Proposed California's Mileage tax .

[HighStepper]

I also vote NO on most of the ballot measures

My default position on ballot measures is NO.
A compelling argument must be made to have me switch to yes.

[bats]

My default position on ballot measures is NO.
A compelling argument must be made to have me switch to yes.

Same. Why? They're almost always a lousy way to make policy.

Bond measures are a little different, mainly because Prop 13, the worst of all ballot measures, made it impossible for local governments to raise revenue directly.*

*I understand why it was passed, but it was still a lousy solution to the problem.

[Fathernature69]

Was in Virginia last week, gas was in the $3.50 range, their gas tax is 24 cents/gal less than California's. But here it it's about $2 more/ gallon. Someone is pocketing a lot of money. oil companies?
Had a kitchen at our hotel room so we bought food. All the things I usually buy here where the same price there. So location can't be the reason. Maybe the station owners are getting rich.

I was in Oregon last week.  Gas was $4.09 in Ashland, and yes I had to pump my own gas. 

[dogwalker]

Gas prices are not going to be identical in every state, city, and gas station. It's ridiculous to expect that.  Why?  For example gas closer to certain refineries (near Louisiana, Alabama, etc.) is often cheapest because the cost of transporting it to a gas station after it is made is less.  Gas is about double in Alaska even though it's pumped out of the north shore of Alaska because it has to be shipped to CA to be refined then shipped back to Alaska as gas for use.  There are no refineries anywhere near Alaska.  In CA we have winter blends designed to make less air pollution in winter that cost more to make and other states do not make.  And so on.......  Having refineries in northern CA does not offset other aspects contributing to the cost of gas here as it does in other states (taxes).

I recall some stations are privately owned and some are company owned and that supposedly can make a difference.  Gas stations across the street from each other tend to have identical or very close prices to compete with each other even if one might want to have higher prices.  Oil company-branded gas (Chevron, Texaco, Shell, etc.) tends to be higher priced than Rotten Robbie or am-pm gas.  They claim there are additives that make it better so it's worth more. 

What I find interesting is in my area gas can currently be $0.50-1.00/gallon more in gas stations selling exactly the same brand that are just a few miles apart. I don't see a consistent pattern as to why but sometimes the more expensive stations are in richer areas (they can afford it?) and sometimes in poorer areas (let's gouge the poor?).