SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Just how Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to make good on his promise this week to put money "back in the pockets" of Californians stung by the sharp rise in gas prices remains murky, but suspending or lowering the state's highest-in-the-nation gas tax appears less and less likely.
The hesitation to tinker with California's steep gasoline excise tax of 51 cents per gallon — even during an election year in which voters are feeling the pinch at the pump as prices continue to skyrocket amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine — demonstrates just how politically sensitive the issue remains in a state known for its ribbons of freeways and worship of the automobile.
Although Newsom in his January budget proposal called for canceling an increase in California's gas tax scheduled for July, his administration is also considering alternatives that could provide direct payments to residents.
