This afternoon, the Democrat-controlled Senate Environmental Quality Committee killed Senate Bill 2, despite the measure’s bipartisan support. The measure, authored by Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (R-San Diego), aimed to halt upcoming Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) regulation changes passed by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), which are expected to increase gas prices 65 cents per gallon. Click here to read the bill’s fact sheet and here to see the petition signed by over 6,500 Californians in support of the bill.
“Today, gas prices in California are $1.55 higher per gallon than the national average because greedy, lame duck Governor Gavin Newsom and some Democrat lawmakers are price gouging us with high taxes, costly regulations, and arbitrary market interference,” said Leader Jones. “By blocking our measure, radical environmentalist Senate Democrats are now complicit in this scheme to raise gas prices 65 cents per gallon in an effort to force Californians into expensive EVs.”
Specifically, SB 2 would have repealed the new LCFS regulations passed by CARB on November 8, 2024. A study published by the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania reveals that these regulations could raise gas prices 65 cents per gallon in the near term, 85 cents per gallon by 2030, and $1.50 per gallon by 2035.
CARB is made up of mostly wealthy political appointees picked by the governor and is responsible for implementing Newsom’s plan to convert all California vehicles to electric by 2035. In a recent letter, Newsom directed the Board to increase LCFS stringency, and therefore increase gas prices. The Newsom Administration has been accused of increasing gas prices to force Californians into EVs in an effort to hit the governor’s mandate.
“Californians already pay the highest gas prices in the nation, and Democrats’ political agenda is driving them even higher. The Air Resources Board’s 65-cent gas price hike is a direct assault on hardworking Californians,” continued Leader Jones. “This unelected group of wealthy bureaucrats, handpicked and directed by Governor Newsom, is shamelessly increasing gas prices so Californians are forced into electric vehicles against their will. SB 2 would have stopped their plan and kept costs stable for Californians. While it’s frustrating that a small group of radical environmentalist Democrats blocked our repeal, the measure did receive bipartisan support, signaling a sentiment shift in the majority party on this issue.”
SB 2 failed passage on a 2-3 vote. Democrat Senators Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) and Steve Padilla (D-Chula Vista) stood with CARB bureaucrats and their gas price hikes in voting against SB 2, while Senators Suzette Martinez Valladares (R-Santa Clarita), Megan Dahle (R-Bieber), and Melissa Hurtado (D-Fresno) voted for the measure citing the out of control cost of living and its burden on California families. Senators Catherine Blakespear (D-Encinitas), Caroline Menjivar (D-Burbank), and Sasha Perez (D-Pasadena) were unwilling to take a position on the bill and abstained from voting. The measure was granted reconsideration and must pass out of the committee by the May 2, 2025 deadline.
A statewide petition against the initial gas price hike circulated by members of the Senate Republican Caucus garnered almost 13,000 signatures in just one week. Despite a lack of transparency and public outcry, CARB passed the costly regulation. Leader Jones launched a petition in support of his SB 2, which itself had over 6,500 signatures.
Leader Jones published an op-ed in The San Diego Union-Tribune exposing Newsom’s plan to raise gas prices and force Californians into electric vehicles. Click here to read the op-ed.