Contact your Assemblymember & State Senator
Use the form above first. Official backup lookup:
What to demand: Temporary gas-tax relief (AB 1745), protect refining capacity, and publish pump-price impacts of new fuel rules.
Official find-your-repLoading the latest statewide snapshot from AAA.
Side-by-side pies use the same dollar pieces as the gap table — shared “normal gallon,” CA supply extras, state taxes, CARB blend, and climate fees. Each pie totals that state’s live AAA average.
AAA average · loading…
AAA average · loading…
*Same components as the gap breakdown table. Pump totals: AAA state averages. CA-only supply pieces are site ballpark estimates that sum to the leftover after taxes, CARB, and climate fees. Empty ($0) pieces are hidden on the cheapest-state pie. Tap a slice or legend item for the matching reason below.
Tap each reason. See California vs the cheapest gas state — plain numbers, no jargon.
Retail Regular Gas — Side-by-Side
How much drivers pay at the pump in the cheapest state vs California
California pays $2.17 more per gallon
Source: AAA state averages, September 17, 2026 · gasprices.aaa.com
What adds up to the gap
Same gallon. Here’s where California’s extra dollars go — side by side with the cheapest state.
Tap the normal gallon row or any CA extra for the story below →
Those extras add up to the full gap:
$0.30 + $0.25 + $0.20 + $0.14 + $0.53 + $0.20 + $0.55 = $2.17 gap
Pump totals: AAA state averages. Both states start from the same “normal gallon” floor; CA-only supply pieces are site ballpark estimates (EIA/CEC qualitatively) that sum to the leftover after taxes, CARB, and climate fees. CARB / Cap-Trade / LCFS = $0 in states that don’t require them. Inventory line absorbs rounding so columns add up.
California requires a special “clean” gas mix. Most other states do not. That special mix costs more to make.
If a refinery goes down, California can’t easily bring in cheaper gas from elsewhere.
Evidence
Site ballpark $0.15–$0.25/gal for the CARB blend; cheapest states use conventional fuel ($0).
What you can do about this: Ask CARB to weigh pump-price impacts when setting fuel-blend and RFG rules.
California piles on state tax, sales tax, and fees on every gallon. The cheapest gas states usually charge much less.
CA breakdown (about): state excise 63.4¢ (CDTFA, from Jul 1 2026; was 61.2¢ through Jun 30) · federal 18.4¢ · sales tax ~51¢ · UST/tank fee ~2¢ → site total ~$1.35/gal.
Evidence
Cheapest-state tax total updates with the live AAA cheapest state. Federal excise is 18.4¢/gal everywhere.
What you can do about this: Ask your Assemblymember and State Senator to support tax relief at the pump — including AB 1745 (gas tax suspension; still in committee).
California runs climate programs that fuel companies must pay for. Those costs show up at the pump. The cheapest gas states don’t have these programs.
About $0.27–$0.35 from Cap-and-Trade plus $0.20–$0.28 from LCFS.
Evidence
Site combined ballpark $0.47–$0.63/gal (midpoint shown). Cheapest states: $0 for these CA programs.
What you can do about this: Tell CARB that Cap-and-Trade and LCFS should cut emissions without unnecessary pump spikes.
California has no big pipelines to cheap Midwest/Gulf gas. Fuel often has to come by ship. That alone adds about 30¢ a gallon.
Cheaper states can pull fuel from many regions. They don’t pay this “energy island” premium.
Evidence
Site ballpark from the gap breakdown; $0 for this “energy island” problem in the cheapest state.
What you can do about this: Ask state leaders for supply and infrastructure relief so California isn’t stuck as an “energy island.”
California has lost big refineries. When one shuts down, prices jump fast. That tight-supply squeeze costs about 25¢ a gallon.
Recent losses include Phillips 66 L.A. (~139,000 barrels/day) and Valero Benicia (~170,000 barrels/day). CEC: refining capacity down 15%+ since 2018.
Evidence
Site ballpark from the gap breakdown; $0 for this CA-specific squeeze in the cheapest state.
What you can do about this: Ask officials to protect remaining refining capacity and plan emergency supply measures before the next outage.
California often runs on pricier regional crude instead of cheaper Midwest/Gulf barrels. That adds about 20¢ a gallon.
Cheaper states can tap lower-cost crude markets more easily — so they pay $0 for this West Coast premium.
Evidence
Site ballpark from the gap breakdown; $0 for this West Coast crude premium in the cheapest state.
What you can do about this: Ask for policies that improve access to lower-cost crude and reduce West Coast feedstock premiums.
California keeps thinner fuel stockpiles than many states. When demand jumps or a plant hiccups, prices rise faster. That thin cushion costs about 14¢ a gallon.
Cheaper states usually have more inventory buffer — so they pay $0 for this CA-style squeeze.
Evidence
Site ballpark from the gap breakdown (also absorbs rounding); $0 for this CA thin-stock premium in the cheapest state.
What you can do about this: Support sensible inventory / storage rules so California has a bigger cushion when demand spikes.
Contact your Assemblymember, State Senator, and the Governor — from your email. Firm. Direct. Government serves us.
Fill in your details, find your districts, then send. Assembly & Senate use a one-click official contact (your browser POSTs to the Legislature’s LCMS form). If a public email exists, we open your mail app instead. Sends your info and message to their official contact system in a new tab. Your ZIP must match that district.
Static site — nothing is stored on a server. Lookup runs in your browser.
Use the form above first. Official backup lookup:
What to demand: Temporary gas-tax relief (AB 1745), protect refining capacity, and publish pump-price impacts of new fuel rules.
Official find-your-repDemand emergency supply measures, fair treatment of remaining refineries, and honest accounting of how state climate and fuel programs hit the pump.
gov.ca.gov/contactBill status changes — check LegInfo before claiming a bill has passed. As of early 2026, one active tax-relief bill is:
Would suspend California’s motor vehicle fuel tax for one year (and require savings be passed to drivers). Status (honest): Introduced Feb 9, 2026; referred to Assembly Transportation on Feb 23, 2026. Not passed. Has not become law.
Open AB 1745 on LegInfoSearch LegInfo for other fuel-tax or supply bills as the session moves. Don’t overclaim passage.
When agencies open dockets on fuels, LCFS, Cap-and-Trade, or petroleum reliability, short factual comments from residents matter.
Send this page to neighbors, coworkers, or local groups. Clear numbers beat rumors.
Sample below is the phone script (complete sentences + numbered points). Copy pastes the fuller email version with bullets. Name/City from the form; live AAA + gap-model ballparks when data loads.
My name is [Name], and I live in [City], California. I am your constituent. Government works for us — not the other way around. According to AAA, California gas averages about $[CA] per gallon, while [CHEAP_STATE] averages about $[CHEAP] per gallon. That is a gap of about $[GAP] per gallon, and it is unacceptable. Here is what drives that extra cost, using clear ballpark figures: 1. State taxes cost about $0.53 more per gallon than in the cheapest state. 2. California’s special CARB gas blend adds about $0.20 per gallon. 3. Climate programs (Cap-and-Trade and LCFS) add about $0.55 per gallon. 4. Shipping into California’s energy island, tighter refining, costlier West Coast crude, and thinner inventories add about $0.89 per gallon combined. I expect you to take clear action: 1. Support temporary tax relief at the pump, including AB 1745. 2. Cut or reform climate and fuel rules that inflate pump prices. 3. Protect refining capacity and California’s fuel supply. 4. Tell me what you will do this week.
California’s AAA regular average is often near ~$6/gal — far above the cheapest U.S. state. That gap hurts families, raises delivery costs, and makes commuting harder. Figures below match this site’s live gap model (ballpark extras vs the cheapest state; see the 7 Main Reasons).
What You Can Do: Tell your lawmakers you want lower gas prices without hurting clean air — then use the concrete steps on this page. Go to Take Action →
Average retail regular unleaded price per gallon, latest snapshot. Source: AAA.
*Prices are approximate averages from the latest AAA snapshot. See full state map for all 50 states.
Straight answers drawn from the same facts used in the gap model and 7 Main Reasons on this page.
California’s AAA regular average is often near about $6/gal — far above the cheapest U.S. state. The gap comes from stacked costs: higher taxes and fees (~$1.35/gal all-in), CARB’s special clean-fuel blend (~$0.15–$0.25), Cap-and-Trade and LCFS climate programs (~$0.47–$0.63), plus supply factors like being an energy island, fewer refineries, costlier West Coast crude, and thinner inventories.
California requires a unique reformulated gasoline (CaRFG) mix set by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). That special clean-fuel blend typically costs more than conventional gasoline used elsewhere — about $0.15–$0.25 per gallon in this site’s gap model (midpoint $0.20).
This site’s all-in CA tax/fee estimate is about $1.35 per gallon: state excise 63.4¢ from July 1 2026 (was 61.2¢ through June 30), federal excise 18.4¢, sales tax roughly ~51¢, plus small UST/tank fees. That is roughly ~$0.53 more than the cheapest-state tax total in the live model.
Yes. California climate fuel programs (Cap-and-Trade plus the Low Carbon Fuel Standard) add costs that show up at the pump — roughly $0.47–$0.63 per gallon (site midpoint $0.55), with about $0.27–$0.35 from Cap-and-Trade and $0.20–$0.28 from LCFS.
Use this site’s Take Action tools to find your representatives, send a firm constituent script, track bills such as AB 1745 tax relief, and submit short factual comments when CARB or the California Energy Commission open dockets on fuels, LCFS, Cap-and-Trade, or petroleum reliability.