Why Is Gas So Expensive in California? | Jodie Muller on Energy, Jobs & Affordability

Why is gasoline so expensive in California? What happens when refineries close? Can California transition to cleaner energy without making life even more expensive for consumers?

In this episode of SacTown Talks, Hector Barajas sits down with Jodie Muller of the Western States Petroleum Association to discuss California’s complex energy market and what it means for families, workers, and businesses.

Muller explains why she believes California consumers pay more at the pump, citing supply constraints, taxes and fees, regulations, operating costs, and the state’s growing reliance on imported fuel. She also discusses refinery closures, the decline in in-state oil production, energy reliability, and the potential impact of California’s increasing dependence on fuel produced elsewhere.

The conversation also examines the human side of California energy policy — including skilled refinery jobs, middle-class wages, community tax revenue, and employment opportunities that can disappear when facilities shut down.

Topics include:

• Why California gasoline costs more than in many other states
• Taxes, fees, and regulations affecting fuel prices
• Refinery closures and fuel reliability
• California’s growing dependence on imported oil and fuel
• How energy prices affect food, transportation, and other everyday costs
• The impact on workers, families, and local communities
• Environmental goals versus affordability and reliability
• What California’s next governor should do on energy policy
• Whether California can maintain oil production while meeting environmental goals

Why Muller says consumers should be at the center of energy policy.

This is a deeper look at one of California’s biggest affordability questions: How do we balance environmental goals, energy reliability, and the cost of living?