California gas prices set to rise again, but Gavin Newsom says voters made the call ‘back in 2018’
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) has defended the California gas tax as the national average fuel cost in the U.S. continues to remain above $4/gallon amid the Iran war.
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Newsom Defends California Gas Tax
In a post on the social media platform X on Tuesday, Newsom’s official Press Office handle quoted a post by the tabloid New York Post, which claimed that California had hiked gas prices again.
“Totally FALSE story,” the Press Office said, adding that the state’s gas tax increases “automatically” every year to “adjust for inflation.” The post also said that the decision was voted on by California’s voters before Newsom took office. “California voters said so back in 2018,” the post said.
“If you are going to cover the golden state, at least learn the laws first…or reach out ahead of time,” the post said. The New York Post report had cited a notice from the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration that outlined excise tax on gas would increase to $0.634/gallon from July 1st, 2026.
Notably, California charges an excise tax of $0.60/gallon of gas, as well as a state sales tax of $0.10/gallon, according to data shared by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The U.S. also levies a federal tax of $0.18/gallon that is uniform across the 50 states.
Meanwhile, data from the American Automobile Association (AAA) showed that the national average price of gas fell to $4.290/gallon on Tuesday, while the national average for diesel was around $5.432/gallon.
Increased Criticism Of Trump
As tensions escalate between Washington and Tehran, GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan earlier warned that Trump’s attitude toward the Iran negotiations could result in a spike in gas prices.
Newsom also criticized Trump for causing disruptions in the global energy supply, as well as saying he does not care about Americans struggling to deal with rising costs. Newsom said that Trump had directly caused the spike in gas prices.
On the other hand, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) accused Trump of helping oil executives amass wealth and gain profits from the Iran war. She slammed Trump for helping big oil as Americans were paying close to $800 million in excess costs at the pump.
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Source: California gas prices set to rise again, but Gavin Newsom says voters made the call ‘back in 2018’
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