Democratic lawmakers in the California Assembly are pushing back against a last-minute effort by Gov. Gavin Newsom to pass proposals aimed at cutting energy costs for Californians and reducing gas price spikes at the pump.
They say they need more time to weigh the impacts. The pushback means the state Legislature might head to a special session this year after the legislative deadline to wrap up the session on Saturday. Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas said his members are “on the same page” as Newsom about the need to prioritize lowering energy bills for Californians. But details of the proposals weren’t released until this week.
“If the Governor calls a special session, we’re going to do the work and deliver results,” Rivas said in a statement. “What I’m not going to do is push through bills that haven’t been sufficiently vetted with public hearings. Doing so could lead to unintended consequences on Californians’ pocketbooks.”
Californians pay the highest rates at the pump in the nation at an average of $4.64 a gallon for regular unleaded, compared to the national average of $3.33, according to AAA. Electricity bills in the state have also nearly doubled in the last decade and are expected to keep outpacing inflation through 2027 as California races to transition away from fossil fuel.