In summary
Unable to jam through bills he says will lower California gas prices, Gov. Newsom calls the Legislature back into session.
Hours before the Legislature prepared to wrap up for the year, Gov. Gavin Newsom tonight called a special session to address gasoline prices — giving him more time to persuade lawmakers to act on a package of energy bills that he failed to jam through in the final weeks of the regular session.
But the special session may already be in jeopardy, after the leader of the state Senate immediately rejected the governor’s call for the Legislature to meet this fall, during what would normally be a crucial campaign period for lawmakers leading up to the Nov. 5 election.
In what has become a frequent move, Newsom earlier this month proposed sweeping plans to bring down energy costs for Californians just as the annual legislative session was drawing to a close, leaving lawmakers little time to react or negotiate with the governor. Increasingly frustrated with the strongarm tactics, the Legislature split this time in its response, sinking Newsom’s measures as the Assembly refused to take them up.
With his special session, Newsom has now extended the clock that ran out tonight until Nov. 30, when the two-year legislative term formally ends, and inject a renewed sense of urgency in what has become an increasing focus of his political agenda — taking on the oil industry.
“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,” he said in a press release.
The governor’s order requires the special session to begin today, but it did not say when the actual hearings would begin. His announcement led to a buzz of activity in both chambers: While Assembly Democrats took a break to caucus, in the Senate, there was a failed motion to adjourn.
Newsom’s move followed Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas’ refusal this week to “push through bills that haven’t been sufficiently vetted with public hearings.”
The governor’s office said, in response, that he and the Legislature had been working together on the proposal for months, noting that the first policy recommendation was shared with the Legislature in January, and that there were legislative committee hearings on the topic in May.
In contrast to the Assembly, Senate Democratic leader Mike McGuire, had objected to a special session, saying Friday that the Senate was “ready to get the bills passed, sent to the Governor, and signed into law.”
After the governor’s announcement, Rivas posted on X that he appreciated the governor calling the special session: “I respect the Pro Tem’s position, the Assembly is united,” he wrote. “We want the public to have a voice in this process, and that hasn’t happened yet. We need to get this right.”
The package of energy-related bills included Senate Bill 950, authored by Democratic Sen. Nancy Skinner, which would regulate refinery maintenance to prevent supply problems and price hikes.
The other key bill in the package was Assembly Bill 3121 by Assemblymembers Cottie Petrie-Norris and Gregg Hart, which would have given households a one-time credit of between $30 and $70. Petrie-Norris, a Democrat from Irvine, pulled the bill from the Senate energy committee Friday afternoon. The governor called the session before the fate of the full package of bills was determined.
It’s the second time in two years that Newsom has called for a special session — in 2022, he convened one in December to push for a tax on oil industry profits. That session, while initially aimed at taxing excessive oil profits, resulted in the creation of a watchdog division at the California Energy Commission to analyze and potentially regulate oil profits.
Newsom referenced the ongoing work of that division in his new proclamation, but said California remained vulnerable to price spikes when refineries undergo maintenance.
In his new proposal, the governor wants to give the energy commission more authority to impose minimum fuel inventories at refineries and require them to lay out plans during maintenance.
Gas prices today in California average $4.64 a gallon, according to the American Automobile Association, compared to the national average of $3.34.