{"id":367174,"date":"2026-06-19T14:01:35","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T14:01:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/367174\/"},"modified":"2026-06-19T14:01:35","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T14:01:35","slug":"bleak-future-for-californias-struggling-drivers-revealed-despite-relief-for-rest-of-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/367174\/","title":{"rendered":"Bleak future for California\u2019s struggling drivers revealed \u2014 despite relief for rest of America"},"content":{"rendered":"

President Donald Trump\u2019s war with Iran may be winding down \u2014 but California drivers are still getting hammered at the pump.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s historic US-Iran \u201cmemorandum of understanding,\u201d aimed at ending the conflict between the longtime foes<\/a>, has already helped drive gas prices lower across much of America.<\/p>\n

But in the Golden State, relief remains nowhere in sight.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Post visited both stations to see the price difference on either side of the Colorado River Andy Johnstone for CA Post<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A woman in a John Deere shirt pumps gas into a car at the Arco Gas station in Mohave Valley, Arizona. Andy Johnstone for CA Post<\/p>\n

\"California<\/p>\n

California drivers are still getting hammered at the pump. Andy Johnstone for CA Post<\/p>\n

At a Mobil station in Needles, California, on the Arizona border Thursday, a gallon of regular gas still cost a staggering $6.79.<\/p>\n

Just minutes away across the state line, drivers at an Arco station in Arizona were paying only $4.15 a gallon \u2014 a jaw-dropping $2.64 less for the exact same fuel.<\/p>\n

The national average sits at $3.90 per gallon.<\/p>\n

The Post visited both stations in April and found a similar story: drivers at the Arco in Mohave Valley were paying just $4.09 a gallon, while motorists at the Mobil station a five-minute drive across the Colorado River were shelling out $6.99.<\/p>\n

Separated by just 1.8 miles, the two stations underscore the enormous gap between California\u2019s fuel policies and those of its neighbor.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A bridge connecting the Arizona side (right) and the California side (left), where gas prices differ significantly. Andy Johnstone for CA Post<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A store clerk named Cody stands behind a counter in a convenience store. Andy Johnstone for CA Post<\/p>\n

To fill up their tanks, Californians face the highest state gas tax in the nation at 61 cents per gallon, compared with just 18 cents in Arizona.<\/p>\n

Drivers are also hit with an additional 34 to 44 cents per gallon in emissions fees and climate-related programs that push fuel costs even higher.<\/p>\n

\u201cCali\u00adfor\u00adnia drivers are being over\u00adtaxed and over\u00adreg\u00adu\u00adlated at the pump \u2014 plain and simple,\u2019\u2019 Rep. Vince Fong (R-Cent\u00adral Val\u00adley) previously told The Post.<\/p>\n

\u201cCali\u00adfor\u00adni\u00adans can drive just a few miles across the bor\u00adder into Ari\u00adzona and see gas that\u2019s nearly three dol\u00adlars cheaper. That\u2019s not a coin\u00adcid\u00adence \u2014 that\u2019s a policy failure,\u201d Fong said.<\/p>\n

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/p>\n

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\u201cSac\u00adra\u00admento has cre\u00adated a man-made energy crisis through excessive taxes, man\u00addates, and reg\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtions that are driv\u00ading up costs and shut\u00adting down needed refiner\u00adies and pipelines,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe res\u00adults of Gavin New\u00adsom\u2019s energy policies are pre\u00addict\u00adable: higher prices for work\u00ading fam\u00adil\u00adies.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the Needles Mobil station, manager Cody Eggleston, 28, previously told The Post that business dried up after California\u2019s green-energy taxes began driving customers away.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe used to get a lot of traffic, anybody coming out of California, every single person would stop here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Now, even locals who work in Needles \u2014 known as the \u201cGateway to California\u201d \u2014 cross into Arizona to fill up.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A woman fueling her car at an Arco gas station in Mohave Valley, Arizona. Andy Johnstone for CA Post<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The staggering difference in gas prices between California and Arizona are highlighted at pumps either side of the Colorado River. Andy Johnstone for CA Post<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A sign detailing motor vehicle fuel taxes in cents per gallon for gasoline and diesel. Andy Johnstone for CA Post<\/p>\n

\u201cThe people [who work in Needles] all live in Arizona and we all get our fuel in Arizona,\u201d explained Cody.<\/p>\n

Gas prices surged after the Iran conflict erupted on Feb. 28.<\/p>\n

But prices have fallen sharply since Trump signed the widely praised agreement between the US and Iran on Wednesday<\/a> at a gathering in Versailles, France, alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other world leaders.<\/p>\n

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and the prime minister of Pakistan also signed the document.<\/p>\n

\"Cody,<\/p>\n

Cody, a Mobil gas station attendant in Needles, CA, stands next to a gas pump and a price sign showing gas at $6.99 per gallon. Andy Johnstone for CA Post<\/p>\n

The deal cleared the way for oil tankers to safely transit the Strait of Hormuz, allowing tens of millions of barrels of previously stranded Gulf oil to reach global markets.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, the American Automobile Association reported that California\u2019s average gas price had dropped to $5.64 per gallon, down from $5.80 a week earlier and $6.15 a month ago.<\/p>\n