Senate Democrats Reject Measure to Lower the Price of California Gas by $1 a Gallon

While Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has suspended taxes on diesel and gasoline to provide relief from high inflation, California Democrats refused to support an amendment to suspend the state’s gas taxes and fees for one year, which would lower gas prices by $1 per gallon.

Tuesday, Senator Janet Nguyen proposed an amendment to AB 1628, the same day residents of Georgia had their gas prices lowered with a gas tax suspension.

“Drivers in California are now paying $1.63 more per gallon than the national average,” said Senator Janet Nguyen. “We brought forward legislation that would provide much-needed relief to drivers who are struggling with the high cost of living in California. It’s disappointing that Senate Democrats play political games and won’t even debate a legitimate measure on the Senate floor. What are they afraid of?”

Gov. Kemp addressed the negative economic conditions affecting Georgians “as a result of policies coming out of Washington.”

“From runaway federal spending to policies that hamstring domestic energy production, all Bidenomics has done is take more money out of the pockets of the middle class,” Mr. Kemp said in a statement.

Gov. Newsom Brags that Rest of Country Wants His Gas Tax Scheme

In March, The California Assembly jammed SBX1-2, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Gas Tax, through an expedited hearing, pretending that was enough exposure to the public, and debated the bill and voted on it.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Gas Tax, as it is being called in some circles, created a new panel of unelected bureaucrats with subpoena power, to investigate oil and gas companies, impose penalties, new costs and regulations, which would inevitably lead to gas shortages, rationing and price spikes. The bill created a new government agency to arbitrarily decide how much profit oil and gas businesses are allowed to make, disrupting California’s energy market and threatening the reliability of the state’s fuel supply, according to Assembly Republicans.

The governor’s scheme is to “create a new independent watchdog within the California Energy Commission charged with monitoring California’s petroleum market on a daily basis to ensure market participants play by the rules.”

Like something out of Venezuela, where the oil and gas industry were nationalized, the amended bill actually states:

This bill would authorize the commission to establish a maximum gross gasoline refining margin at an unspecified amount per gallon and would authorize the commission to annually adjust the maximum gross gasoline refining margin, as provided.

The bill would require the commission, if the commission establishes the maximum gross gasoline refining margin, to establish a penalty for exceeding the maximum gross gasoline refining margin, as provided. The bill would authorize the commission to petition the court to enjoin a refiner from exceeding the maximum gross gasoline refining margin. The bill would also authorize the commission to assess impose an administrative civil penalty on a refiner for exceeding the maximum gross gasoline refining margin.

“We’re making major progress with the Legislature to hold Big Oil accountable for fleecing Californians at the pump,” Gov. Newsom said. Only, it is the governor fleecing Californians at the pump, going back to 2017 when then-Gov. Jerry Brown, supported by then-Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, signed Senate Bill 1, which substantially increased vehicle registration fees as well as taxes on diesel and gas. SB1 also increases taxes on gas and diesel annually based on inflation every July 1st, and it has been increasing annually since that date.

Is that “Big Oil” or California Democrat politicians fleecing Californians at the pump?

Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher asked Assembly colleagues why they would allow Gov. Gavin Newsom to drive state policy with his bill, which was only in print one week. While the Extraordinary Legislative Session was called back in December 2022, ostensibly to address the “windfall profits” of the oil and gas industry in California, according to Gov. Newsom, there has been plenty of time to openly debate how to address the governor’s concerns, as well as hear from the oil and gas industry.

What exactly are “excess profits” or “windfall profits?” There really isn’t such a thing – except in Socialism/Marxism/Communism.

As the Globe reported, Gov. Newsom’s ‘Stronger Proposal to Hold Big Oil Accountable’ is full of organic matter.

And now Democrats kill a little bit of tax relief in the face of record inflation, with high grocery prices, record high utility bills, housing prices and high rent that force families to move elsewhere.

“Our fight is far from over,” Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (R-San Diego) said. “Californians are paying the highest gasprices in the country while Democrat lawmakers refuse commonsense solutions to bring relief. Suspending the gas tax is not a partisan solution—in fact, it’s been endorsed by President Biden. Every day, California Republicans are working to cut costs whether it’s suspending the gas tax or fighting the never-ending tax increases proposed by the majority party. While my Democrat colleagues hide behind procedural moves and reject solutions to save Californians money at the pump, I’ll continue to stand vocally in opposition to their bad measures that increase everyday costs.”