California Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom’s presidential aspirations are Washington’s worst-kept secret. More than three years before the next election, he’s on the campaign trail in South Carolina, protesting immigration raids on cannabis farms and even politicizing the Second Family’s visit to Disneyland. 

Before Newsom gets anywhere near Washington, he must “confront his California problem,” as even Politico observed. Blessed with incredible natural resources, the Golden State has the highest living costs in the nation. Nowhere is this trend more evident than in energy, where there is a direct correlation between Newsom’s wrong-headed policies and overall unaffordability. 

Here are three examples. 

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California gas taxes are going up 

At $4.51 per gallon, California drivers already pay the most at the pump — that’s 45% higher than the national average, which hit a four-year low during the recent Independence Day holiday and kept dropping. 

As bad as that sounds, the pain is only just beginning. On July 1, motorists were hit with another 1.6-cent gas tax, and overall gas taxes are expected to cost the average household $612 over the course of the year. A separate $0.05-$0.09 tax increase is expected not far behind. Newsom’s office touted the decline in gas prices by issuing a press release bragging about it.  

California refineries are closing 

Sadly, the latest gas tax could pale in comparison to other factors. Industry experts are projecting a gallon of gas potentially reaching $8 in the aftermath of California refinery closures. 

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For crude oil to become a usable petroleum product like gasoline, it must go through the refining process. Earlier this year, the Phillips 66 refinery in Los Angeles and the Valero refinery in Benicia announced plans to close by 2026, taking nearly 20% of the state’s total gasoline production with them, not to mention hundreds of jobs. 

The trend is part of a sad and steady decline directly attributed to increasing red tape and regulations. During the 1980s, under the presidential administration of its former governor Ronald Reagan, California had as many as 43 operating refineries, a number that plummeted to just 14 last year, a drop of 67%. This is not for lack of resources. In fact, California has the fifth most oil reserves in the nation, outpacing places like Colorado and Oklahoma more often associated with the industry.  

California is home to extreme green policies 

Newsom has denigrated the oil and gas industry as the “polluted heart of this climate crisis.” He accused them of “lying and gouging Californians” and blamed them for “more kids getting asthma.” 

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Along the way, he pursued policies aimed at making his state “carbon neutral” by 2045. That’s political speak for ending oil and gas entirely in favor of “cleaner” forms of energy like wind and solar, which are unreliable, untested and often rely on products from China (where roughly 80% of the world’s solar panels are manufactured). 

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A lynchpin of Newsom’s scheme was forcing drivers into electric vehicles. By 2035, less than a decade from now, 100% of vehicles sold in California were to be electric under a Newsom administration mandate that the U.S. Senate thankfully overturned in May. 

As painful as the edict would have been for California’s nearly 40 million residents, the shockwaves were set to extend far and wide. As many as 13 states were on a track to follow where California was leading. 

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To his political credit, Newsom appears aware of the unpopularity of some of his policies. He went on Turning Point USA President Charlie Kirk’s podcast and turned heads by calling the concept of biological men competing in women’s sports “unfair,” but that demonstrates the power the green movement.  

Newsom is far more likely to flip-flop on cultural issues than admit the green agenda is failing his state. In the aftermath of President Donald Trump making the rollback of the EV mandates official, Newsom’s administration immediately took legal action and signed an executive order “doubling down” (his words) on his commitment to the nonsensical plan. 

At the heart of the dissatisfaction with the Biden years was inflation and high costs of living, making it the top priority for more than six in 10 voters. Making energy expensive made life expensive and Americans could not afford another four years of Biden/Harris energy policies. Newsom’s stubborn commitment to the failed green agenda, which has failed California spectacularly, should send his White House bid sputtering before it gets out of the starting gates. 

DANIEL TURNER