smokinjoe64I feel like we’ve drifted pretty far from what the original post was even about, so I just want to reset things a bit. This all started with a simple question: “Is anyone else paying $7.63 a gallon?” I responded by sharing the public information your own state puts out about gas prices. There was no California‑bashing, no personal shots, no “my state is better than yours.” I was just answering the question and explaining why California’s gas prices tend to run $2–$3 higher than most of the country.
If this were about federal policies, “war taxes,” or anything happening at the national level, then New York and Texas would be paying the same inflated prices. They aren’t. California is more than $2 higher than both, which pretty clearly points to California‑specific factors.
And those factors are well‑known:
- California has the highest state gas taxes and fees in the country.
- California requires a special CARB‑only fuel blend that costs more to produce.
- Programs like the Low‑Carbon Fuel Standard and Cap‑and‑Trade add more cost.
- California’s refinery system is isolated, with no interstate pipelines and only a handful of refineries that can make the required blend.
- When one of those refineries goes down, prices spike because there’s no backup supply.
These are state‑level issues. They’re why California consistently pays the highest gas prices in the U.S., no matter who’s in office or what’s happening federally.
Yes you're correct California does send more money to the federal government because it has the largest population and the largest economy. That doesn’t have anything to do with gas prices. Gas prices aren’t based on how much a state pays in federal taxes, they’re based on state taxes, state regulations, and state infrastructure. If anything, a state contributing 1 out of every 6 federal tax dollars would expect to benefit from economies of scale, not pay the highest gas prices in the country. But California does, because of the extra
state‑level costs California itself adds.
Nothing I said was an attack on California or anyone who lives there. I wasn’t criticizing the state, its people, or its politics. I was simply sharing publicly available information about gas prices. That’s it. No hate, no agenda; just facts.