Energy

Some Californians Are Paying $5 For A Gallon Of Gas, Which Could Mean Trouble For 2020 Democrats, Candidate Says

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Daily Caller News Foundation logo
Font Size:
  • Gas prices in California have soared to $5 in some areas, according to the Oil Price Information Service.
  • Republican candidate for California’s 50th Congressional District Carl DeMaio told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the price increase is due to “taxes, mandates and regulations” imposed by Democrats.
  • DeMaio added the burden of expensive fuel will “absolutely” have an impact on the next elections.

The average price of gas per gallon in California has skyrocketed to its highest level in five years, according to the Oil Price Information Service.

The average cost in the state soared to $4.18 while drivers in other areas are paying as much as $5 per gallon, CNN Business reported Tuesday, which could mean bad news for Democratic politicians vying for more regulations and higher taxes, Republican candidate for California’s 50th Congressional District Carl DeMaio told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

CNN Business pointed to refinery outages as the reason for the inflated prices. California has 15 oil refineries while the entire U.S. has a total of 135, according to the California Energy Commission and the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

But DeMaio told the DCNF that California Democrats and their policies taxes are to blame for the rising prices.

“That’s what Democrats like to blame,” DeMaio said. “‘Oh, it’s the industry. It’s the market. We had nothing to do with it.’ Spare me, you arsonist firefighter. You created the problem with your taxes, mandates and regulations. And now you come along saying, ‘It’s not our problem. It’s the private sector’s problem.’ This is how they escape responsibility for the problem.”

DeMaio added California’s increasing regulations and gas prices will “absolutely” have an impact on Democrats in the next elections, adding that Republicans could have saved seats in the state in 2018 had they made these issues the central focuses of their campaigns, but “they’re too ignorant to actually see the opportunity in front of them.”

Mandates and fees imposed by Democrats “add about $1.50 to every gallon of gas,” DeMaio, chairman for Reform California, which campaigns against tax increases, told the DCNF. He added later that California Republicans “have allowed [Democrats] to get off scot-free on this issue.”

Sales tax on gas in California increases as the underlying price of fuel increases. The state’s latest gas tax, which went into effect on July 1 and moved California to the No. 1 position for highest fuel prices in 2019, aims to produce $50 billion for transportation projects over the next 10 years, KCAL 9 reported. DeMaio is trying to repeal the gas tax.

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order in September that will redirect the funds produced from the gas tax from roads and highways to railway systems.

Republican California Assemblyman Jim Patterson called a “theft of funds,” the California Globe reported.

DeMaio emphasized this point, saying the gas tax will keep increasing the cap-and-trade regulations that will, in turn, keep increasing the price of gas, and “none of those funds goes to roads.”

“They all go to their fetish for climate change and transit and bike paths and high-speed rail trains to nowhere,” he told the DCNF.

“This is a big regressive tax,” he added. “It’s a regressive cost of living that affects the working poor the most. Your limousine liberals from the Bay Area don’t worry about it. They have more than enough money to pay for the higher gas prices. They drive around in hundred-thousand-dollar electric cars.”

“It’s working families who are disproportionately hurt by the higher gas prices,” DeMaio continued. (RELATED: Here’s Why Californians Pay Way More For Gasoline Than Everyone Else)

SAN MATEO, CA - JUNE 23: Gasoline prices over $5.00 per gallon are displayed at a Shell station June 23, 2008 in San Mateo, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Gasoline prices over $5.00 per gallon are displayed at a Shell station June 23, 2008 in San Mateo, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

California also produces the majority of its own fuel in accommodation with the state’s strict environmental rules, which include formulas specific to the state that are designed to reduce pollution. The formulas are also designed to change with the seasons to slow down evaporation, according to the California Air Resources Board.

As a result, when California refineries experience problems, the state is slow to replace lost production, the Los Angeles Times reported on April 10, citing Automobile Club of Southern California spokeswoman Marie Montgomery.

“It’s the regulations, the taxes, mandates and fees — all of those things combined — [increase gas prices by] $1 to $1.50 depending upon what point of the year you’re in. And when you take a look at that and say, ‘Oh, the reason why we have all these regulations is [because] it will improve air quality,’ I don’t think based on today’s technology that is anywhere near a credible statement,” DeMaio told the DCNF.

“If you take a look at what Democrats are doing on water policy and choking off the supply of water from places like Central Valley — the worst impact to air quality today is the dust that’s kicked up in Central Valley because we’re not allowing farmers access to water to keep their fields compact, and so nobody seems to be addressing why we have these regulations,” he concluded.

Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.com, said in a Tuesday tweet that he expects the state’s gas prices to fall soon.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

PREMIUM ARTICLE: Subscribe To Keep Reading

Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!

Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!

Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!

Sign Up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
BENEFITS READERS PASS PATRIOTS FOUNDERS
Daily and Breaking Newsletters
Daily Caller Shows
Ad Free Experience
Exclusive Articles
Custom Newsletters
Editor Daily Rundown
Behind The Scenes Coverage
Award Winning Documentaries
Patriot War Room
Patriot Live Chat
Exclusive Events
Gold Membership Card
Tucker Mug

What does Founders Club include?

Tucker Mug and Membership Card
Founders

Readers,

Instead of sucking up to the political and corporate powers that dominate America, The Daily Caller is fighting for you — our readers. We humbly ask you to consider joining us in this fight.

Now that millions of readers are rejecting the increasingly biased and even corrupt corporate media and joining us daily, there are powerful forces lined up to stop us: the old guard of the news media hopes to marginalize us; the big corporate ad agencies want to deprive us of revenue and put us out of business; senators threaten to have our reporters arrested for asking simple questions; the big tech platforms want to limit our ability to communicate with you; and the political party establishments feel threatened by our independence.

We don't complain -- we can't stand complainers -- but we do call it how we see it. We have a fight on our hands, and it's intense. We need your help to smash through the big tech, big media and big government blockade.

We're the insurgent outsiders for a reason: our deep-dive investigations hold the powerful to account. Our original videos undermine their narratives on a daily basis. Even our insistence on having fun infuriates them -- because we won’t bend the knee to political correctness.

One reason we stand apart is because we are not afraid to say we love America. We love her with every fiber of our being, and we think she's worth saving from today’s craziness.

Help us save her.

A second reason we stand out is the sheer number of honest responsible reporters we have helped train. We have trained so many solid reporters that they now hold prominent positions at publications across the political spectrum. Hear a rare reasonable voice at a place like CNN? There’s a good chance they were trained at Daily Caller. Same goes for the numerous Daily Caller alumni dominating the news coverage at outlets such as Fox News, Newsmax, Daily Wire and many others.

Simply put, America needs solid reporters fighting to tell the truth or we will never have honest elections or a fair system. We are working tirelessly to make that happen and we are making a difference.

Since 2010, The Daily Caller has grown immensely. We're in the halls of Congress. We're in the Oval Office. And we're in up to 20 million homes every single month. That's 20 million Americans like you who are impossible to ignore.

We can overcome the forces lined up against all of us. This is an important mission but we can’t do it unless you — the everyday Americans forgotten by the establishment — have our back.

Please consider becoming a Daily Caller Patriot today, and help us keep doing work that holds politicians, corporations and other leaders accountable. Help us thumb our noses at political correctness. Help us train a new generation of news reporters who will actually tell the truth. And help us remind Americans everywhere that there are millions of us who remain clear-eyed about our country's greatness.

In return for membership, Daily Caller Patriots will be able to read The Daily Caller without any of the ads that we have long used to support our mission. We know the ads drive you crazy. They drive us crazy too. But we need revenue to keep the fight going. If you join us, we will cut out the ads for you and put every Lincoln-headed cent we earn into amplifying our voice, training even more solid reporters, and giving you the ad-free experience and lightning fast website you deserve.

Patriots will also be eligible for Patriots Only content, newsletters, chats and live events with our reporters and editors. It's simple: welcome us into your lives, and we'll welcome you into ours.

We can save America together.

Become a Daily Caller Patriot today.

Signature

Neil Patel