California Governor Gavin Newsom called DealerXT to discuss the current state of auto dealerships during the coronavirus Shelter-In-Place orders.

The Governor’s office thanked DealerXT for providing important information to them regarding the necessity of car dealership sales remaining open during the pandemic.

They also informed DealerXT that the request to allow dealerships to recommence car sales has been flagged with the Governor’s operations team and they are taking the requests very seriously.

The Governor’s office acknowledged that our position is strong as to why car dealership sales fall under the Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers exception to the Governor’s Executive Order, specifically under the “Transportation and Logistics” section (p.7), the “Other Community-Based Government Operations and Essential Functions” section (p.10), and the “Financial Services” section (p.12).

The decision to remain open is a business decision that only the businesses themselves can make, however the ambiguities in the various orders from various counties present certain risks. If dealers decide to continue car sales operations, we recommend that they have the sections of the Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers exception available to present to any relevant county officials or law enforcement. Please keep in mind that some counties have specifically banned car sales in their County Orders, such as Fresno County.

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