Commercial autoettes must be electrical by Jan. 1, 2024
By Charles M. Kelly
The Avalon City Council on April 18 unanimously introcuded a new ordinance amending the Municipal Code to make commercial autoettes electric.
The proposed Municipal Code amendment will have to return for a second reading and approval at a future date.
“All sales of new light-duty passenger vehicles in California must be ZEVs [zero emmission vehicles] by 2035,” according to the U.S. Department of Energy website.
“ZEVs include battery-electric and fuel cell electric vehicles,” the website said.
In Dec. 12, 2022, the Avalon City Council directed staff to go ahead with a plan to speed up “the timeline for converting from gas to electric cars by requiring commercial autoettes to be electric,” according to the staff report by City Manager David Maistros and, Management Analyst Devin Hart.
Maistros told the council that waving the fees was meant to give incentivise the conversion.
Later, when the council members discussed possibly extending the fee waiver, Maistros said therre were a total of 198 commercial autoettes in Avalon. He said he did not believe commercial vehicle fees wuld make or break the city.
“I see Matt’s sitting back sown, so he’s not panicking,” Maistros said, referring to Finance Director Matt Baker.
That triggered laughter in the council chambers.
According to Maistros, it would be worth it to give someone incentive to get the old vehicle off the island.
Mayor Anni Marshall said it can take forever to get those vehicles.
“It took my neighbor 11 or 12 months to get an electric one,” Marshall said.
City Attorney Scott Campbell said his law firm (Best Best & Krieger) dealt with that issuing by requiring proof of purchase. Avalon counicl members seemed to like that idea.
Effective Jan. 2, 2014, all commercial autoettes must be jcertified electrical.
“Purchased in full or just a deposit down?” Marshall asked.
“A purcchase is a purchase and a sales agreement,” Campbell asked.
He said that if you’ve entered into a purchase agreement and the vehicle has not been delivered, it’s not your fault.
Side note for readers:
“Additionally, the amendment corrects a typo in Section 6. Previously, per this section of the AMC [Avalon Municipal Code], commercial autoette permits were required to have off street parking between the hours of 12:00 a.m. and 6:00p.m. With this amendment, the section is corrected to between the hours of 12:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.,” according to the Maistros and Hart report.
