Gas prices in California are already the highest in the nation, but Governor Gavin Newsom’s green agenda is poised to send them soaring even higher. According to Steve Hilton, a Republican gubernatorial candidate and former Fox News host, the state’s climate policies could soon push fuel costs to an unthinkable $9 per gallon—leaving working families and small businesses with nowhere to turn.
On July 1, new fuel regulations and gas taxes will take effect under Newsom’s climate plan, piling on costs in the name of environmental virtue. This, combined with a predicted collapse in refinery capacity, has experts warning that California’s gas prices could reach $6 by year’s end and as much as $8.40 in 2026. With additional fees from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) tacked on, Hilton argues that the nightmare scenario of $9 gas is now within sight.
“This is ideological zealotry as economic sabotage,” Hilton writes. “It’s the result of 15 years of one-party Democratic rule that prioritizes climate posturing over the livelihoods of working people.”
Despite California having ample oil reserves, Hilton slams the state’s refusal to tap into them, instead relying on strict regulations, costly fuel blend mandates, and burdensome refinery rules. He points to the closure of multiple major refineries—including Phillips 66 in Los Angeles and Valero’s Benicia plant—as proof that the Democrat-led climate crusade is driving up costs and driving out business.
California’s isolated fuel market is especially vulnerable. It has no pipeline connections to the rest of the country and demands a unique fuel blend—making it extremely sensitive to supply disruptions. Meanwhile, Newsom’s regulatory agenda is adding 54 cents per gallon through cap-and-trade programs and another 40 cents through low-carbon fuel standards and refinery mandates.
And it doesn’t stop there. California’s excise tax on gas is already a staggering 60 cents per gallon—the highest in the country. All of this, Hilton says, amounts to a systematic attack on affordability.
“Democrats’ ‘green’ agenda is a bureaucratic monstrosity of tax and red tape,” Hilton warns, adding that it’s disproportionately hurting the very people Democrats claim to support: working-class families and small business owners.
Hilton’s plan to combat the looming crisis starts with scrapping the cap-and-trade fees and fuel blend mandates. He also wants to lower the gas tax, suspend enforcement of Newsom’s refinery penalties, and increase in-state oil production. Together, he claims, these changes could lower gas prices by more than $2 per gallon—bringing them back to $3, in line with national averages.
Critics of the governor point to the hypocrisy of Democrat leaders who push for green energy while flying private jets and enjoying luxury lifestyles. “They’re chasing refineries out of California, shutting down cleaner in-state oil production, and piling on regulations,” Hilton argues. “Meanwhile, they jet around in private planes and travel in motorcades—hypocrisy at its finest.”
As Hilton ramps up his campaign to unseat Newsom, gas prices are shaping up to be a defining issue. With Californians already stretched thin by soaring housing and electricity costs, the threat of $9-per-gallon gas could become a political powder keg heading into the 2026 elections.
“This doesn’t have to be our future,” Hilton insists. “Three-dollar gas is possible, but only if we kick out the career politicians who’ve been fleecing us for years.”