Posted on 12/21/2025 5:41:51 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
The Democrat crusade to divert blame for the stagflation crisis triggered during the Biden Administration led them down a path of economic lies. The central theme of their narrative was that corporations were “price gouging” consumers and inflation was actually a product of “corporate greed.” In reality, helicopter money and dollar devaluation during the pandemic triggered a massive consumer demand rush as well as shortages in a variety of goods and raw materials.
The profit margins in many of these industries were paper thin as their manufacturing and labor costs skyrocketed, yet Democrats tried to scapegoat them anyway. The word “accountability” is not in the leftist vocabulary.
We are only now starting to witness the aftermath of the legislation and policies put in place by blue states as a means to control prices. California under Governor Gavin Newsom may have staged its own economic demise (the final nail in the coffin) after laws were passed requiring even greater state interference into oil refineries and gas stations.
Gavin Newsom ‘s major refinery law, ABX2-1 (signed Oct 2024), gives the state power to mandate minimum fuel storage levels and control refinery maintenance to prevent price spikes, empowering the California Energy Commission (CEC) to stabilize supply. This builds on earlier efforts (like SB X1-2) creating an oil market watchdog (DPMO) to increase oversight, aiming to stop refiners from manipulating supply for profit, while also adding data reporting requirements for companies.
In response, companies are shutting down refinery operations in the state.
Lawmakers in California at both the state and federal levels are warning that refinery closures could push prices higher while leaving the state more dependent on foreign oil. At the center of the warning is the planned shutdown of two major refineries: Valero’s Benicia facility and Phillips 66’s Los Angeles plant. Together, the closures would eliminate nearly 20% of California’s in-state refining capacity.
Experts suggest prices could go as high as $10-$12 per gallon as a result of the supply squeeze, spreading outside of CA to Arizona and Nevada. Republican lawmakers say that the loss of in-state production threatens not only consumer prices at the pump but also the state’s military readiness; a matter of national security.
The refineries make jet fuel and diesel and gasoline for military bases across California. California is home to more than 30 military bases, many of which rely on fuel refined in-state. Gavin Newsom has mostly dismissed concerns as exaggeration, asserting that foreign shipments of fuel will fill the supply gap. He argued in a recent statement:
“The claim that California policies pose a national security risk isn’t grounded in fact. The state has proactively engaged defense fuel customers throughout this energy transition, and no credible concerns have been raised about future fuel supply for the military. California is leading this transition responsibly while ensuring families have access to a safe, reliable, and affordable supply of transportation fuels…”
California law, primarily through Senate Bill 445, also mandates that all single-walled Underground Storage Tanks (USTs) and piping must be permanently closed or replaced with compliant double-walled systems by December 31st, 2025. The claims is that this will prevent leaks and environmental contamination, with significant fines for non-compliance.
The state created a program called “RUST” to supposedly help small businesses meet the deadline by providing subsidies to pay for new tanks. However, many mom-and-pop gas stations are reporting that they never received any aid from the RUST program, even though they applied far in advance. Hundreds of small business CA gas stations are set to shut down in 2026. A large number of them are rural and operate as the only gas stations for long stretches of highway.
In October, the newly created Division of Petroleum Market Oversight released its first annual report meant to discover why CA gas prices are so high. The report merely confirmed what was already known – CA prices are much higher than other states because of the differential in taxes and regulatory costs. No concrete evidence of price gouging on the part of energy companies was found.
Blue states like CA have been increasingly subjecting their citizens to an experiment in artificial energy scarcity; reducing access to “fossil fuels” while raising taxes to force consumers into the electric car market. All of this is being down in the name of stopping “man-made global warming”, a problem which does not exist. Newsom claims that he is trying to help CA citizens by lowering gas prices, but all of his actions are leading to a price explosion.
This is the key right here.
They aren't hanging any political leaders from the highway overpasses just yet.
Newsom might just be able to survive gasoline cost at $10 per gallon in California if he can somehow blame it all on President Trump.
There is a large supply of people who are exactly that stupid. Does that supply run out faster than the supply of gasoline? We will find out.
We don’t call him “Newscum” for nothing.
In socialist minds, the law of supply and demand does not exist. In their minds, sellers are always driven by greed and buyers are victims. With that mindset, they don't even have the ability to see what is going wrong with the gas supply. If anything, they'll double down on punishing refineries for their "greed" when prices climb sky high.
When do they outlaw gas powered vehicles?
Gasbag Newsome wants everyone in a horse and buggy minus the horse.
For those who know the petroleum industry financial side, where is state gas tax originated? Obviously the consumer, but from the retail outlet to the state, or the refinery to the state, or the owner of the station chain- BP or Exxon or Valero?
The one-state, uniparty woke government in California needs to collapse.
They collect the gas tax from the retailer who includes it in the price of the gas. Sales tax is also included in the price of the gas. You don’t see separate line items on a receipt. It makes it possible to pump the gas yourself and also does not allow someone to evade the sales tax by not having enough money to pay it after you have spent all you have on gas. I remember the days of digging into the couch cushions and clothes in the laundry basket to find enough money to get a couple of gallons of gas. If you only had 3 bucks and spent it on gas that didn’t include sales tax you wouldn’t be able to return the gas to the pump.
Gas runs from $7 to $10 per gallon right now in various European countries. It has been that way for a while. It is amazing what people are willing to tolerate.
We ain’t Europe. They have small cars, small trucks, and fewer distance between cities and countries. Also very little crude oil-meaning dependence on MidEast and Russian oil. We have long distances between cities and have to move goods long distances.
This what the DemonKKKrats do for “affordability.”
“They’ll butcher him and hang the parts from a tree.”
If only ... I would pay good money for that screen-saver.
I’m waiting to see if CA makes it illegal for the rest of the petroleum companies with refineries there to move away.
F’ California and let them suffer. They continually vote idiots into office so they deserve exactly what they get.
It should be obvious by now that in California, "Voters decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything".
I saw $1.99 gas in Texas last week.
Grok:
“ As of late December 2025, the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is significantly higher in California than in Texas.
• California: Around $4.33 per gallon (reported in mid-to-late December sources, including AAA data cited in holiday fuel reports).
• Texas: Around $2.51–$2.53 per gallon (consistently listed among the lowest states in recent AAA averages).
This creates a difference of roughly $1.80–$1.82 per gallon, with California typically having the highest or second-highest prices in the U.S. due to factors like higher state taxes, stricter environmental regulations requiring special fuel blends, and supply constraints. Texas benefits from proximity to refining hubs and lower taxes, keeping prices among the nation’s lowest.”
IT GETS BETTER:
ERIC SWALWELL WANTS TO BE NEXT CALIF GOVERNOR
NOW==DUMB
NEXT==+DUMBER
The Democrat brand is very strong in Kalifornistan. They don’t need to cheat. CA successfully replaced their American population with third world illegal aliens who were then AMNESTIED by Reagan - probably the dumbest thing he did as president - to vote Democrat forever.
I believe you have a valid point there.
The Democrats have run out of Republicans to cheat, so they cheat each other.
California is a third-world country now, filled with an expanding third-world population. There is no acceptable fix for that.
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