Grimes: California Democrats Refuse to Pass Gas Tax Relief

Democrats in the California Legislature refused to pass AB 1638 by Assemblyman Kevin Kiley (R-Granite Bay) which would have suspended the state’s gas tax to provide immediate relief Californians. If passed, it would have saved Californians 51 cents a gallon for about 6 months.

AAA reports the national average for a gallon of gas is $4.316, and California’s average is $5.750. gas in Mono County costs $6.501 per gallon, and Napa County is $5.947.

“Today the Republican and Independent Members of the Assembly voted to save Californians 51 cents per gallon by suspending the gas tax,” Kiley said following the vote. “In addition, 18 members abstained from the vote. Unfortunately, the Supermajority rounded up enough votes to deny struggling Californians this modest measure of relief.”

When asked on Monday about the Republican idea to temporarily halt the whole gas tax, Erin Mellon, Newsom’s communications director wrote, “the Republican’s proposal can be manipulated to help line the pockets of petro-dictators and oil companies who are benefiting from the spike in oil prices across the world. The governor has proposed a tax rebate to provide billions in direct relief to Californians who are suffering from rising gas prices across the country, a direct result of [Russia’s President Vladimir Putin’s] war,” ABC7 reported.