"The Hidden Gas Price Hike Threatening Californians"
Last updated 10/28/2024 at 7:23am
Californians are already struggling under the weight of the highest gas prices in the nation, and yet it seems that lawmakers and bureaucrats are determined to make that burden even heavier. Last week, Assembly Bill X2-1, sponsored by Governor Gavin Newsom, passed the State Senate, and yesterday, the Governor signed the bill, setting the stage for more government overreach that will hit California families.
This bill gives the California Air Resources Board (CARB) the power to mandate that refineries withhold gasoline from distribution to gas stations in California and neighboring states. And what’s worse?
Next month, just three days after the election, CARB is set to vote on changes to the Low Carbon Fuel Standards, which could raise gas prices by up to 65 cents per gallon. This timing is no accident.
Is this really how the government should operate? Unelected bureaucrats hiding behind elected officials to sneak through a gas price increase after an election? This is not governance; this is manipulation. And the overplayed argument that “Big Oil” is somehow gouging California drivers holds no weight when states like Arizona and Nevada – serviced by the same companies – are paying far less.
Californians already pay more than $1.50 per gallon in taxes and fees. Now, the state wants to add another 67 cents, at a time when young people can’t afford homes and families are struggling to make ends meet. Is this what California’s future is supposed to look like? More taxes, higher costs, and more hurdles for the people who live here?
This needs to stop. I urge you to put Californians first, not unelected boards and their hidden agendas. Reach out to your local elected officials, rally against this blatant cash grab, and urge them to stand against this tax increase. Enough is enough.
Jim Desmond
– San Diego County District 5 Supervisor
