In Loving Memory of Susan Kelly, who passed away in her Malibu home on August 19th. A native Angeleno and a Malibu resident since 1980, Susan’s career started in her teens as an actress in films, including the original Batman: The Movie, The Chase, and television shows like Shindig and McCloud. She began writing in the 1970’s for TV shows, including Quincy, The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Mysteries, BJ and the Bear, Matlock, The Equalizer, and Remington Steele.
Susan was committed to contributing to the Malibu community, which she loved so much. Most recently, she was the President of the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Malibu Library. She spearheaded library book sales, volunteered countless hours of her time and heart to help when the library was rebuilt, cooking for the homeless, and was also amulti-ribbon winner of the Malibu Pie Festival.
She will be warmly remembered for her amazing attitude and spirit, always ready with a warm smile, an open heart, a helping hand, and a lovingly made meal for all who were lucky enough to know her, along with some of the best chocolate chip cookies in Malibu. She is survived by her husband Ian, son Mark Woollen, grandsons Beckett and Weston, and her dog Scottie.
Early in his career, Mark Abramson ran the Malibu Creek Stream Team at Heal the Bay, where he and his volunteers mapped 70 miles+ of the Malibu Creek Watershed. Where others might see an urban lake or a storm drain, he saw an oppressed creek that deserved liberation. He began extensive water quality testing in the region, helping to bring the conversation about local water quality to the public. His propensity for saying whatever he thought at public meetings — often with four-letter words interlaced into the commentary — made him both beloved and feared, but he always spoke the truth as he understood it and made every effort to make sure people considered how their actions (or inactions) would impact biodiversity both in our landscape and in the Pacific Ocean. Later on, he launched a successful career in landscape architecture, where he championed the use of native plants. He is best known for his leadership during the construction phase of the Malibu Lagoon Restoration, where he faced down threats of violence and death with aplomb. To say that I will miss him is an understatement.
Caroline was born in Waco, TX, but spent the greater part of her life in Albuquerque, NM, where she raised two children and eventually three stepchildren. She developed a love for singing and jazz music as a child. A highlight of her life was singing with the Stan Kenton Orchestra on their tour through Albuquerque as a teenager. She performed in several musicals with the Albuquerque Light Opera and also summer stock plays at the Corrales Adobe Theater. Caroline had a great love and appreciation for Native American and Mexican culture and art and was a very talented artist and seamstress with a special love for watercolors and textiles. She spent the majority of her work career as a legal secretary in Los Angeles before remarrying and eventually settling in Flagstaff, Arizona. Caroline spent the last year and a half of her life in Malibu, California, with her daughter. She is survived by her daughter, Julia Holland; her son, Michael Griffis; her grandchildren, Brooke Holland and Thomas Holland; her stepchildren, Leslie Lienau and Chris Lienau; and 11 step-grandchildren. The family requests that any gifts or donations be made on her behalf to any Alzheimer’s Association in support of families who suffer from this disease.
Long-time Malibu resident John Purucker passed away on Thursday, September 28th, 2023, after a hard-fought battle with cancer. He was sixty-two years old.
John moved to Malibu in 1967 at the age of six and enjoyed getting into trouble from day one. He lived life to the fullest, always pushing the limits of what he could do. John loved traveling across the country, backpacking, hiking, riding BMX and dirt bikes, kayaking, and off-roading. He loved working on his cars, trucks, and motorcycles and showed exceptional skill at taking engines apart and putting them back together.
John is fondly remembered as the lead guitarist for the band “Wandermere”, which delighted Malibu audiences for years. He loved music, and there was hardly ever a day when there wasn’t a guitar in his hand. More often than not, John could be found strumming away any song that came to mind or just making something up on his own.
A genuinely caring individual who could make friends with anyone, John picked up conversations with strangers daily. He treated everyone with the same respect and was never shy about saying, “hey, how’s it going?” or giving random funny and good-natured commentary.
John was hard-working and would do just about anything for anyone, no matter how big or small the job. John attained his teaching credentials from Cal State Long Beach and taught auto shop in Lake Tahoe until his entrepreneurial spirit led him to start his own heavy equipment business. John’s big yellow Peterbilt dump truck and backhoe were his pride and joy.
John is survived by his four children, Justin, Christopher, Caitlyn, and Emily, his mother, Mary, his sister, Kathie, and his ever-faithful dog Molly. He joins in eternal rest his beloved wife, Debbie, father Fred, and sister Mary.
In the last year and a half, between rounds of chemo, John still insisted upon going to Yosemite and Lake Tahoe and going for walks and hikes. John kept singing until he couldn’t sing anymore. May his music always play in the hearts and minds of those who knew him, may his kindness always be remembered, and may he rest in peace.
For info about the Funeral and Memorial, friends and family can contact Emilynpurucker@gmail.com.
Malibu High School boys and girls water polo coach Mike Mulligan and Jesse Billauer pose together after the program. Mulligan said he was a lifeguard when Billauer attended MHS in the 1990s. Photos by Samantha Bravo/TMT.
Jesse Billauer was involved in a surfing accident when he was 17 years old, but he doesn’t let it stop him from leading a full life
Malibu High School alumnus Jesse Billauer has been through three traumatic experiences that shaped who he is today.
“The first one happened in October of 1995, when I was driving to school to this school, Malibu High School, I was driving past Pepperdine, and I was on my way to go surfing before school,” Billauer recalled. “I was going through this intersection, right by Pepperdine, and there was a car that made a turn, and they didn’t see me, so they hit my driver side door, my car spun around, and it flipped over a few times. I get ejected out of the window, I ended up laying on PCH. All my dreams flashed in front my eyes.”
All Billauer could think of was, “Would I be that professional surfer, would I be in a big feature film movie, would I have that wife and kids, would I have that world title? I was so scared.”
Billauer recalled going to the hospital and remembering how he felt after that incident.
“I ended up walking out of the hospital the next day. I came back to Malibu High School, played baseball, soccer, surfing, never thought twice about that car accident,” Billauer said. “I remember six months later, it was a month before my 17th birthday, I was in 11th grade, it was March 25, 1996, a gorgeous day like today.”
On Thursday, Oct. 5, Malibu High School alumni Jesse Billauer spoke during an assembly and provided inspirational advice to middle and high school students. Photos by Samantha Bravo/TMT.On Thursday, Oct. 5, Malibu High School alumni Jesse Billauer spoke during an assembly and provided inspirational advice to middle and high school students. Photos by Samantha Bravo/TMT.On Thursday, Oct. 5, Malibu High School alumni Jesse Billauer spoke during an assembly and provided inspirational advice to middle and high school students. Photos by Samantha Bravo/TMT.On Thursday, Oct. 5, Malibu High School alumni Jesse Billauer spoke during an assembly and provided inspirational advice to middle and high school students. Photos by Samantha Bravo/TMT.Malibu High School boys and girls water polo coach Mike Mulligan and Jesse Billauer pose together after the program. Mulligan said he was a lifeguard when Billauer attended MHS in the 1990s. Photos by Samantha Bravo/TMT.Malibu Middle School students thank Jesse Billauer after his presentation. Photos by Samantha Bravo/TMT.
All his friends showed up to surf, and Billauer said he remembered the waves were about 6 to 8 feet.
“When I came out, the wave hit me in my back and I went head first into the water — normally, I put my hands up, or jump to the side, and I thought it was deeper than it was, and ended up hitting my head in the shallow sand bar, and my whole body went limp and numb,” he said.
“I was floating there face down in the water, unable to move, all I could do was hold my breath and hope that a wave could turn me over, and when I did I was calling for help,” Billauer said. “I remembered getting up on the beach, they called 9-1-1, I remembered the lifeguard came over and asked me if I was able to move, I wasn’t really sure what was going on, and they next thing I remembered I was in this rotating bed.”
The doctors told Billauer his sixth vertebrae broke and he became paralyzed.
“It changed my life forever,” Billauer said. “I was devastated, I was 17, all I wanted to do was hang out with my friends, play sports, go to school, and just walk and be independent — I didn’t know that stuff can get taken away.”
On Thursday, Oct. 5, Billauer shared his story and, inspired students during an assembly and provided advice to middle and high school students, both inspiring and motivating.
A couple weeks after his injury, Billauer had to learn how to do tasks like sit up and brush his teeth.
“Just a few weeks before, I was traveling around the world, on the U.S. Surf Team, and now I had to depend on someone,” Billauer said.
Billauer’s third traumatic experience was while trying a new sport called wheelchair rugby.
“We went to a local park, tried out this wheelchair, tried out this game — I really wasn’t into it — and I borrowed this wheelchair and someone borrowed the wheely bars in the back of my wheelchair, which prevent you from flipping over, but when they put them in, they didn’t put them in right, so when I got back into my chair, I pushed, my wheelchair flipped over backward, and I hit my head my head in the concrete, and my whole body went all limp, and numb, 100 percent how I broke my neck and I thought I was paralyzed again,” Billauer said. “It was from those three traumatic experiences was when I realized how precious life is and at any moment, life can change.”
Billauer remembers returning to school after the incident and being called in by his principal.
“He said, ‘Jesse you’re still the same person, you’re just in a wheelchair, we’re going to make this school accommodating, we’re going to help you with whatever you need so you can graduate with all your friends,’” Billauer said. “I didn’t know how big of an impact that made in my life, but it did, and I just want you to know that there might be a moment where, your teachers, or your principal sits you down to talk about something in life, and you might not think it’s big at that moment, but I promise you, later on, you might come back in life and thank them.”
Billauer was one of the 100 junior surfers in the world. A few years after the incident, he founded an organization called Life Rolls On. Life Rolls On began on Sept. 11, 2001, achieved 501(c)3 nonprofit status in 2002, and now touches the lives of hundreds of thousands. The event encourages participants to find freedom beyond paralysis through various action sports. The organization will also be celebrating it’s 20th anniversary.
Life Rolls On is dedicated to improving the quality of life for people living with various disabilities. Believing that adaptive surfing, skating, and fishing could inspire infinite possibilities beyond any disability.
“Don’t let anyone tell you can’t make a difference,” Billauer said. “Make sure you have that confidence within yourself to have that self-esteem to be able to know what you’re doing in life, it’s okay to make mistakes and learn from them, you never will learn unless you make mistakes.”
Billauer’s awards and honors include but are not limited to:
3X World Adaptive Surfing Champion.
6X US National Adaptive Surfing Champion.
3X Hawaii Adaptive Surfing Championships, First Place.
3X US Open of Adaptive Surfing, First Place.
Surfing Walk of Fame Inductee.
Founder & Executive Director/CEO, Life Rolls On Foundation.
Inspirational Speaker.
“Surround yourself with positive people, that all your dreams, and can come true,” Billauer said. “I feel like you’re only as good as the people you surround yourself with, you only surround yourself with negative people, negative people are going to follow, you surround yourself with positive people, positive things are going to follow, so I chose to go down the road to following my dreams and figuring out how to do it.”
Billauer continues to inspire millions with his speaking programs, his website says, “I’ll leave you with this: Your power is in your perspective, not your circumstance.”
“Everyone only wants you to try your best, weather you succeed or you don’t, as long as you give it your best shot, that’s all eveyone wants from you,” Billauer said.
To find out more about Billauer and Life Rolls On go to jessebillauer.com or liferollson.org.
Malibu's Soleil Errico is carried to the winner's podium by coaches and family members after winning her third world title at the World Surf League’s Women’s Longboard Championship competition at First Point Beach. Photo courtesy of the World Surf League
Malibu surfer Soleil Errico rides the waves to her third world title, solidifying her legacy at iconic First Point
By Barbara Burke
Special to the Malibu Times
Malibu’s professional longboard surfer Soleil Errico, 22, and other competitive surfers, their families, friends, and fans waited … and waited … and waited for the World Surf League’s Women’s Longboard Championship competition to begin at Malibu’s iconic First Point Beach.
Because of the vicissitudes of the tides, a 10-day window was slated as the period during which the competition could be held. First, there was too little surf. So, Oct. 3-6 were not selected to hold the competition. Then, to make the situation more complicated, Surfrider was so entrenched in a blanket of fog on Oct. 7 and 8 that the competition still could not be held.
Early in the morning of October 9, the fog hung coyly over mid-Malibu, threatening another delay. However, soon, the sun emerged, the fog disappeared, and it was game on.
Down at the beach, they gathered, as surfing fans do, hanging out, visiting with one another, and always, always looking at the ocean, sizing up the swell, and looking for the waves to break.
It was easy to spot Errico’s fans — they were a veritable sea of excited supporters sporting light blue T-shirts proclaiming, “Soleil All the Way — Bring it Home!” Professional surfers joined with members of the community. Surf legend Allen Sarlo was there, cheering her on as were many other surfing professionals.
Out on the water, the competing surfers waited patiently for their best wave. Errico was defending the women’s world longboard championship she won last year at First Point, the break where she grew up surfing as a teenager after moving to Malibu from Kauai when she was 14. First Point was where Errico decided to dedicate herself to longboarding. It was where she learned both the techniques and nuances of the sport. It was where she immersed herself in — and endeared herself to — the amazing amalgam of surfers who go there often, a group composed of an eclectic mix of surfing professionals and locals, all of whom admire Errico and consider her a part of their tight-knit community.
Riding a Stewart Surfboard, Errico chose superior waves wisely, mesmerizing onlookers as she seamlessly navigated breaks, using her hips superbly, and delighted the crowd with her nose-riding and turning and trimming. Her surfing truly was poetry in motion.
Errico bested first seed Kelis Kaleopa’a in the two-out-of-three World Title competition. Her superior form earned a 15.83 heat total in their Title Match 2 and garnered her third world title, her second at Malibu Beach.
Emerging from the water teary-eyed, but joyful, Errico was hoisted up on the shoulders of family members and coaches and, accompanied by her deliriously delighted fans, she was carried up to the winner’s platform where she chatted with A.J. McCord, WSL’s journalist, about her back-to-back longboard championship and winning again on her home beach in her hometown.
The crowd exploded in applause.
Photo by Jon GaedeMALIBU, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 9: WSL Longboard Champion Soleil Errico of the United States after winning the Title Match at the Original Sprout Malibu Longboard Championships Presented by Tractor Beverage Company on October 9, 2023 at Malibu, California. (Photo by Tommy Pierucki/World Surf League)
“It’s your beach,” professional surfer Timothy Hazelip shouted, adding, “I knew you’d win!”
“Malibu’s my home and my heart and soul are here,” Errico said, still in awe of her victory. “I have the best family ever! It’s been a long day and weekend because the fog has messed everyone up, but I trusted the process.
“I stayed strong through two title matches, and the sun coming out definitely helped. There were a few waves where I was stoked to get on the inside, and it was important to pick the right ones.”
As her adoring fans kept cheering, she said, “I love you guys and I thank my mom and dad and my coach C.J. Nelson, who has been my rock and support – he’s an amazing coach! I’m really thankful for who is in my corner and I thank everyone for riding this journey with me.”
When McCord inquired why Errico thought she won, she simply responded, “It took a lot of hard work to win the title. That’s how it goes. You need to work hard to achieve your dreams.”
Danny Errico, Errico’s delighted father said, “The Surfrider community showed up for Soleil and to me, that’s the best part. Every day, they show up for her when she drives into the parking lot and the guys protect her, both in the parking lot, which can be dangerous, as well as when she paddles out in the water where people can be aggressive. As a dad, I’ve worried about that over the years.”
Joining in the conversation, Jean Pierre Pereat, avid surfer and instructor, said, “The group that surfs with Soleil demands excellence in the water and she brings that every day she’s out there. She shows up humble and she does the work — she’s out there in horrible conditions when I don’t want to go out.”
Pausing, he added, “She leads others without arrogance.”
Qualifications
For readers who are not too familiar with how longboard competitions are scored, surfers will say prowess is assessed by focusing on “style, flow, and grace.”
The Malibu Times reached out to the World Surf League which provided more specific information about the judging criteria for longboarding, stating, “The Surfer must perform controlled maneuvers in the critical part of the wave utilizing the entire board and wave using traditional longboard surfing. The surfer who performs this to the highest degree of difficulty with the most style, flow and grace will receive the highest score for a ride. Further, in addition to the above, the following are key elements for judges to consider:
Nose riding and rail surfing
Critical part of wave
Variety
Speed and power
Commitment
Control
Foot work
It’s important to note that the emphasis of certain elements is contingent upon the location and the conditions on the day, as well as changes of conditions during the day.
The following scale may be used to describe a ride that is scored:
Malibu Canyon was closed in both directions on Oct. 9 because a Geoffrey’s Restaurant employee was killed in a one-vehicle collision, according to Sgt. Chris Soderlund, speed was a primary factor in the accident.
At 7:56 a.m., the City of Malibu alerts informed that all lanes of Malibu Canyon were closed in both directions. The road remained closed for several hours due to ongoing utility repairs following the collision. At 12:36 p.m., the city informed residents that Malibu Canyon was reopened.
“Luis Fernando Escobar Gonzalez, 25, who was nicknamed as Fernando, was killed on Malibu Canyon as he returned from work. Fernando worked for Geoffrey’s since Oct. 14, 2017 and he was the nephew of Jose Humberto Gonzalez (Guate), a Sous Chef for Geoffrey’s for forty years, since June 1983,” Sharon Amos, Manager of Geoffrey’s Malibu, said. “Fernando will be terribly missed by the Geoffrey’s family, and we send out all the love to his Uncle Guate and his family.”
Nick Simone, a server at Geoffrey’s for more than 18 years, took Fernando under his wing, Amos said, adding that recently, Nick taught Fernando to surf like a pro in just two months.
“I spent many hours with this guy for the past two months,” Simone told Malibu Times. “He was kind of like a son to me.”
Services for Gonazlez are pending.
Luis Fernando Escobar Gonzalez, 25. Contributed photo.
Ann Ravel claims conflict of interest with two commissioners, says it’s not a ‘personal attack’
The California Fair Political Practices Commission is investigating a complaint alleging violations by Malibu officials of the State’s Political Reform Act (PRA). The FPPC has formally contacted City Manager Steve McClary, City Attorney Trevor Rusin, Councilmembers Paul Grisanti and Marianne Riggins, and Planning Commissioners Skylar Peak and Dennis Smith with notice it will investigate allegations of conflicts of interest by Peak and Smith of voting on matters in which they have a reasonably foreseeable material financial benefit. Stated in the complaint: “These Planning Commissioners were contractors who ultimately were employed to work on the projects on which they had voted.”
At a Sept. 25 City Council meeting, both Riggins and Grisanti bristled at allegations of misconduct. However, attorney Ann Ravel who filed the complaint, stated, “This is not a criminal case. It’s an issue of ethics. There is some strong law at the FPPC, which is based on the PRA, which requires that individual members in government service are not supposed to be conflicted because their job is to represent the public and not their own interests. That’s what the allegation is.”
At the Oct. 2 Planning Commission meeting, Commissioner Kraig Hill summarized League of California Cities guidance saying, “For a conflict to be present there’s no requirement that misconduct has occurred. There’s no need for a quid pro quo. So, the concept of innocent until proven guilty, as was invoked by several councilmembers, is irrelevant. The conflict of interest law is not essentially about something you’ve done, but about who you are, about your economic position in the community. The guidance makes clear that if a decisionmaker’s job involves development-related contracts and if they benefit more directly from development than do most others in the community they’re required to recuse from hearing development applications.”
According to Ravel, “The issue is whether or not the decision that they are making will have a foreseeable financial effect on them. In this instance that is true. That happened. There was a foreseeable financial effect and for that reason my opinion and I am quite certain the FPPC will agree they should not have participated in making that decision about that development. This is about the planning commissioners. The council is only being referred to because they have some responsibility here to indicate to the commissioners they appointed that they must not engage in any conflicts of interest. The councilmembers have not been charged with anything. The entire argument that I am making is that given the issue that they voted on that they [Peak and Smith] did have a financial interest. They are covered by the law because they are public officials.”
Ravel, a Berkeley Law professor, is considered an expert on governmental ethics. She was appointed by President Obama to serve on the Federal Election Commission and served as chair of the FPPC. In an interview with The Malibu Times she commented, “For me the issues are about government ethics and that elected officials who are appointed have to abide by the rules that show that their interest is for the public and not for themselves. The provisions in the PRA are that public officials should not and cannot participate in any governmental decisions in which they may have a foreseeable monetary conflict of interest and enrich them by their own decisionmaking. The important part for me is it’s not a criminal issue, it’s an ethics issue.”
As to who hired Ravel, she clarified she filed the complaint on her own and was “not hired. I had conversations with numerous residents of Malibu and some others. I am not in the employ of anyone. When I was told about these issues I found so improper, [I acted] because of how important it is for there to be public trust in government.”
Ravel also said an ethics investigation should not be viewed as a “personal attack.”
“It is a hope that local governments are going to be absolutely ethical and are going to make decisions on behalf of the community and not on their own behalf,” she said. “They should be concerned about this complaint.”
Ravel noted that after informing the City of Malibu of her concerns, she never received a response. That prompted her to file a formal complaint.
If the FPPC does find conflicts of interest at the Malibu Planning Commission, fines could be levied. In the meantime, Ravel continues to request the two commissioners recuse themselves from development issues or to step down, or that Riggins and Grisanti appoint new commissioners.
(From left) Isabelle Fox, Gabrielle Allen, Alice Frazier, and Alexis Crump are shown at the 5th Annual Hike2Mend event on Saturday, Oct. 7. Contributed photo.
The event raises awareness for health equity and provide surgical care to children worldwide
Mending Kids celebrated their 5th annual Hike 2 Mend on Saturday, Oct. 7, at Peter Strauss Ranch in Agoura Hills. This event was designed to bring the Mending Kids family and the community at large together to hike for health equity and help children access the surgical care they need to restore their futures.
This year, hike participants had the option to carry 5-pound to 20-pound backpacks filled with nonperishables (that will later be donated to the West Valley Food Bank). The weight carried is meant to symbolize that of a child which a parent carries on their trek to seek medical attention. Together, they raise awareness for the half-billion poor and underserved children worldwide whose need for surgical intervention remains unfulfilled.
Participants such as Christine Devine and Dorothy Lucey participated in the hike on Saturday to raise awareness for health equity and provide surgical care to children worldwide.
“Mending Kids supporters gathered from near and far at Peter Strauss Ranch this weekend to Hike2Mend for MendingKids.org and more importantly, to honor the journey most parents face the world over when trying to access surgical care for their children,” Executive Director Isabelle Fox said. “Saturday was a step for health equity.”
Hike to Mend was inspired by Joel’s aunt who traveled clear across Tanzania to try to save her young, orphaned nephew who was dying of congenital heart disease. Unable to afford bus fare, she hitchhiked with Joel in tow for a full week, traveling over 700 miles to reach their cardiac mission.
Christine Devine, Isabelle Fox, and Dorothy Lucey are shown at the 5th Annual Hike2Mend event on Saturday, Oct. 7. Contributed photos
The hike is in honor of the distance that Joel’s aunt and countless other parents travel to try to gain access to surgical care for their child. But more than that, it’s also about the journey we all face when seeking to gain access to healthcare for a loved one, whether you travel on foot, by bus or try to navigate the obstacles of insurance eligibility, denial or simple advocacy, it is about the journey.
Mending Kids celebrated its 18th year in Malibu with a sold-out gala at the Malibu Jewish Center and Synagogue on March 18. The event also honored local realtor Chris Cortazzo, a Mending Kids supporter who has also hosted fundraisers at his Malibu home; Dr. Robert Cho, a Shriners pediatric surgeon; and Romina Ubillus, an inspiring former patient from Peru who shared her journey back to health and now is a pre-medical student who wants to give back.
The nonprofit also assesses needs and identifies equipment necessary to facilitate surgeries in the U.S. and globally. The organization then commits to a five-year annual mission in each location it travels to perform aid.
Mending Kids provides life-saving and life-changing surgeries to children worldwide who otherwise cannot afford treatment or have no access to treatment. The nonprofit has helped children ranging in age from 5 months to 18 years.
Mending Kids also recruits surgical teams from local hospitals, including Cedars-Sinai and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles for surgical missions all over the world. While initial support came from Malibu, the organization is now based in Woodland Hills.
Funds raised from the event will support the last surgical trips of the year. Since its inception in 2005, Mending Kids has mended the lives of over 5,000 children from 73 countries.
“Participation and support will have a profound impact and create a ripple effect of positive change,” their website says.
Rice was donated by Gary Bailey Farms and other needed items will be delivered to the West Valley Food Pantry.
According to a plethora of polling data, the price of gasoline is one of the most pressing existential issues facing American voters. This issue is particularly pronounced to those who live in California, where prices are highest in the nation. It is problematic from the
standpoint that its regressive application most assuredly penalizes the poorest in our society, especially given our reliance upon the automobile.
Thus, it is fair to question whether price gouging by major oil companies is occurring and if it can be proven state actions to curtail excessive pricing may be imposed. This issue is currently under review in Sacramento and if proven may provide much-needed relief to those filling their gas tanks with gas approaching $7 per gallon.
According to the California Energy Commission, fuel prices are so high for several reasons, including the state’s environmental regulations, taxes, and California’s unique self-reliance on refining its own gasoline.
Since the ‘90s, California has mandated that any gasoline sold in the Golden State be produced according to strict guidelines that reduce the gasoline’s overall emissions. As you might expect, California’s cleaner fuel blend is more expensive than the gasoline used by the rest of the nation.
Because of these regulations, more than 90 percent of gasoline used in California is refined in the state. So, if any of the state’s refineries experience unplanned outages or disruptions, those gas prices climb even higher, since the state can’t boost its gasoline supply by importing dirtier fuel that wasn’t refined according to its regulations.
Also, gas prices are high in California because there’s just less gasoline being refined in the state. In late 2022, California mandated that all cars, trucks, and SUVs sold in the state be zero-emission vehicles by 2035. Because of that, California’s refining industries are beginning to transition away from fossil fuels, according to The Hoover Institution, a public policy think tank at Stanford University.
Gasoline price changes in California are primarily driven by the cost of global crude oil and significant unplanned refinery outages. Currently, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is causing crude oil prices to increase and remain volatile. Gasoline prices are highly sensitive, so any shift in supply and demand changes what you pay at the pump.
According to More Perfect Union, a progressive non-profit media organization, “Companies that produce oil were enjoying record profits when prices started soaring. And despite supply constraints, American oil companies didn’t want to increase production. That would mean building new rigs and drilling new wells, which is expensive. They were unwilling to make that investment and spend that initial money because it would cut into their profit margin … Oil companies are literally destroying our planet. They should be investing in transforming our energy sector so we’re not so reliant on carbon-emitting fossil fuels that are bringing our planet closer to 2 degrees of warming, which would be a mass extinction event. We need our energy sector to make this shift so we can literally survive. Greedy oil companies are not only forcing us to pay prices we can hardly afford, they’re jeopardizing our planet’s future as well.”
And while major oil companies like Exxon, Chevron, Shell, and BP maximized their record profits, they invested these windfalls in, you guessed it, stock buybacks. Exxon Mobil announced $30 billion in buybacks by the end of this year, Chevron $15 billion per year, instead of investing in research and development, infrastructure and technologies they opted for greed.
California is leading the pack in terms of gas prices at the pump. Enter Gov. Gavin Newsom, who earlier this year signed into law legislation that, according to the governor, will “implement the strongest state-level oversight and accountability measures on Big Oil in the nation-bringing transparency to California’s oil and gas industry, shining new light on the corporations that have for decades operated in the shadows while ripping families off and raking in record profits.”
Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, who supported the legislation, remarked “not only will this new law provide real transparency and oversight with dedicated expertise to oversee the gasoline market, it will also create a plan to achieve our low carbon and clean air future.”
State Senator Ben Allen last year offered the Oil Refiner Price Disclosure Act, an attempt to reveal more information from the industry by requiring them to report each month on the cost of their crude, their wholesale prices, and their profits per gallon.
While there are efforts to get to the nub of the issue of high gas prices, the underlying imperative is to think in terms of impacts upon the world we are leaving for our children. This imperative stresses the need to stop if not reverse the deleterious impacts fossil fuels have on a world that is currently experiencing warming that is simply unsustainable. If we do not kick into overdrive to curb a warming planet we are doing an unimaginably destructive disservice to future generations. To quote a famous television advertisement from the 1970s, “you can pay me now or pay me later.”
