Car buyers protection bill

A car-buyers' protection bill that took effect in July is finally kicking into gear, allowing consumers to seek reimbursement if they are wronged in a vehicle trade-in involving an insolvent or unscrupulous dealer. Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

Authored by state Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Van Nuys, SB 729 provides a safety net if a dealer fails to pay off the credit or lease balance on a trade-in, leaving the car buyer in the lurch.

"The bill is a win, win, win," Padilla said when the bill was passed in October 2007. "It is good for consumers, it is good for business and it is good for California."