Assemblywoman Suzette Valladares (R-Santa Clarita) is vowing to continue working with the bi-partisan California Problem Solvers Caucus that has been pushing Gov. Gavin Newsom to eliminate or suspend the gas tax.
“For me, this is about representing the people who need relief from the price of the pump,” she said. “I absolutely will continue to raise my voice to address what people are asking for.”
To that end, Valladares joined nine other Republican lawmakers last week on the steps of the Capitol building in Sacramento, according to media reports.
"There are ongoing conversations with assembly members and senators on both sides of the aisle about how we get this done," she said. "One person in my district, and I'm sure there are many, is spending $150 to fill up his tank twice a week and that doesn't even get him a week's worth of gas."
The California Problem Solvers Caucus introduced Assembly Bill (AB) 2457, however it has not been assigned a committee hearing.
AB 2457 would suspend the gas tax on motor vehicle fuels imposed by the Motor Vehicle Fuel Tax Law for one year and would be funded through a transfer from the General Fund to the Motor Vehicle Fuel Account in the Transportation Tax Fund.
“The only way for us to get this heard would be through an urgency bill and I think it's something that the Problem Solvers Caucus is completely open to in terms of figuring out a way to get this bill passed,” Valladares told the Southern California Record. “There's still going to be plenty of budget trailer bills where we could also push to have this gas tax suspended.”
The average fuel price is $6.401 per gallon in California compared to the nationwide average of $4.983, according to AAA.
Gov. Newsom announced a proposal in March to spend $11 billion on tax refunds in the form of direct stimulus payments of $400 each to car owners statewide, according to a press release released by the governor’s office.
“They've been talking about this for months and there's been no action,” Valladares added. “So there is still literally nothing, no relief for gas, for people putting gas in their tanks right now.
Although in January, Gov. Newsom initially was supportive of suspending the gas tax, the majority leadership in Sacramento does not approve, according to Valladares.
“It baffles me,” she said. “I look at this as political elitism. These people who make decisions are failing to make these decisions. Obviously, they are not feeling the pain at the pump, like the average Californian.”