Will the California Air Resources Board (CARB) vote on November 8 to increase gas prices?

Happy Halloween. Welcome to the October 28-November 1 edition of the NFIB California Main Street Minute from your small-business advocacy team in Sacramento.

We have some election news to follow, but this Main Street Minute will lead off with a matter of urgency.

Speak Out on Higher Gas Prices

• Californians already pay the highest gasoline prices in the nation, a staggering $1.47 a gallon more than any other state.

• Now, at a November 8 meeting in Riverside, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is scheduled to vote on a proposal that would raise them even more, by upwards of 50¢ a gallon with incremental increases to follow in subsequent years.

• The CARB proposal would be absolutely devastating to NFIB members and to their employees commuting to work. The Legislature just ended a special session forcing oil companies to keep more reserves in equipment they don’t have and are unlikely to build given this state’s hostility to their industry—and now this.

• Your voice matters. See below on how to register your opinion with CARB.

• From the October 23rd edition of The Sacramento Bee, Are California climate regulators gearing up to raise gas prices? Here’s what we know.

— “California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard can be extremely complex, but one impact is clear: the program raises gas prices.

— “CARB’s own estimate from last year … suggested that the changes could increase gas prices by $0.47 per gallon next year and $0.52 by 2026. Diesel prices could rise by $0.59 this year and $0.66 within two years.

— “Climate policy expert Danny Cullenward with the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy reported this month that LCFS credit prices could cause retail gasoline prices to rise by as much as $0.65 per gallon soon, and up to $1.50 by 2035. Several studies, including from the state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office, support the same cause and effect: as credit prices rise through the program, so do costs for producing traditional fuels in California, which leads to higher prices for consumers.”

• From the October 25 edition of CalMatters, California’s plan  to overhaul a key climate program — raising the cost of gas — ignites debate.

— “On Nov. 8, just three days after an election marked by concerns over rising costs, the California Air Resources Board will hold a public hearing and vote on its plan to amend the Low Carbon Fuel Standard.

— “The concern over gas prices has been part of the debate since last December, when the plan was released. Much of the agency’s overhaul, however, has focused on highly technical disputes between oil companies, dairy farms, biofuel and other lower-carbon fuel companies, and environmental justice advocates who say the program maintains polluting industries.

— “The gas price revolt over the fuel standard underscores how the state’s ambitious agenda for addressing climate change can come under fire if it threatens to make fossil fuels more expensive as the state tries to phase them out by 2045. Californians paid an average of $4.61 a gallon on Thursday [October 24].”

• IMPORTANT—Whatever regulation CARB comes up with, it cannot be changed by the Legislature or governor. The battle is now.

• Registering your opinion with CARB:

— The CARB Board Hearing Friday, November 8, 2024 @ 9:00 AM in the Haagen-Smit Auditorium at the CARB Southern California Headquarters (4001 Iowa Ave.) in Riverside. The only item on the agenda now is the Amendments to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). People can comment in person or remotely during the hearing but must be registered for the meeting to do so. In person comments will be taken before remote comments and will be limited to 2 minutes.  The link for registration will come out 10 days before the hearing date. I’ll be happy to forward the agenda and information to you as soon as it becomes available. Written comments can also be submitted. See additional information below – links are included.

— Public Comment Guidelines and Information

In-Person Public Testimony

Remote Public Participation

— The Board will set a two-minute time limit on oral comments; however, the amount of time could change at the Chair’s discretion. In-person speakers signed up to comment will be called upon first, followed by public Zoom and phone participants wishing to comment. The Chair may close speaker sign-ups 30 minutes after the public comment portion of an item has begun.

— Please note that under the California Public Records Act (Gov. Code, § 7920.000 et seq.), your written and oral comments, attachments, and associated contact information (e.g., your address, phone, email, etc.) become part of the public record and can be released to the public upon request.

NFIB Member Stars in ‘Yes on Prop. 36’ Video

• As she did so effectively at a Washington, D.C., news conference in support of making the Small Business Deduction permanent, NFIB member Beth Booth once again applied her persuasive skills in support of Proposition 36, the ballot initiative aimed at curbing retail theft.

• Booth and her husband, Marshall, are owners of Spaces Renewed, a custom home-building enterprise, in Oceanside (San Diego County). Both appears twice in the 30-second video explaining the high toll retail theft is having on Californians.

• As we will forever remind NFIB members, no one speaks with more authority on small business issues than a small business owners, and Beth Booth is a perfect example of why that’s so.

• Interested in speaking out? Drop an email to NFIB Grassroots Manager Taylor Criddle at taylor.criddle@nfib.org.

NFIB in the News

• CalMatters, October 24—Online publication for the second time in two days mentions NFIB’s production of radio and digital ads opposing Proposition 32.

• Capitol Morning Report, October 23—NFIB’s news release announcing its production of radio and digital ads opposing Proposition 32 mentioned in the Sacramento insiders first-read news source, which is by subscription only. Click here for a snip of the mention.

• CalMatters, October 23—Online news publication reports on NFIB’s production of radio and digital ads opposing Proposition 32, the minimum wage initiative.

• The Center Square, October 22—State Director comments on why job openings might be down for a story that ran in media across the nation.

• NFIB California in the News 2024.

Election Day Looms

• If you haven’t voted by mail already, check out, NFIB California 2024 Small Business Election Central, for the list of legislative candidates and ballot measures endorsed by the NFIB CA PAC.

Calendar

• November 5, General Election Day
• November 8 CARB hearing on Low Carbon Fuel Standard amendments
• November 30, National Shop Small Business Saturday Campaign
• December 2, a new Legislature for the 2025-2026 session convenes for organizational purposes and to collect a per diem before adjourning for the rest of the month.
• January 6, the 2025-2026 session of the California State Legislature opens for regular business.

National

• Congress returns from recess November 12.

• SBLC posted two alerts that summarize essential FAQs for the 2024 election season:

— time off to vote rules

— tips for handling political discourse in the workplace.

Next Main Street Minute November 4.