6 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Creating Clarity for California Dealers By Brian Maas, President, CNCDA 8 2026 Officers and Directors 10 From Statute to Strategy Helping Dealers Navigate the CARS Act 11 Disparate Treatment by Manufacturers in Warranty Parts & Labor Rate Increase Evaluations A Multi-Case Review By Joe Jankowski, Managing Member, Armatus Dealer Uplift 14 Under the Hood Getting to Know Your CNCDA Staff 16 Dealer Day 2026 Recap 23 MANNING LEAVER LEGAL LANE The Unlicensed Driver Dilemma Legal Risks and Best Practices for California Dealers By Timothy D. Robinett, Esq., Partner, Manning, Leaver, Bruder & Berberich LLP 26 CNCDA 2026 Sponsors 28 California Auto Outlook Covering First Quarter 2026 ©2026 The California New Car Dealers Association (CNCDA) | MBR Connect™, formerly The newsLINK Group LLC. All rights reserved. California New Car Dealer Quarterly is published four times per year and is the official publication for this association. The information contained in this publication is intended to provide general information for review, consideration and education. The contents do not constitute legal advice and should not be relied on as such. If you need legal advice or assistance, it is strongly recommended that you contact an attorney as to your circumstances. The statements and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of CNCDA, its board of directors or the publisher. Likewise, the appearance of advertisements within this publication does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation of any product or service advertised. California New Car Dealer Quarterly is a collective work, and as such, some articles are submitted by authors who are independent of CNCDA. While a first-print policy is encouraged, in cases where this is not possible, every effort has been made to comply with any known reprint guidelines or restrictions. Content may not be reproduced or reprinted without prior written permission. For further information, please contact the publisher at (801) 676-9722. 16 Contents 2026 ISSUE 2 1517 L St. Sacramento, CA 95814 www.cncda.org (916) 441-2599 2026 CNCDA Leadership & Staff Brian Maas President bmaas@cncda.org Michael Walsh, MBA Chief Financial Officer mwalsh@cncda.org Anthony Bento Chief Legal Officer abento@cncda.org Crystal Bolaños Director of Education & Events cbolanos@cncda.org Autumn Heacox Director of Communications & Marketing aheacox@cncda.org Cathy Mason Director of Operations cmason@cncda.org Rebecca Matulich Director of Strategic Partnerships rmatulich@cncda.org Kenton Stanhope Director of Government Affairs kstanhope@cncda.org Les Swizer Legal & Regulatory Affairs Counsel lswizer@cncda.org Andrea Daugherty Political Engagement Manager adaugherty@cncda.org Lauren Johnston Membership & Accounting Manager ljohnston@cncda.org Liza Hernandez Staff Accountant lhernandez@cncda.org Stacy Barawed Executive Assistant sbarawed@cncda.org McKenna Bediamol Administrative Coordinator mbediamol@cncda.org Kim McPhaul CNCDA Foundation President kmcphaul@cncda.org Lewis Keys CNCDA Foundation Program Manager lkeys@cncda.org Felicia Palombi CNCDA Foundation Fund Development Manager fpalombi@cncda.org Genesis Flores CNCDA Foundation Marketing Associate gflores@cncda.org 23
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