There’s a reliable pattern in American politics — so consistent you could set your watch to it. A government layers on regulations that jack up costs, constituents start drowning at the register, and rather than owning the consequences, elected officials scramble for someone else to pin it on. Accountability, apparently, is for the private sector only.
But here’s where it gets interesting. What happens when a company decides to drop the corporate diplomacy and just tell customers the truth? What happens when they slap it right there on a sign at the gas pump for the whole state to see? Well, if you’re a certain Democratic governor with an ego the size of the Sacramento Valley, you melt down on social media.
From Breitbart News:
Democrat California Gov. Gavin Newsom called upon Californians to skip Chevron this holiday weekend after the company began posting signs blaming his government for high gas prices.
The governor issued his call in a post on X, advising Californians to purchase “unbranded” gas instead.
Let that sink in for a moment. Heading into Memorial Day weekend — one of the busiest travel periods of the year — the sitting governor of California used his official government platform to organize a consumer boycott against a specific American energy company. Not over a safety violation. Not over a consumer fraud scandal. Because Chevron had the nerve to be honest with its customers.
The signs that sent Newsom spiraling read simply: “Sacramento policies did this. Now you pay more.” A second line adds, “California politicians are choosing foreign oil and fuels over local jobs and lower costs.” No hysterics. No partisan theatrics. Just a plain statement of fact alongside a QR code linking to more information.
Chevron spokesman Ross Allen confirmed the campaign has been running for three years as a straightforward consumer education effort. “We’ve been very vocal about the importance of customer education in California so that our drivers and our consumers understand where their tax dollars are going,” Allen said. Three years of these signs — and only now has Newsom decided he can’t stomach it anymore. You have to wonder what changed. Or maybe the numbers just finally got too embarrassing.
Do the math, Governor
And embarrassing they are. According to the American Automobile Association, California’s average gas price sat at $6.14 per gallon on Thursday. That’s $1.58 above the national average. The state’s own energy commission confirms that California taxes consumers roughly 70 cents per gallon — the highest gas tax in the entire country. Not the highest on the West Coast. The highest period.
It doesn’t stop there. Two oil refineries accounting for approximately 18% of the state’s refining capacity have announced plans to close, chased out by Sacramento’s suffocating regulatory climate. Newsom’s celebrated 2023 law allowing regulators to penalize oil companies for “excess profits” — the one he trumpeted by declaring California had “finally beat big oil” — was quietly shelved by those same regulators last year. Enforcement got punted to 2030. His 2024 law granted the energy commission authority to require fuel reserves. Also stalled. Dead on arrival, gathering dust.
Every major policy Newsom championed to lower gas prices has either collapsed or been abandoned. The only thing actually working is making California more expensive to live in. Mission accomplished, I suppose.
Punishing the messenger
Rather than reckon with any of this wreckage, Newsom took to X to blame “Big Oil” and “Trump’s Iran War.” Yes, the conflict involving Iran has driven energy prices up nationally. Nobody disputes that. But the national average is still $1.58 less than what Californians pay. That gap isn’t Tehran’s doing. That’s Sacramento, through and through.
Here’s the detail that makes this boycott call genuinely reckless — and genuinely stupid. Most Chevron stations in California are independently owned and operated. These aren’t corporate outposts staffed by executives in suits. They’re small businesses run by people who live in the communities they serve. Newsom isn’t landing a punch on some boardroom in San Ramon. He’s kneecapping the gas station owner down the street, who’s already getting crushed by the governor’s own policies. Brilliant strategy.
The real California playbook
This is Sacramento’s governing model distilled to its purest form. Regulate an industry into the ground. Tax consumers until they bleed. Drive businesses out of the state. Then blame those very businesses for the mess you made. Newsom said he “finally beat big oil.” Two refineries are shutting down, gas is north of six dollars, and the governor is waging war against informational signage. Some victory.
Chevron’s signs aren’t the problem here. They’re performing a public service that Sacramento refuses to provide — giving Californians an honest accounting of why filling up the tank feels like a mugging. If the truth is so dangerous it requires a gubernatorial boycott, maybe the truth isn’t what needs changing.
The rest of America should pay close attention. What California’s politicians get away with today, yours will try tomorrow.
Key Takeaways
- Newsom is retaliating against Chevron for posting truthful signs about Sacramento’s role in sky-high gas prices.
- California’s $6.14/gallon average runs $1.58 above the national average, fueled by the nation’s highest gas tax.
- Every major Newsom policy targeting oil companies has stalled or been shelved entirely.
- Most Chevron stations are independently owned — this boycott punishes small business owners, not corporate executives.
Sources: Breitbart, NBC Bay Area
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