Californians could soon get a $400 gas rebate
LOS ANGELES - Democratic state lawmakers on Thursday announced a $400 gas rebate proposal for every California taxpayer.
The proposal would use $9 billion of the state's budget surplus to provide the rebate, which is expected to cover the 51.1-cent-per-gallon gas tax for one full year of weekly fill-ups for a car with a 15-gallon gas tank.
"Many Californians are feeling severe financial pain at the pump and looking to California’s leaders for help," said Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Irvine). "We believe a rebate is the best approach to directly put money in people’s pockets."
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Under this proposal, every California filer will receive a rebate—including those who don’t own or drive a car.
The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline shot up a whopping 79 cents over the past two weeks to a record-setting $4.43 per gallon as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is contributing to already-high prices at the pump.
Prices at the pump were rising long before Russia invaded Ukraine as post-lockdown demand has pushed prices higher. Crude prices plummeted in early 2020 as economies around the world shut down because of COVID-19 — the price of futures even turned negative, meaning some sellers were paying buyers to take oil. Prices rebounded, however, as demand recovered faster than producers pulled oil out of the ground and inventories dried up.
While gas prices continue to hit record highs, some people in Southern California are now resorting to gasoline theft.
A FOX 11 viewer shared photos of what happened to a vehicle — a thief drilled a hole in the fuel tank, draining all the gas. AAA is seeing a rise in gas siphoning and theft across the country, and now they're warning car owners about how to keep their vehicles safe.
According to Long Beach PD, a group of suspects tried to steal fuel from the gas station on Redondo Avenue. One person was taken into custody as of Thursday.
Prices for domestic and international flights have soared along with gas prices, and experts say the rise will continue.
Rideshare companies Uber and Lyft are rolling out fuel surcharges to help offset the rising cost of gas.
Uber’s new fee goes into effect on March 16, which adds about 45 to 50 cents for each trip depending on distance and 35 to 45 cents for each UberEats delivery.
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