High gas-price culprit? Gavin Newsom and Sacramento

A tale of two gas stations drives home a point: It’s Sacramento policy –– and not the Iran war –– that make fuel costs so onerous in California. 

Consider the difference a mile makes:

On a visit this week to Needles, Calif., The California Post found gas priced at $6.99 a gallon.

Just 1.8 miles away in Arizona, a gallon of gas was priced at $4.09.

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, gas prices hit highs not seen since 2023.

The staggering cost of gas –– including the nearly $3-a-gallon difference between California and its neighbor –– flows directly from policy choices made not in DC or abroad, but right here at home in Sacramento.

These are policies set by our state’s green-obsessed governor and legislators, along with state regulators who do their bidding. 

Their decisions include: slapping steep taxes and fees on gasoline; mandating costly state-specific gasoline blends; and actively depleting the state’s domestic oil supply, causing inevitable price spikes.

These are specific and tangible costs imposed by California government –– but not by Arizona government.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democrats try to cover their own fingerprints by blaming President Trump, the Iran war, and Big Oil “price gouging” for Californians’ pain at the pump.

But how would any of those factors account for an almost $3 per gallon price bump in California, compared with next-door Arizona?

The real culprit is right at home: It’s overtaxation and costly climate zeal from California’s left-wing elected representatives, including Newsom and the state’s legislative supermajority.

Consider the bevy of taxes and “green” fees that California pumps into gas prices: These include a state gas excise tax, storage-tank fees, “cap-and-invest” climate-program costs, low-carbon fuel costs, and sales taxes.

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At the same time, the state for years has soaked oil refineries with costs and regulations, leading many to scale back or shutter their operations here. This cuts supply and system reliability, thus inflating gas prices.

The governor and legislators do this not because it helps Californians (quite the opposite), but out of their ideological hostility to fossil fuels.

Meanwhile, here’s the kicker in the saga of two gas stations: Arizona gets an estimated one-third to 40% of its oil from refineries in California.

That’s right: same oil, different state markup. 

Indeed, some of the Golden State’s remaining refineries manufacture two blends of gas during portions of the year: One, simpler and cheaper, for Arizona and other neighboring states. And one pricey “boutique” blend for California, meant to burn more cleanly.

So to summarize, when Californians see gas prices here surge, they can blame their own elected officials in Sacramento. 

And, starting now, they can vote for candidates who advance saner energy policy going forward.