California Lawmakers Split Over Governor’s Order to Stay for Extra Session to Work on Lowering Gas Prices

Gov. Gavin Newsom discusses energy policies at a press conference in Oakland, Calif., on Aug. 30. Travis Gillmore/The Epoch Times

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—Late on Aug. 31, the last day of the 2023-2024 legislative session, California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered a special session to give lawmakers more time to pass legislation meant to mitigate gas price increases.

The Democratic leader of the Senate, President Pro Tem Sen. Mike McGuire, however, said some lawmakers have been working on lowering gas prices for months and that the chamber would not be following the governor’s order.

“The Senate always had the votes and was ready to get these important measures across the finish line this legislative year and deliver the relief Californians need at the pump and on their electricity bills,” he wrote in an Aug. 31 statement. “We won’t be convening a special session this fall, but we look forward to continuing conversations with the governor and speaker about this critical issue in the days and weeks to come.”

Senate President Pro Tem Sen. Mike McGuire addresses the Legislature in Sacramento on Aug. 31. Travis Gillmore/The Epoch Times

He told reporters after the Senate session that lawmakers do not agree on how best to proceed.

“There is a difference of opinion of bringing the Legislature in for the session or not,” McGuire said. “That’s fine, but I firmly believe that we had the opportunity to be able to get the votes and provide Californians with the relief they need.”

According to a spokesperson for Newsom, the state’s Constitution—specifically Article IV, section 3(b), which gives the governor the authority to order special sessions in extraordinary circumstances—requires the Legislature to follow his orders.

“The special session has already begun,” Newsom’s office told The Epoch Times Sept. 3 by email. “The governor has caused both houses of the Legislature to assemble in a special session by virtue of his proclamation.”

Democratic Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas told reporters at a 12:45 a.m. press conference after the session that members of the Assembly are ready to follow the governor’s order.

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas speaks with reporters early in the early morning hours Sept. 1 at the Capitol after the 2023-2024 legislative session ended. Travis Gillmore/The Epoch Times

“I believe when the governor issues a proclamation, it’s our constitutional obligation to get that work done,” Rivas said. “We’re excited to get the work done.”

Lawmakers in the Assembly opened the session in the late hours of the final day of the session, over objections from Republicans.

Assemblyman Bill Essayli and Minority Leader James Gallagher tried to close the session for the year but were overruled by the Democratic supermajority.

“It’s a sham,” Gallagher told The Epoch Times. “There’s no real plan, goal, or policy that would lower gas prices.”

Republican Minority Leader Assemblyman James Gallagher speaks to the Legislature on Aug. 31  at the Capitol. Travis Gillmore/The Epoch Times

He expressed gratitude for the Democrats that pushed back against the governor’s attempts and said he and other colleagues will fight for policies they believe will better serve Californians.

“That’s great. I’m glad that they stood up to him,” Gallagher said. “If they’re going to hold it, then we have serious, real policy measures that would lower people’s prices.”

Removing fuels from the state’s cap-and-trade system—which sets limits on emissions and issues fines and fees for companies that exceed regulations—is an approach that some are calling for, while the governor’s plan could prove detrimental, he said.

“They’d prefer to place the blame on oil and gas companies while pushing a policy that will actually decrease supplies and increase the price of gas,” Gallagher said.

In a press release announcing his order on Aug. 31, the governor said extra work was needed to address rising gas prices.

“Calling the session now allows the Legislature to begin that work immediately so that the state can resolve this important matter to establish the necessary rules to prevent price spikes next year and beyond,” Newsom said.

The governor said that the regulations included in Senate Bill 950—introduced by Sen. Nancy Skinner to limit refinery maintenance and require higher levels of gasoline reserves—and Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris’s Assembly Bill 3121—which would have provided one-time credits of between $30 and $70 to households—among others, could help save Californians “hundreds of millions of dollars—if not billions of dollars—at the pump annually.”

The governor highlighted statistics from the state’s Division of Petroleum Market Oversight—which showed that by averting price spikes, drivers in California could save more than $2 billion over the course of a year—as evidence that additional supplies would prove beneficial.

“It should be common sense for gas refineries to plan ahead and backfill supplies when they go down for maintenance to avoid price spikes,” Newsom said in the press release. “But these price spikes are actually profit spikes for Big Oil, and they’re using the same old scare tactics to maintain the status quo.”

With the November elections fast approaching, one Republican lawmaker suggested the call for a special session was essentially “political theater,” and that little will be done in the coming months.

“I don’t think they have any intentions of acting on the governor’s order before the election,” Essayli told The Epoch Times on the Assembly floor Aug. 31.