A proposition to offset the rising cost of gasoline was made by Gov. Gavin Newsom and place money back in the pockets of Californians.
The governor announced the proposed tax rebate during his annual State of the State address on Tuesday, and San Diego Politicians have demonstrated support. Details surrounding Newsom’s proposal were scarce.
“No one’s naive about the moment we’re living in, with high gas prices and the geopolitical uncertainty fueling them,” he said. “That’s why — working with legislative leadership — I’ll be submitting a proposal to put money back in the pockets of Californians, to address rising gas prices.”
His proposal includes pausing the additional gas tax increase proposed in January.
According to Senate President pro Tem Toni Atkins of San Diego and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, lawmakers would move quickly.
The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in San Diego County recorded its second-largest increase since July 14, 2015, Wednesday, rising 11.9 cents to $5.602, its 20th record in 22 days.
According to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service, the average price has risen 15 consecutive days, increasing 85.8 cents, including 10 cents Tuesday. It is 70.7 cents more than one week ago, 90.8 cents higher than one month ago, and $1.797 greater than one year ago.
San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond sent the Board of Supervisors a letter requesting support for a “one-year suspension of the State of California’s Gas Tax.”
The letter reads, “I cannot stand by and let San Diegans suffer while Sacramento politicians build up their coffers. I admit this is a short-term problem and longer solutions need to be looked into, like America becoming less dependent on foreign nations such as Russia, Iran, and Venezuela and more energy independent but, that’s a federal issue. In the meantime, San Diegans need help and it’s time for Sacramento bureaucrats to step up.”
Experts in the Oil Industry have attributed the gas increases to a supply shortage because traders, shippers, insurance companies, and banks are avoiding Russian oil transactions for fear of running afoul of Western sanctions.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, crude oil costs, which have been on the rise, account for slightly more than half of the pump price. The rest of the price includes the other components of gasoline, production costs, distribution costs, overhead costs for all involved in the production, distribution, sales, taxes, and carbon offset fees in California paid by the refineries.
As gas prices continue to rise, here are some tips from AAA to help you save some money at the pump.
- Keep your tires properly inflated. Underinflation reduces fuel economy.
- Slow down and drive the speed limit. On the highway, aerodynamic drag causes fuel economy to drop off significantly as speeds increase above 50 mph.
- Avoid “jackrabbit” starts and hard acceleration. These actions greatly increase fuel consumption.
- Avoid extended idling to warm up the engine, even in winter. It’s unnecessary and wastes fuel.
- Minimize your use of air conditioning. Even at highway speeds, open windows have less effect on fuel economy than the engine power required to operate the air conditioning compressor.
- Also, shop around for gas prices, sometimes lower prices are around the corner.
