Drivers across California are once again feeling pain at the pump, with the statewide average for gas climbing to $4.62 per gallon, well above the national average, according to AAA.
Just weeks ago, prices hovered around $4.18.
“I think it’s a dollar more than it should be,” one driver said.
Ragsdale Madison, of Burbank, said the state is “doing a fabulous job of pricing out poor people from personal ownership of transportation.”
Republican lawmakers say they want to offer immediate relief by temporarily suspending California’s gas tax.
“While families are tightening their belts, Sacramento continues to ask them for more,” said Assemblyman Jeff Gonzalez, R-Indio.
Gonzalez is backing AB 1745, which would pause the tax for one year and require that the savings be passed on to drivers.
“This bill will pause the state gas tax immediately,” he said.
Some drivers support the idea.
“We should suspend it, period. Let the federal government step in and get the prices down. Newsom said he was gonna get the prices down. He didn’t do it,” said Jack Broudy of North Hollywood.
Industry analysts point to a combination of refinery outages and longterm closures that have reduced California’s in-state fuel production. The state has lost multiple refining facilities in recent years, and a Valero refinery in Northern California is expected to shut down in the coming weeks.
For drivers, the impact is immediate – and costly.
“I’ve been dealing with it for 46 years,” Mike Ruiz, of Burbank, said with a shrug.
Assemblywoman Leticia Castillo, R-Corona, said proposals like the gas tax suspension often stall before the public can weigh in.
“Too often, solutions like this get blocked before… before you even have a chance to get informed and make your voices heard,” she said.
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