Kern County adopts ordinance making possession of detached catalytic converters unlawful without proof of ownership

The Kern County Board of Supervisors voted 4-0, with one absence, to approve a proposed ordinance adding chapter 9.46 to title 9 of the Kern County Ordinance to address catalytic converter theft in the unincorporated county.

County counsel staff presented the ordinance as a local complement to recent state laws that restrict resale and require documentation at recyclers but do not, in county staff’s view, give law enforcement tools to address possession of detached converters below a high‑quantity threshold. Josh Rugnick, an attorney in the County Counsel’s office, said the county has no local law requiring a person who is not a licensed recycler to show ownership documentation for a detached catalytic converter. "Under state law, individuals could go unpunished unless they possess nine or more catalytic converters," Rugnick said. "This ordinance fills that enforcement gap by requiring documentation for detached converters in…