direct quote from the Governor Gavin Newsom which adds good authenticity and explanation. This answer also gives a clear timeline, which helps readers understand how the policy went from proposal to rejection. Well balanced and supported by credible sources.

Answer 5

After doing some research I have discovered that while this claim used to be true, it is now false because of recent events. As of the date your source was published (2022), the claim was true. A plan was announced in 2020 by California Gov. Gavin Newsom to ban the sale of all new gas-powered vehicles within 15 years with the goal to lower emissions, however, according to an article by PBS News, written in May of 2025, the Senate had recently voted "to block California’s first-in-the nation rule banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035", making the claim no longer true. Although Democrats have fought the change, the block still stands.

Comments

I appreciate your updated answer to this claim, as it is much more in line with more recent developments on the decision. The sources provided to back your response is also a useful resource to further research and read up on the topic.

Answer 6

You did a good job explaining the main point of the claim. I think it would make your fact check even stronger if you added one or two sources to show where you found your info. The hook is very interesting, and I wanted to learn more about the concept. You should talk more about California and how they are banning gas powered cars. You should also add statistics and maybe graphs to show proof. I also think explaining what the plan that California is forming would be really helpful for the reader. This claim is not real, I looked on other website like PBS news, and others. They all said different things. Again, if you use recourses in you put a quote from a webisite this point would be more accurate!

Answer 7

This article is originally from 2022, and according to this article California was planning on banning the sale of gas powered cars by 2035. It states, "the California Air Resources voted on Thursday to require all new cars and light trucks sold by 2035 to be what it calls zero-emission vehicles."

However, as of May of 2025, The House of Representatives voted to block California's plans to block new sales of gas-powered cars (https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/california-gas-powered-vehicle-ban-house-votes-to-block-hjres88/). This is because the house wanted to give people the freedom to choose the vehicles that work best for them, and not be forced to drive an unaffordable vehicle. Additionally, later in the month of May of 2025, the senate also blocked California's plans to ban new gas powered cars (https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/senate-blocks-californias-rule-banning-new-gas-powered-car-sales-by-2035). These actions by the house and the senate eventually led to President Donald Trump signing a resolution that also blocks California's plan (https://abc7.com/post/trump-signs-measure-blocking-californias-ban-new-sales-gas-powered-cars/16732957/). Following all of this, California has announced that it will challenge these blocks in court.

In conclusion, this claim was true, but due to the current circumstances California's plan to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars is on hold.

Answer 8

This claim is not true. Although California had a law in plan banning gas-powered cars by 2035, that was blocked by the Senate in May 2025, "voted on Thursday to block California’s first-in-the-nation rule banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035". This disproved the article, but I wanted to know if there were any legitimate reasons why they blocked it.  According to PBS, "California makes up roughly 11% of the U.S. car market," so although buyers would be switching to purchasing electric cars, I still think the market would've seen a drop.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/senate-blocks-californias-rule-banning-new-gas-powered-car-sales-by-2035

According to many other sources that I read, another main reason the Senate blocked this law is because people already have the ability to buy an electric car. Although the ban could start to help reduce climate change, I don't think it would be dramatic. Also, this country was built on the principle of freedom and Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness, so banning gas cars would be taking that away.