Just when you thought it was safe to drive your classic vehicle on the streets of California, think again. Cars made before 1976 were once exempt from the strictest emissions standards in the nation. But a California senator , Dean Florez, is proposing legislation that makes this loophole a thing of the past.

Luckily, this only affects the cars registered in the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District. But we all know what happens when we allow the government to take an inch. They take a mile . . . and another mile . . . and another mile.

And so it begins. The hybrid craze and environmental people are slowly beginning to take over. How is anybody going to afford bringing a classic 1929 Model A up to today’s codes? How is a 1974 Ford Mustang going to pass today’s strict California smog test? Unless you want to put thousands of dollars into a car, it’s not going to happen.

I think this potential legislation is sad for two reasons. For one, how many actual vehicles built before 1976 are still rolling around the streets of the Golden State on a regular basis? If anything, owners might take them out for a joyride to show them off on a nice spring day. The second reason is this:  Will we never see one of the beautiful classic cars on the road in California ever again? I mean, these were vehicles that created the car culture of different eras. And now, nobody will ever see them unless they’re in a California museum of unwanted vehicles.

When you consider soaring housing costs, skyrocketing business taxes and everything else, it’s no wonder people are flocking out of California like birds flying away for the winter.

Luckily, you can still drive your certified Ford around the streets of San Francisco and beyond.