California Gov. Gavin Newsom touts electric vehicle sales: 1 in 4 sales are for EVs

Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!

FIRST UP — Be sure to check out our wall-to-wall Tim Walz coverage.

Bee reporter David Lightman was there with the big news that Vice President Kamala Harris selected the Minnesota governor as her running mate, as well as a rundown of what we know about Walz.

And then there was former President Donald Trump’s reaction to the pick (which trashed California, once again).

NEWSOM TOUTS ONE IN FOUR NEW CAR SALES ARE ZERO EMISSION

Via Nicole Nixon...

Just over a quarter of new cars sold in California during the second quarter were zero emission vehicles, the state energy commission announced Tuesday.

That’s the second-highest market share reported since 2020, when Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered that by 2035, all new cars sold in California must be zero-emission or plug-in hybrids.

“We want to dominate in this space,” Newsom said during a call Tuesday. “We think this is one of the most significant economic opportunities in our lifetime to move forward.”

Between April and July, 118,181 new ZEVs were sold in California, which accounts for 25.7% of all new car sales, according to figures provided by the energy commission.

The governor pointed to Trump’s recent change in rhetoric on electric cars following an endorsement from Tesla founder Elon Musk.

“I’m sure it was done purely without any consideration of political opportunism. It was done completely independent of any monetary incentives,” Newsom sarcastically said.

While Newsom celebrated the new numbers, growth in California’s ZEV sales appears to be leveling off after several years of increase. The total market share of ZEV sales doubled between 2021 and 2023, but in the first half of 2024 do not appear to be increasing much beyond the 25% mark.

“It’s really important not to mistake the forest for the trees. The bottom line is that EV sales are up every year globally,” said David Hochschild, chair of the California Energy Commission.

He said the cost of lithium ion, which is used to build electric car batteries, is coming down “dramatically” and predicted ZEVs would become more accessible for people of all incomes in future years.

NEW REPORT SUGGESTS MEDIA BILL WOULD INCREASE ADVERTISING COSTS

SB 1327, the bill by Sen. Steve Glazer, D-Orinda, to tax online ad sales in order to provide revenue for California news outlets, would impact advertisers by increasing their costs, according to a new report from the Chamber of Progress, a tech industry-funded, center-left advocacy organization.

The bill is specifically designed to target the biggest online platforms — Google, Amazon and Meta, companies with at least $2.5 billion in annual revenue each.

Glazer told The Bee earlier this year that his legislation is “a very significant effort to restore the Fourth Estate in California to the benefit of our democracy.”

According to the Chamber of Progress report, released Wednesday, “the average business using all advertising platforms would face an additional annual cost of $14,048.”

“While this bill helps local journalism via the tax credit, it harms other businesses,” report author Kaitlyn Harger wrote in her conclusion.

SB 1327 successfully passed out of the Senate, but is currently being held at the Assembly desk, its future uncertain in the waning weeks of the legislative session.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Brilliant. No one knows more about the job than the sitting vice president — who has served for a former two term VP. Tim Walz is about doing the right thing. Whether it’s free school meals or standing up against gun violence — he’s never been intimidated. He’s about honor and decency, and is exactly the right pick in a campaign about daylight vs darkness. He’s been an incredible partner as a Governor, and will make an incredible Vice President. Let’s go.”

- California Gov. Gavin Newsom, responding to Tuesday’s big announcement, via X.

Best of The Bee:

• Republicans claim Kamala Harris was the U.S. Senate’s most liberal member. Is that true? Via David Lightman.

• California scientists reach tentative union agreement after years of negotiations, via William Melhado.