Staff Reports
Governor Gavin Newsom told Californians to “AVOID Chevron” this holiday weekend, pushing drivers toward cheaper “unbranded” gas after Chevron began posting signs at pumps blaming Sacramento for high prices. It was a headline-making flare-up — a governor tweeting boycott advice and an oil giant pointing fingers at state taxes. The fight is loud, messy, and exactly the kind of show that leaves drivers paying more while politicians and corporations score cheap headlines.
Newsom’s Cheap Shot and the “Unbranded” Pitch
Newsom’s post on X urged drivers to skip Chevron-branded stations and buy unbranded fuel instead, arguing the gas comes from the same refineries, tanks, and pipelines. He even tied his message to geopolitics, warning that “Big Oil is already making billions off President Donald Trump’s Iran War.” Nice theater. Practical? Sort of. Political? Definitely. And while the governor looks brave telling Californians where to pump their gas, he’s not saying the one thing that would actually bring prices down: cut the state taxes and fees that make California the most expensive state at the pump.
Chevron’s Signs — And the Numbers That Matter
Chevron’s in-station signs say, plainly, that “Sacramento policies did this. Now you pay more.” The company says this is a customer-education campaign it started years ago. Whatever the start date, the message hits a real pain point. AAA reports California’s average regular price sits well above the national average — numbers that match what drivers already feel at the pump. And California’s state tax and fee load is famously high, roughly seven decades-worth of cents per gallon compared with other states. That’s real money coming off every fill-up.
Branded vs. Unbranded — A Small Win for Consumers
Newsom says unbranded gas meets the same standards and can save drivers tens of cents per gallon versus big-brand fuel. State energy reports back up that there’s a gap between branded and unbranded retail prices — sometimes a few dozen cents, sometimes more depending on the station and the day. To be fair, Chevron warns many of its stations are independently owned and set prices locally. So the truth is messy: brand premium exists, taxes and fees exist, and both politics and corporate PR want you to blame the other side.
Stop the Soundbites — Fix Policy
Here’s the conservative bottom line: voters and drivers don’t care who wins a Twitter war. They care about getting affordable gas. If Newsom wants lower prices, he can push to roll back or reform the tax and fee structure that makes California fuel so expensive. If Chevron wants to avoid criticism, it can stop using customers as props for its advocacy and be honest about independent station pricing. Both sides toss blame while drivers cough up extra dollars for power steering and patience. A better path would be less posturing and more policy changes that expand refining capacity, lower taxes, and make markets work rather than echo each other’s talking points.
So, pick your pump, clip coupons, and vote with your wallet. But don’t be fooled into thinking a social-media boycott or some slick signs will fix structural problems at the pump. The political theater is cheap; the gas is not. And until Sacramento and the oil companies stop performing for headlines, Californians will keep paying the tab.
