Sacramento passed a failed state budget that does not make California more affordable. That is why I voted no. And on July 1, the same Democrat politicians who passed it are allowing another gas tax increase to hit working families at the pump.
At a time when Californians are cutting back, Sacramento is not. Families are stretching paychecks, delaying purchases, driving less if they can, and making hard choices just to keep up. But instead of showing the same discipline, state leaders passed another massive budget that grows government, relies on budget gimmicks, and still asks taxpayers for more.
This budget fails every test that families and small businesses understand: when money is tight, you have to set priorities. Sacramento Democrats are wastefully spending your tax dollars while asking you to pay more for their bad decisions. That is not responsible budgeting, and it is not leadership.
Although I voted no against this reckless budget, the truth is the Assembly has 80 Members, of which 60 are Democrat and 20 are Republican. It takes 41 votes to pass the budget, and 54 to make any law take effect immediately. Democrats have all the power in Sacramento yet repeatedly fail to deliver common sense solutions and relief for you.
California is bringing in billions more in revenue, yet Sacramento still spends more than it takes in, shifts money around, relies on accounting maneuvers, and looks for new ways to raise taxes. Families do not get to budget that way. Small businesses do not get to budget that way. Government should not either.
On July 1, California’s gas tax is scheduled to rise to 63.4 cents per gallon, the highest in the nation. When Sacramento Democrats passed this law in 2017, the gas tax was 27.8 cents per gallon. In less than a decade, it has more than doubled.
This increase is not an accident. It is not an act of nature. It is a political decision.
That is why I have opposed gas tax increases and supported efforts to suspend the gas tax. For the people I represent, gas prices are not an abstract policy issue. They are part of daily life.
Our region is home to working-class families, long-distance commuters, parents driving children to school, seniors on fixed incomes, and small business owners who depend on vehicles. Many people in my community cannot simply stop driving. They drive because they have jobs to get to, families to support, and responsibilities that cannot wait.
When Sacramento politicians raise the cost of gas, it is not just raising the price of a gallon. It is raising the cost of getting to work, dropping kids off at school, running a small business, and visiting family.
The governor and legislative leaders knew this increase was coming. They spent weeks negotiating billions in spending priorities and budget deals. Sacramento found money for their personal priorities. But they did not find relief for commuters, seniors, small businesses, and working families who are about to pay more every time they fill up.
And the gas tax is only one piece of the problem.
California drivers already pay more because of state-imposed costs, including fuel taxes, cap-and-trade costs, low carbon fuel standard costs, sales taxes, storage fees, and policies that have made energy more expensive. Sacramento may defend each policy one at a time, but families pay for all of them together at the gas station.
Sacramento talks about affordability, but its actions keep making California more expensive.
Every day, I hear from constituents who are doing everything right and still falling behind. They are working hard. They are budgeting carefully. They are cutting back on extras. They are trying to provide for their families.
They deserve a government that is on their side.
Lowering the cost of living should matter to everyone. A family struggling to afford gas does not care whether the policy came from a Republican or a Democrat. They just know they are paying more.
But right now, one-party rule in Sacramento is making choices that directly hurt working families. Democrat politicians passed a budget that failed to deliver real affordability relief, and now they are allowing another gas tax increase to take effect on July 1.
Californians do not need another speech about how expensive life has become. They already know. They feel it at the grocery store, in utility bills, insurance premiums, rent or mortgage payments, and every time they fill up their tank.
What they need is relief.
I will not stop fighting to lower your cost of living, oppose higher taxes, demand accountability for wasteful spending, and push for a state government that remembers who it is supposed to serve.
California families are cutting back. It is time for Sacramento to do the same.
Leticia Castillo represents the 58th Assembly District including the Cities Riverside, Jurupa Valley, Corona, Eastvale, and Grand Terrace.