Under current law, California depends heavily on revenue from the gas tax to fund roads, highways, and infrastructure, but those revenues are projected to shrink as electric vehicle use grows and overall gasoline consumption drops. The mileage study would look at a \u201croad charge\u201d system where drivers pay based on how many miles they drive, rather than how much gas they buy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The bill does not yet enact a new tax. Instead, it extends the study and advisory work until 2035 and would have the Legislature receive findings and recommendations, with a report due by Jan. 1, 2027.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Republicans in the California Legislature have been vocal in their opposition. Assembly Republican Leader Heath Flora criticized the proposal.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe already pay the highest gas taxes in the nation. Now Sacramento is talking about adding a new tax for every mile people drive,\u201d Flora said. \u201cPiling on another tax right now shows just how out of touch politicians in Sacramento are with the reality working families face.\u201d<\/p>\n
The plan has drawn broader GOP criticism from leaders outside the Legislature as well. California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton called a mileage fee \u201cabsolutely outrageous\u201d and said, if elected, he would veto the tax, adding that tracking and charging drivers for every mile is unacceptable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Supporters say the study is a pragmatic response to long-term funding challenges.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the Assembly Floor on Jan. 29, Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D\u2013Suisun City), the bill\u2019s author, said that California\u2019s transportation funding is \u201cbecoming less stable, less equitable, and less sustainable as more drivers switch to fuel-efficient and zero-emission vehicles.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDrivers using the same roads often pay different amounts for that use,\u201d Wilson continued. \u201cLow income and rural commuters who must drive farther and less efficient vehicles can pay more while others contribute less despite roadway impacts.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Wilson and other supporters contend that a per-mile road charge could ensure that all drivers contribute fairly to the costs of maintaining roads, regardless of the type of vehicle they drive.<\/p>\n
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Sen. Laura Richardson (D\u2011San Pedro) spoke on behalf of the California Legislative Black Caucus at a Jan.\u202f26 news conference condemning the fatal shooting of Minneapolis nurse Alex Pretti and other civilians by federal immigration agents, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection and ICE, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Screenshot)<\/p>\n
Black Caucus Members Join Legislative Democrats to Condemn Fatal Shootings by Federal Agents<\/p>\n
Led by Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D\u2013Salinas) and Senate President Pro Tem Monique Lim\u00f3n (D\u2013Santa Barbara), California Democratic lawmakers, including members of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), held a news conference in Sacramento on Jan. 26 to address recent fatal shootings of civilians by federal immigration agents in Minnesota and California.<\/p>\n
Lawmakers expressed concern and outrage over the killings of Alex Pretti, a Veterans Affairs ICU nurse, and Renee Nicole Good, a poet, writer, and mother of three.<\/p>\n
Sen. Laura Richardson (D\u2013San Pedro) spoke on behalf of the CLBC, criticizing federal immigration enforcement practices and calling for accountability.<\/p>\n
Richardson, who said she was previously married to a police officer, argued that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Border Patrol agents are not \u201cmaking sure lawful activity is occurring.\u201d She invoked the words of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to condemn what she described as public silence in the face of injustice.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are Californians. We are Americans, and we will not be silent. We will be here every time, every day, until this stops,\u201d Richardson said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Assemblymember Mark Gonz\u00e1lez (D\u2013Los Angeles) recalled the names of people who were allegedly shot in January during enforcement operations involving ICE or U.S. Border Patrol agents.<\/p>\n
On New Year\u2019s Eve, Keith Porter Jr., 43, was allegedly shot and killed by an off-duty ICE agent in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles. Authorities said the confrontation occurred outside an apartment complex after the agent alleged Porter fired celebratory gunshots into the air.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cWhat\u2019s been happening there is not isolated. It\u2019s part of a dangerous pattern of federal power turning inward on the people it claims to serve,\u201d Gonz\u00e1lez said.<\/p>\n
Following the news conference, Democratic lawmakers announced a slate of legislative proposals aimed at increasing oversight and limiting the involvement of state law enforcement in federal immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n
During the briefing, Rivas described the fatal incidents as an \u201cassault on the American right to life\u201d and characterized federal agents\u2019 actions as a form of \u201cout-of-control violence.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Jan. 6, Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D\u2013Ladera Heights) introduced Assembly Bill 1537,<\/a> titled \u201cPeace Officers: Secondary Employment.\u201d The bill would prohibit California peace officers from taking secondary employment, contract work, or volunteer roles with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), its contractors, or any entity involved in immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n \u201cRight now, California\u2019s law enforcement officers can take second jobs with ICE,\u201d Bryan, a member of the CLBC, wrote in a Jan. 27 Instagram post. \u201cAB 1537<\/p>\n As California Hits Aging Milestone, State Releases Its Fifth Master Plan for Aging<\/p>\n On Jan. 27, California released its Fifth Master Plan for Aging Annual Report,<\/a>titled \u201cFocusing on What Matters Most,\u201d outlining the state\u2019s progress and priorities as its population rapidly grows older.<\/p>\n The report, issued by the California Health and Human Services Agency (CalHHS), provides updates on the Master Plan for Aging\u2019s \u201cFive Bold Goals\u201d: housing, health, inclusion and equity, caregiving, and affordability.\u00a0<\/p>\n The report comes as Californians aged 60 and older now outnumber those under 18 for the first time, a demographic shift expected to accelerate over the next decade.<\/p>\n \u201cCalifornia\u2019s Master Plan for Aging started a powerful movement that is shaping the future of aging in our state for generations to come,\u201d Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement, calling the initiative a \u201cfuture-forward\u201d model delivering real results for older adults, people with disabilities, and their families.<\/p>\n Launched in 2021, the Master Plan for Aging takes a \u201cwhole-of- government\u201d and \u201cwhole-of-society\u201d approach, coordinating state agencies, local governments, community organizations, and private partners. The annual report highlights significant milestones, including more than 100 California communities joining AARP\u2019s Age-Friendly Network and $4 million in state funding awarded to local organizations to develop aging and disability action plans in 30 communities statewide.<\/p>\n The report also underscores California\u2019s leadership at the national level, noting that dozens of states have followed its example and that federal legislation inspired by the plan was reintroduced in the U.S. Senate in December 2025.<\/p>\n CalHHS Secretary Kim Johnson emphasized the plan\u2019s focus on equity and resilience amid ongoing challenges.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe Master Plan for Aging continues to provide a vision, a focus, and a platform for collaboration,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cEquity is at the center of all that we do.\u201d<\/p>\n Looking ahead, the report notes that by 2030, one in four Californians will be age 60 or older, positioning the Master Plan for Aging as a central framework for meeting the state\u2019s long-term social, economic, and health needs.<\/p>\n