By Andrew Sheeler, SACRAMENTO BEE
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article293334794.html
On Tuesday, the Assembly voted to send ABX2-1 to the Senate, which has yet to reconvene for the special session called by Gov. Gavin Newsom. That bill would require oil refiners to maintain minimum inventories in order to prevent spiking gas prices.
Read Nicole Nixon’s full report here.
For his part, Newsom expressed gratitude for the Assembly vote, which he said will save Californians money at the gas pump.
“Just last year, price spikes cost Californians more than $2 billion – forcing many families to make tough decisions like choosing between fueling up or putting food on the table. This has to end, and with the legislature’s support, we’ll get this done for California families,” Newsom said in a statement.
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Salinas, called the vote “the right thing to do.”
“Now, these bills not only require oil companies to maintain minimum fuel reserves to stabilize gas prices, but they also protect industry workers and frontline communities,” he said.
Consumer Watchdog President Jamie Court called the vote a “critical consumer victory that takes away a tactic oil refiners have used for decades to keep gas prices and refiner profits artificially high.”
He added that the bill will set a national example of how to prevent gasoline price gouging.
Predictably, the bill met with criticism from Republicans, whose superminority status means they have little sway when it comes to voting.
That frustration was palpable from Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher, R-Yuba City, who in a statement said, “Newsom’s scheme won’t do a damn thing to lower gas prices, and he knows it. As long as Democrat politicians refuse to stand up to the governor, costs at the pump are only going to increase.”
California GOP Chair Jessica Millan Patterson released a statement saying she was unsurprised by the Assembly’s vote, saying it was “perfectly on brand for them.”
“Californians are already paying the highest gas prices in the nation, and instead of working with Republicans on commonsense solutions to lower energy costs for everyone, Democrats doubled down on their incompetent agenda. Voters won’t forget Democrats’ slap in the face to hardworking Californians struggling to make ends meet,” she said.
