The AAA tracks the average price of gasoline in each state. Yesterday, for the first time, the price in California was higher than in Hawaii. That’s not easy to accomplish.
$5.89 California
$5.64 Hawaii
DB2
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Most (i.e. all) states’ price of gas has gone up dramatically since the end of February.
Pete
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Last time gas hit $6 a gallon in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom began accusing oil companies of price gouging. California’s supermajority Democratic legislature held a taxpayer-funded “price gouging” special session, culminating with legislation that was intended to cap oil company profits and force them to open their books. More than two years later, state officials say they found no evidence of illegal price gouging…
Even before recent refinery closures and the global conflict, California drivers paid the highest gas prices in the nation for several reasons. Roughly 45% of the cost of every gallon of gas is made up of costs that are consistent across the country. That includes the global price of crude, which is higher for everyone right now, and an 18-cent federal tax that drivers pay in every state.
However, the remaining 55% of each gallon of gas includes California-specific costs…
DB2
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I just paid $5.10 per gallon at Costco. Safeway was $5.20.
Diesel was $6.15. That will add to the cost of anything that’s delivered by truck.
Wendy
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I live in Seattle proper, so gas is pretty expensive. A couple weeks ago (April 2, to be exact) I bought gas at the Indian reservation on my way to the ski hill where it was a lot cheaper. $7 for diesel.
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Here in Northern California, here’s what I’ve paid per gallon this year, generally at Costco, but a few Chevron’s in there, too…
| $3.799 |
|---|
| $4.999 |
| $4.499 |
| $5.259 |
| $5.749 |
| $6.099 |
That last was Chevron in Roseville, CA… Luckily, the RAV4 Hybrid isn’t all that twisty.. I was headed home after coming from the coast over to Carson City, NV, stopping to see my SIL, get gas…
Small tank, so, eh, no biggie…
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True, they have gone up everywhere (I just tanked up and paid $3.77) but as you probably know, California prices have always been quite a bit higher than the national average with much higher fees and taxes.
I don’t know how they have managed to surpass Hawaii. Maybe it’s related to the refinery closures in California.
DB2
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Hawaii, I assume, can use any old gas. It’s small, the ocean winds are big.
Calfornia as the opposite problem: cars everywhere, choking traffic on highways, and often gentle winds which don’t push the pollution around, so they require specially formulated gasoline - which costs more at every step in the production chain.
I don’t know if everyone in Calfornia thinks it’s worth it, but I remember the haze and smog that sent people to hospitals and hung over vast portions of the state before they got serious about cleaning up the air.
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And that has been the case for half of forever. Up until now they have been cheaper than those islands thousands of miles from anywhere. What changed? IIRC, two refineries shut down. Were taxes raised again this year? Did the cap and trade program expand?
DB2
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There’s a teaspoon of diesel in every tomato at Safeway.
intercst
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No…except the stealth gas tax that politicians don’t talk about … and that is the sales tax. When gas prices rise the sales tax increases with it pushing it up even more. I think the sales tax in CA is higher than Hawaii…but this would be a minor effect. There are refineries closing.
I’m all EV so I’m not affected either way.
Mike
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Takes me back many decades ago, but even then it was the problem in the LA Basin, not the whole, or even vast portions… I had classes in LA, expecting the worst, in the ‘80s, but instead there were no problems at the time, just the hills surrounding the area… And then there were no EV’s, Hybrids, more efficient cars like today, Fog, sure, even the Sacramento, San Jauquin valleys get their share of tule fog, causing pileups, etc, but it’s not smog, we get the coastal fog here, but it’s generally burned off by noon…
Today, fireplaces probably are the main contractor to our hazy days, if the winds are down, just need to fire up more windmills, blow it away! 
Over 30 years ago I used to drive a few times a year on I10 from Phoenix to LA. Before you would get to LA there was ridge of hills, and when you cleared it to go down into the basic (not even really LA yet…it was Ontario, I think), there was a brown cloud hanging in the air. All the way to the beaches. Within a day I’d develop a dry cough that wouldn’t go away until a few days after I drove back home.
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