Gasoline prices in California are consistently higher than the national average. Why?

Higher taxes? Yes.

More regulations? Yes.

Oil company greed?

…No, say the authors of a new report detailing why Golden State drivers shell out more when filling up their tanks.

Read the Report
Federal, state, and local agencies are strictly to blame for the persistently higher prices at the pump for California drivers, and the price volatility. For this, they have earned the dishonor of the Independent Institute’s 14th California Golden Fleece® Award.

Their practices have broken the public trust by undermining competition and increasing consumer prices—all the while blaming and shaming oil and gasoline producers and marketers for problems that politicians and regulators have created through poor policy.

“Over the past 20 years, gas prices for Californians have surged to at, or near, the top of all US states. This is a consequence not of market fundamentals, but conscious public policy choices by government officials at all levels,” said Robert J. Michaels, co-author of the report Pain at the Pump: Blame Politicians, Not Producers, for High California Gasoline Prices.

To find out more about the California Golden Fleece® Awards, the Independent Institute, and how you can be a part of real solutions, visit us online or follow us on X @CAGoldenFleece.
Report Authors
Robert J. Michaels
Professor Emeritus of Economics at California State University, Fullerton
Lawrence J. McQuillan
Founder and Director, California Golden Fleece® Awards
Read the Policy Briefing Here
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