Access to connected vehicle service.

Existing law generally regulates the safety of motor vehicles and the use of certain types of equipment installed in a motor vehicle, and generally makes a violation of these requirements a crime. Existing law provides various protections to persons who are escaping from actual or threatened domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, human trafficking, and other abuse, including providing for a means to keep the names and addresses of abuse survivors confidential in public records. This bill would require, beginning on January 1, 2028, a vehicle with connected vehicle service to clearly indicate to a person who is inside the vehicle when a person who is outside the vehicle has accessed either connected vehicle service or connected vehicle location access, as those terms would be defined. The bill, beginning on July 1, 2025, for vehicles with connected vehicle service, would further require a covered provider to provide a process for a driver to terminate a person's access to connected vehicle service, as specified. The bill would require, beginning on January 1, 2028, a covered provider to provide, in a vehicle manufactured on or after January 1, 2028, that has connected vehicle location access, a mechanism that meets specific requirements and can be used by a driver who is inside a vehicle to immediately disable connected vehicle location access. The bill would, beginning on July 1, 2026, apply this provision to vehicles manufactured prior to January 1, 2028, that have connected vehicle location access, and have the capability to receive software updates, as specified. The bill would define terms for these purposes, including "covered provider," which would be defined as a vehicle manufacturer or an entity acting on behalf of the vehicle manufacturer that provides connected vehicle service. By establishing new duties on vehicle manufacturers or these entities, this bill would expand the general crime applicable to provisions under the Vehicle Code, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program. The bill would also declare the severability of its provisions. The bill would make legislative findings and declarations in support of its provisions. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.