By Hannah Gutierrez, KRCR
NORTHSTATE, Calif. — On Monday, June 29, Senators Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park) and Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica) held a press conference (opens in new tab) to discuss Senate Bill 493 (opens in new tab), also known as the Wartime Price Gouging Prevention Act. Lawmakers emphasized that this bill is especially critical now due to rising prices of goods in response to the conflict in Iran.
Senate Bill 493 would allow the governor to declare a state of emergency during times of war or armed conflict, thereby authorizing the Attorney General to combat and prosecute price gouging on essential goods such as food, water, and gasoline. Currently, consumer protections following declarations are limited to natural disasters, pandemics, and other specific emergencies.
Under existing law, the state does not classify war or armed conflict as qualifying emergencies, despite the economic disruptions, fuel price spikes, and supply chain instability that arise from them. The proposed bill would define a war emergency as circumstances in which Congress has declared war, the United States is engaged in sustained military operations against a foreign power, or the United States is participating in United Nations-authorized military actions.
We already know Californians are struggling with gas, housing, groceries, and we cannot always control what happens halfway around the world, but we can make sure that Californians are protected here at home. Price gouging is wrong, whether it’s a wildfire, an earthquake, a pandemic, or war, California should not become collateral damage,” Becker said in the press conference.
Carmen Balber, the Executive Director of Consumer Watchdog, also expressed her support for the bill on Monday. She noted that in 13 out of the 25 weeks this year, state gas prices have exceeded the national average by $1.50.
The bill will be discussed on Tuesday in the Assembly Committee on Public Safety. Becker mentioned that there is a compressed timeframe for the bill to move through the legislative process by the end of August.
