Follow Governor Newsom — Not Legislators — on Gas Tax Relief

By Colleen O’Connor

President Biden called for a three-month gas tax holiday from federal fees at the pump.

It not only landed with a thud, it couldn’t even pass muster with Speaker Pelosi. A puny 18-cent savings per gallon for a three-months comes to less than a $10-a-month savings (unless you are a diesel trucker).

And whatever happened to the $400 dollar gas cards for California residents that Governor Newsom proposed in his budget?

At least, it had some sense to it.  If the DMV confirmed registered car owners’ documents, they receive a gas card.  How hard is that to accomplish in the high-tech, cyber-tech, robotics capital of the world?

Furthermore, if anyone owed unpaid parking tickets, other DMV fines such as toll bridge runners, they would be denied the card until all bills are paid.  San Francisco’s Chronicle reported:

“SAN FRANCISCO — The Bay Area Toll Authority will try to collect more than $180 million in unpaid bridge tolls, about $50 million comes from unpaid tolls and $130 million in late fees, after its Oversight Committee voted Wednesday to crack down on more than 400,000 drivers.”

Now, multiply that possibility of cash collectible by every city in the state.

Such an approach makes better sense than a $10 rebate.  The state could recover huge IOUs and help motorists at the same time.  Why is this so difficult?

And why, instead, is the statehouse considering a “special” committee to look into “high gas prices?”

Deadline for a decision is July 1st.

Here is the latest, according to the San Francisco Chronicle:

(https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/California-gas-price-relief-latest-17255951.php)

“The root of the disagreement between Newsom and Democrats in the Legislature is over who should receive payments. Newsom wants to send $400 in the form of debit cards to vehicle owners (up to $800 for drivers with more than one vehicle) and would hire a third-party vendor to work with the Department of Motor Vehicles in issuing those payments. Members of the Legislature, on the other hand, want the state Franchise Tax Board — the agency that distributed state-issued pandemic relief checks.”

Big discussions over the weekend delivered the new idea of $200: “to issue $200 to residents making less than $125,000 (for joint filers, the threshold is $250,000) regardless of whether they own a vehicle.”

Worse idea, let the Franchise Tax Board do the disbursement because they handled the pandemic relief checks so well.  Remember the massive fraud from that effort?

Stick with the Governor.  Get the $400 into the hands of the car owners.  Collect all the IOUs.  And give bus/transit passes to those without cars.  Just a thought.  Watch how empty those buses are in your neighborhood.

IF only California legislators would act like “adults in the room,” the state might one day lead the nation, instead of muddling on and on and on.

Do what that Governor suggests!  The relief will come faster.