California drivers are paying more at the pump while Governor Gavin Newsom points fingers outward; this piece lays out how a quietly raised state gas tax, state policy choices, and budget priorities have combined to keep prices well above the national average.
Governor Gavin Newsom has spent months blaming President Trump, the war in Iran, and oil-company greed for California’s high gas prices, but that narrative ignores policy choices in Sacramento. California’s average sits at $6.01 a gallon versus a national average of $4.29, and much of that gap tracks back to state decisions. Pointing to outsiders makes for a convenient story, but voters notice who runs the state and who signs the budgets.
On Tuesday the Newsom administration quietly released its annual notice that the state’s gas tax will be increasing from its already highest-in-the-nation level of 61.2 cents per gallon. That hike lands on drivers without much public debate, and it arrives while Californians are already paying well above the national price. The timing and the secrecy of the notice only add to the sense of disconnect between Sacramento and working families.
California Assemblywoman Kate Sanchez wrote on X. “Every extra dollar at the gas pump is a dollar that can’t go toward groceries, school clothes, rent, or saving for your family’s future,”
https://x.com/ZavalaA/status/2061615796166820323
“GavinNewsom has the power to halt it through the state budget. The question is, will he?” she wrote. “Working Californians have carried enough of the burden already. They don’t need another tax hike. They need leaders willing to fight for them.”
Calls from both Republicans and Democrats to suspend the state gas tax have been rebuffed by Newsom, who insists the funds are needed for roads and infrastructure. That defense rings hollow when California ranks poorly for road quality, prompting serious questions about the roughly $13.3 billion in annual gas tax revenue. If billions are collected and roads still crumble, taxpayers deserve a straight answer about where the money is going.
By contrast, President Trump announced a push to suspend the federal gas tax, which would save drivers roughly 18 cents per gallon, though Congress would still need to sign off. The move puts the focus squarely on policy choices at the federal level while highlighting the different levers available to leaders. Regardless of partisan spin, suspending a tax that hits working families at the pump is the kind of action voters expect when prices spike.
Administration officials are also publicly optimistic that gas prices will ease as tensions with Iran cool, but those global shifts won’t undo state-level policy choices that keep California costly. Climate mandates and regulatory burdens have pushed up energy costs in ways that other states haven’t experienced. When relief arrives nationally, Californians may still pay a premium because Sacramento has layered on additional costs.
This is a political problem and a policy problem: voters see higher prices and they want accountability from the people in charge. Sacramento politicians can claim blame from abroad, but they cannot hide the fact that state taxes and regulations play a direct role in the pocketbook pain Californians feel. The question for state leaders is whether they’ll stop adding costs and start prioritizing relief.
