California Senate Backs 'Price-Gouging' Bill As It Rejects Plan To Dump Fuel Tax

By Ria Roebuck Joseph | Center Square contributor, The Center Square California

March 23, 2023

(The Center Square) - California Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (R-San Diego) brought a motion at the 2023-2024 First Extraordinary Session at Sacramento, so that “the Senate may have a robust and immediate debate” on SBX1-1, a bill he authored to reduce the cost of gas for Californians.

“While we debated heavily on the last bill on this floor and paved the road for gas increases, in the name of lower gas prices, it seems only logical to debate the alternative solution to lower gas prices, which is my SBX1-1,” Jones said. “Californians pay almost a $1.40 per gallon more than the average American at a time when gas prices are approaching $5.00 per gallon. It is important that we consider all options and help cut costs at the pump. We have a special session right now to lower gas prices, let's take advantage of it and fully consider our options.”

The vote on the motion went along party lines and was denied by the Democratic senate majority.

SBX1-1 introduced by Jones last December, proposed a suspension of the state’s fuel tax and fees for one year to immediately reduce prices at the pump by $1.00. The bill, however, was dead on arrival.

“I’m reading from CalMatters this morning, reporting on the committee hearing yesterday, “The Democrats on the panel mostly used their time to monologue.” which is after they said it was a lengthy hearing with a lot of back and forth and a lot of talking, “many of them lamented the speed at which everything was moving, then justified their votes by pointing to internal deliberations that had been happening for months, to how much better the new proposal was than its previous iteration and that the urgency of acting on an issue that has slammed constituents pocketbooks,” Jones stated.

Then the senator went on to describe a process which had closed-door meetings that excluded some of the senators who were expected to vote on it.

“Members I want to read one phrase out of there…one phrase so that it 'kinda' sinks-in to all of us … ‘Internal deliberations that have been happening for months.’”

Senator Jones slowed his speech to emphasize exactly what he was revealing.

“Internal deliberations that have been happening for months. Members, each one of us are elected to this legislative body and most of us have worked very hard to get here. We are elected to this body by almost a million Californians. A million Californians that expect us, when we come to the state Capital, to represent them,” Jones reminded the committee.

“Now we will have their voice in mind when we go into committee, when we come to the floor, when we have conversations with each other…. they expect their voice to be heard and I want to ask each one of us, who of us were included in those internal deliberations? (Were) all 40 of us included in that internal deliberation? I know for a fact, no, eight of us for sure were not. Were all thirty-two remaining senators involved in those internal deliberations? How much impact did you have on this language that is coming forward today to this floor? How much of your constituents' voices are represented in this legislation, in these 40 pages of a bill? How much of the things that are important to you, that you ran on are represented in this legislation? …Somebody stand up and tell me how much they were included in these internal deliberations with the governor?”

“I am very, very disappointed in this body. That we are allowing this type of internal deliberations, excluding the public from the conversation and excluding all of the stakeholders that are multitudes on this issue... I’m standing up here opposing this bill for my constituents because they were cut out of the conversation and this bill is 'gonna' lead to higher gas prices for all our Californians.”

Democratic senators delivered the latest version on Tuesday evening, in an effort to have it ready for debate on the floor.

“This proposal, I just think, it's an overreach one, two it's going way, way, way too fast. As mentioned, we barely got it. There’s drafting errors in it…but it's moving so fast what else have we missed that's in here.” Senator Scott Wilks stated. “This doesn’t get us to where we want to go, and again, not everybody had input..it certainly wasn’t bipartisan.”

The Democratic majority voted 32-8 in favor of SBX1-2, dubbed by Republicans as the “Gavin Gas Tax,” an Energy/Transportation fuels bill brought by Senator Nancy Skinner, D-Alameda, which gives extraordinary powers to the California Energy Commission in the wake of stratospheric fuel prices in the last year and is estimated to cost between $7 to $10 million to administer.

Liberal interest groups cheered the Senate's action. "Oil and Gas companies view Californians as nothing more than profit. Developing an independent watchdog committee will help keep the oil industry in check. Leaving this industry unchecked has led to an exploitation of California families and workers. Something has to be done to help protect Californian families from predatory pricing," said Cesar Aguirre, Kern County Director of the Central California Environmental Justice Network.

The focus of the work of The Center Square California is state and local-level government and economic reporting that approaches stories with a taxpayer sensibility.