AAA California gas prices. (Photo: gasprices.aaa.com)
California Gas Prices As High as $5.95 per Gallon – Again
Since Gov. Newsom has a real problem with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, let’s compare California’s gas prices against Florida’s
By Katy Grimes, March 27, 2024 2:29 pm
California’s gas prices just topped $5.00 per gallon again, and hits as high as $5.95 in some counties. I was just in Virginia and enjoyed paying $3.20 per gallon – at the airport – which made coming back to California and filling up was painful.
Governor Gavin Newsom continues to blame oil company “excess profits” and “windfall oil profits” for the high costs of gas and diesel in California, as well as blaming the petroleum industry for imposing a “mystery surcharge” on the state. The real culprits are California’s Democrat politicians and governor for the state’s highest in the nation gas taxes and nearly all other taxes, as well as environmental costs and really bad policy.
The real breakdown of California’s fees and taxes is in the graphic above – all imposed by state government.
Since Gov. Newsom has a real problem with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and so many former Californians now reside in Florida, let’s compare California’s gas prices against Florida’s:
California’s average gas price per gallon is $5.012.
Florida’s average gas price per gallon is $3.535.
Ouch.
In California, it costs on average $102.40 to put 20 gallons of gas in your car.
In Florida, it costs $70 to put the same 20 gallons in your car – a difference of $32.40! And that extra $32.40 adds up quickly.
California’s average gas price is not only the highest in the nation, it is even higher than Hawaii’s gas price per gallon:
In October 2022, Sen. Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) boiled down the actual problem of California’s highest-in-the-nation gas prices and gas taxes in a letter to the governor. The highlights are:
- California’s isolated markets
- an inability to access additional fuel that meets California’s stringent standards
- the most hostile regulatory requirements
- the most aggressive environmental policies
- the extraordinary expense of cap and trade
- the highest tax per gallon of gasoline
- impossible standards that are not found in any other state in the nation
- limited supply
“There is really no need for additional explanation of why California has the highest and most volatile, gas prices in the nation,” Sen. Grove said. “Simply put, your [Governor] policies have created this problem and have caused the pain at the pump that is hurting every single California family. In fact, federal judges have continued to throw out cases alleging price conspiracies by the fuel industry finding no basis for the allegations that you continue to levy.”
Remember these gas prices from June 2022?
In 1982, California had 43 operational oil refineries and a population of nearly 25 million; today we have 11 operational oil refineries and a population of nearly 40 million. And these 40 million residents are driving more cars, living in more houses and apartments, working in more commercial buildings, shopping in more stores, and traveling more across the state – all of which takes more traditional energy.
California’s high gas prices are government created and imposed, and Gov. Newsom is responsible. Maybe if he occasionally paid the bill for a tank of gas in one of the black SUVs he is chauffeured around in, he’d be as angry as the rest of us.
But Newsom has had help from President Biden.
Weekly figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration show the price was as low as $1.87 in April 2020, when President Donald Trump was still in office.
And here in 2024 with President Joe Biden it’s $3.83 per gallon:
This is clear evidence that who is in the White House, as well as in any state’s Capitol matters.
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To beat the California Big Oil gasoline price rip-off, buy an EV.
Earl, it ain’t “Big Oil” doing the price rip-off, it’s BIG GOVERNMENT and pukes like Governor Climate Change. And most people don’t want an EV.
In 2023, ExxonMobil made $58 billion. Big Oil gets the excessive profits and not the government.
Good for Exxon, that’s what capitalism is about. Whether it’s oil, beer, bread, or whatever consumers buy. And the government gets a good paycheck through taxes on “Big Oil”, especially here in Kommiefornia.
Katy Grimes pointed out in the graphic above that California’s fees and taxes add an additional $1.30 or more to a gallon of gas sold in California. With California’s roads and highways being among the worst in the country, where are all those fees and taxes going? No doubt Newsom and the criminal Democrat mafia that controls the legislature are improperly using those funds for other purposes (like healthcare for illegals, abortions, trans surgeries, etc.)?
And NEWscum lost $73 billion with the snap of his hairdo while ExxonMobil earned that $58 billion by providing a product we all need. The difference between stupid communists stealing and hard working capitalists providing!
EVs are no solution when Californians pay the highest electricity rates in the country thanks to the insane leftist policies imposed by Newsom and Democrats in the legislature. Katy Grimes reported recently that Californians pay 140% more for electricity than in other states.
(https://californiaglobe.com/articles/californians-paying-140-more-for-electricity-than-other-states/)
EVs can be recharged from solar panels.
When the sun is out.
Solar panels can collect the sun’s energy through the clouds.
A 220 W solar panel connected to a portable 100-watt-hour generator will take 8 hours of charging to get you about 8 miles worth of driving. You might be better off walking or calling an Uber!
Exactly T.J.
Oh Earl,
I have solar and I can testify they collect very LITTLE energy on cloudy days.
Nice try though.
Let’s not discount how expensive it is to lease or own solar panels on a home with or without government subsidies!
EVs are no solution when Californians pay the highest electricity rates in the country thanks to Newsom and Democrats in the legislature. Katy Grimes reported recently that Californians pay 140% more for electricity than in other states.
(https://californiaglobe.com/articles/californians-paying-140-more-for-electricity-than-other-states/)
Buy an EV? A report from Consumer Reports last year found that electric vehicles have almost 80% more problems and are “generally less reliable” than conventional internal combustion engine cars.
Buy an EV? A report from Consumer Reports last year found that electric vehicles have almost 80% more problems and are “generally less reliable” than conventional internal combustion engine cars.
Yup, big gasoline rip off. I worked for a gasoline storage and distribution business in California for 47 years and if we averaged $0.02 per gallon profit for handling large quantities of gasoline over an entire year, we were doing great.
I am not sure if Earl is being sarcastic in his reply, but that is the exact solution Gov Gav et. al. would like you to come up with.
It is a head fake. Buy the failing E.V. which contrary to belief is not the eco friendly car choice.
It takes much energy to extrude rare minerals and ravages the land, leaving the area looking like Mars. So yeah, if you are a gullible, non-thinker buy the EV. Then they can control when and where you charge up!
P.S. other than unreliable solar and wind derived electricity, how is it derived? Most likely coal.
How is that EV doing in cold winter areas?
#drillbabydrill
Wow, such great comments from everyone posted this evening to counter the “Big Oil” and “EVs Solve All Problems” lies that we are all SO TIRED of.
Truth to Power@Show!
A little extra research is all one needs to find the truth😉
Many neighbors that were excited to own an EV end up ditching them after a few years, for many reasons, one being they realize they do not get the estimated mileage as promised, second the Tesla dude in his van makes many visits to their house to address a charging issues.
Then there are the costly battery replacements.
But White House press secretary KJP just said the other day that President Biden is working hard every day to bring prices down! And Gov. Newsom said Joe Biden is conducting a “master class” in governing our nation!
This election season Democrats are in trouble as inflation, gas prices and food are spiraling higher, the Fed won’t put on the brakes, but has announced it will lower interest rates, and they have already drained the strategic oil reserve for the 2022 election cycle.
That leaves lying to us that capitalism is to blame.
To his credit, Earl at least reads dissenting media.
But there is a smug tone, coming from his ivory tower.
If ev’s are so great, why are they subsidized.
Why is government in the business of distorting the energy market to make solar/wind energy more palatable, by making fossil fuel more expensive by artificial means.
Let the market decide, let the people decide.
If solar/wind is so great, it would be able to stand on it’s own merits.
I remember reading about an ev that ran out of charge, and the owner looking for a bucket of electricity.
I think Mr. Richards is a central planing type.
Center left.
Clearly someone didn’t look at chart at the very top of this article which clearly shows that the wholesale price of gas is relatively low (you know, the part that generates the “Big Oil Profits” while about half of the cost of gas in this state is due to taxes and regulatory burden (which are also a form of taxes). I get in this argument all the time with the “Oil Companies are ripping off us” crowd. They say “why can’t they sell gas in California for the same price as they do in Texas” which just shows how completely ignorant of how this all works. And as for EVs…well, that Earl fella has one thing right. The whole point of this is to try and force us to buy EVs…at the same time that electricity prices are skyrocketing, and they are telling us we don’t have enough to charge all of those EVs they want to force us to buy.
In addition to high gas prices, cities are also painting or barricading off perfectly good lanes of road in the name of “complete streets”. They hate cars and want driving to be as miserable an experience as possible.
Exactly, Aviva!
I avoid those streets when I am able.