Ochoa Bogh, Wallis lead effort to halt another upcoming gas price hike

Newsom's CARB planning 65 cent-per-gallon hike two days after the November election

Today, State Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh(R-Yucaipa) and State Assemblymember Greg Wallis(R-Bermuda Dunes) urged California's Air Resources Board Chair Liane Randolph postpone an impending vote on changes to its Low-Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) program until CARB discloses the actual costs and benefits of those proposed changes to the public. The letter is signed by 25 total Republican legislators including all members of the Senate Republican Caucus.

CARB plans to vote on the proposed changes at its November 7-8 meeting. Those changes as currently proposed will drastically drive up fuel prices.

In a letter to Randolph, both Ochoa Bogh and Wallis point out that Californians already pay $1.50 per gallon more than the national average price of the 47 other continental states, and that CARB's proposed changes will add on 65 to 85-cents per gallon next year, reaching as much as $1.50 by 2035.

"Families are already struggling with high gas prices, and they shouldn't be left in the dark about the financial impact of new policies," said Senator Ochoa Bogh. "Californians deserve transparency and the chance to voice their concerns. The state's priority must be to shield families from rising costs, not quietly advancing policies that make it harder for them to make ends meet."

CARB initially released an estimate showing a 47-cent per gallon increase in gas prices for public comment, but retracted it after facing strong criticism. They had promised to provide updated estimates before implementing any changes, but now say they will not release any further estimates. The only available projection comes from a report by Dr. Danny Cullenward from Stanford University's School of Earth, Energy, and Environmental Sciences, which estimates an increase of 65 to 85 cents per gallon.

"The state's refusal to disclose the real cost of these changes is irresponsible," said Assemblymember Wallis. "Californians deserve transparency before any vote that will increase the price at the pump."

Ochoa Bogh, Wallis, and Republican legislators agree that the legislature needs to reclaim some of its policy-making authority from unelected boards like CARB that do not have to answer to Californians.

CARB is a 14-member board consisting of political appointees of Governor Newsom, the Democrat Majority of the Senate Rules Committee, and the State Assembly Speaker.

Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper, while previously serving as a Democrat Assemblymember, called out the then-chair of CARB for pushing policies that "favor your coastal elitist friends."