Gas prices continue to skyrocket in California with no end in sight and inflation isn’t an excuse oil companies can use anymore, as their reasons for high gas prices begin to mount.
In August the average gas price in California was about $5.13 but in about a month the average gas price in California has risen to a staggering $6.07.
After COVID the supply and demand for a lot of resources were not able to meet the demand which in turn caused inflation to ensue and increased the price of many resources and utilities, including gas.
Since then, inflation has dropped from 9% in 2022 to a whopping 3% now in 2023, but somehow gas prices are more expensive now than they were when inflation was at its peak.
The reason for high prices at the pump comes with a multitude of reasons, inflation, decreased demand for gas, the increased price in barrels of gas and the transition from their summer to winter blend are all reasons they’re giving to the high prices.
Oil companies can’t blame inflation anymore for the outrageous prices at the pump with the inflation rate being at its lowest rate since 2021, this is price gouging at its finest.
To make matters worse, Californians are paying 58¢ extra at the pump as a result of a 2017 gas tax that went into law in 2018 and over the years has gradually been increasing.
When the bill was passed in 2017 the tax was meant to be an extra 12¢ at the pump to pay for California infrastructure, since then the tax has risen 46¢ in five years and continues to rise.
Many families in California are already living paycheck to paycheck with the extreme increase in the price of almost everything, it’s becoming insurmountable for them to live especially with oil companies gouging them at the pump.
Recently California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta have filed a lawsuit against “Big Oil” for deceiving, covering up, and damaging California taxpayers for more than 50 years.
While this is a valiant effort by Newsom and Bonta to keep the oil companies accountable, what it won’t do is bring relief to the pockets of California taxpayers at the pump.
It feels like many Californians are being left to fend for themselves and it’s time we take matters into our own hands.
The people need to band together and get a member of the state legislature to submit a petition to get SB1 also known as the California Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 on the ballot for the people to vote on whether to repeal the 50¢ gas hike or not.
If all options are expended, it may be time for people to make the switch from a fossil fuel-powered vehicle to an electric-powered vehicle as gas-powered cars will be outlawed in 2035.
Electric vehicles are substantially cheaper when it comes to recharging but the initial price of the vehicle will hurt the wallet.
Nothing comes easy and cheap for Californians, something many of us have become accustomed to.
It’s unfortunate that many Californians have to roll with the punches and can’t do anything about the prices they have to pay at the pump but hopefully, shortly there’s some sort of relief at the pump.
