For residents and business owners, the combination of local pricing, weekly routines and global events has made fuel costs an inescapable part of life in East San Jose.<\/p>\n
Residents such as Javier Benavides have seen prices spike from day to day. Benavides, who has lived in East San Jose since 1978, fills multiple vehicles each week, including a Chevy truck and Toyota Tundra. Retired but active in the community, he said he drives to stay busy and exercise.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne day it was $4.02, and the next day $4.25,\u201d Benavides told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cWhen gas goes down, it drops very slowly. They just make a killing off the people.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Gas prices for regular unleaded fuel in East San Jose range from as low as $4.09 per gallon up to $5.17 depending on the location. Photo by Maryanne Casas-Perez.<\/p>\n
Construction worker Will Muheller, 27, said he drives between Fremont and Salinas for work and is spending $150 weekly on his 30-gallon truck, up from $125 previously. Besides the war with Iran, he said gas prices might increasing because of tensions with China and Russia too.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s mainly like China and Russia getting imports from like oil and stuff, so I don\u2019t necessarily know,\u201d Muheller told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He also mentioned potential policies, like a new California mileage tax, which could raise costs further.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m hoping that gas prices (are) going to drop down, but I know that (Gov. Gavin) Newsom was talking about some kind of tax for mileage,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
California lawmakers have advanced a bill to study whether the state should eventually replace its current gas tax<\/a> with a \u201croad usage charge\u201d that would base fees on how many miles a driver travels rather than how much fuel they buy. The current proposal does not impose a new per\u2011mile tax. It has sparked debate among lawmakers and motorists about how to fund road repairs as traditional gas tax revenue declines due to the high number of electric vehicles<\/a> on the road.\u00a0<\/p>\n Small business owners are also feeling the increase. Lola Gonzalez, 45, co-owns Los Barriles Ice Cream and spends about $100 weekly to fill her truck.<\/p>\n \u201cThe prices have gone up, but sometimes they go down,\u201d Gonzalez told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cBut they go up more than they go down.\u201d<\/p>\n One East San Jose gas station owner, who asked not to be named, said wholesale fuel costs have steadily increased.<\/p>\n Oil markets have reacted to the escalating conflict involving Iran, pushing crude prices higher. Concerns over the Strait of Hormuz, which carries roughly 20% of the world\u2019s oil supply, have created uncertainty about production and shipping. When crude prices rise, U.S. gasoline prices<\/a> often follow.<\/p>\n Oil prices surged to more than $80 per barrel Thurday<\/a>, the highest level since May 2020 in more than a year. The national average of fuel jumped more than 10 cents to about $3.11 per gallon, according to AAA<\/a>. Continued instability could cause further increases if supply is disrupted.<\/p>\n
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