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At World Economic Forum, Newsom touts clean car sales, slams 'federal chaos'
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Campaign seeks permanent changes to coroners' death classifications By City News Service
By Joe Taglieri joet@beaconmedianews.com
D
uring his visit to this year's World Economic Forum in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, Gov. Gavin Newsom emphasized California's stability "amid federal chaos" as he announced a benchmark in electric vehicle sales. According to the governor's office, California has surpassed 2.5 million cumulative new sales of zero-emission vehicles, or ZEVs — far exceeding the state’s goal of 1.5 million ZEVs by 2025. "California didn’t reach 2.5 million zero-emission vehicles by accident — we invested in this future when others said it was impossible," Newsom said in a statement. "While Washington now cedes the global clean vehicle market to China, California is ensuring American workers and manufacturers can compete and win in the industries that will define this century." Officials said the sales milestone is the result of decades of California pioneering the clean-car market, leading to a solid foundation that continues to drive electric-vehicle sales and the world's fourth-largest
Parents who lost children to fentanyl poisoning gather in Washington D.C. in 2024. | Photo courtesy of Samuel P. Chapman/Facebook
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A fleet of ZEVs at the Air Force facility in El Segundo. | Photo courtesy of Sarah Corrice/U.S. Air Force
economy, "despite the Trump administration’s efforts to derail our clean transportation future." Since the end of 2019, cumulative new ZEV sales in California have increased more than 300%, driven by effective clean transportation policy and various ZEV incentives, according to Newsom's office. California stands as the nation's undisputed leader in emission-free transportation, proving that consumer
demand for electric vehicles remains strong despite federal headwinds. “No state in the union can match California’s fiveyear growth in ZEV sales,” California Energy Commissioner Nancy Skinner said in a statement. “This serves as a reminder of how far we’ve come thanks to historic levels of state investment and Californians’ strong demand See ZEVs Page 09
for clean cars. Each quarter, even in the face of increasing federal headwinds, tens of thousands of consumers are purchasing a ZEV in the Golden State, enjoying a great driving experience, and knowing they never have to go to a gas station again.” Officials noted the state’s commitment to establishing a robust network of ZEV infrastructure.
nationwide campaign got underway Tuesday that seeks to rectify what advocates insist are unjust classifications of deaths when the victims are killed by drunk or drug-impaired motorists, or die from ingesting drugs they didn't realize might be lethal. "When someone chooses to drive impaired or knowingly supplies a lethal substance, that choice carries deadly consequences," Stop Drug Homicide founder Matt Capelouto said. "Calling these deaths `accidents' minimizes accountability. Our goal is to drive change for the hundreds of thousands of families whose tragedies have been mislabeled for far too long."
Capelouto, whose Temecula-based organization was instrumental in adding provisions to voter-approved Proposition 36 in 2024, has joined Mothers Against Drunk Driving founder Candace Lynne Lightner in spearheading the "Not An Accident" campaign. The effort focuses on certain classifications contained in death certificates issued by coroners and other law enforcement officials throughout the United States. Campaign supporters argue that anyone killed in a DUI wreck or because he or she consumed a toxic controlled substance, such as fentanyl, provided by a person who knew it could have fatal
See Death classifications Page 31