Affordability: Prices We Can Afford–A Roundup of Local, State, and National Stories
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Chevron Warns of Irreversible Harm to California’s Economy and Energy Security in Letter to Gov. Newsom
March 4: The Globe by Katy Grimes
Democrats and Gavin Newsom stubbornly cling to carbon taxing – not because they are true believers – because it’s a revenue-generating tax.
Chevron just sent a letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Air Resources Board warning them of deep concerns and strong opposition to the CARB- proposed amendments to the Cap-and-Invest (formerly cap and trade) regulation, that the state’s few remaining refineries can’t survive, and the California economy could be crippled.
“The proposed regulation will cripple the survivability of the state’s remaining refineries, which will result in California losing the entire industry to this misguided program. This regulation will increase transportation and aviation fuel prices for consumers. It will risk significant job losses, including many high-paying union jobs, while reducing funding for essential public services. It will upend California’s fuels market and threaten critical energy and national security assets.”
Over the weekend, the Globe reported that PBF Energy Inc. also warned CARB about “the stark reality the impacts the current CARB Cap & Investment program would have because of the state’s remaining 7 refineries. And, CARB’s “Proposed Amendments will only worsen the current state of the program, making costs skyrocket further. If enacted as written, the Proposed Amendments will inevitably drive in-state refining capacity to zero.”
The gist of Chevron’s message to the governor and Air Resources Board is that California’s economy and energy security cannot survive another refinery shutdown.
SBA Slams Door on Foreign Nationals: All Loans Now Americans Only
March 9: Red State by Ward Clark
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced a new policy that would ban foreign nationals and non-citizens from accessing its loan services — a continuation of efforts to refocus federal resources to ventures that align with American prioritization.
“The Trump SBA is committed to driving economic growth and job creation for American citizens,” SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler said in a statement on Friday.
The requirement will apply to its Surety Bond and Microloan programs and is an expansion of changes made in February to the SBA’s 504 and 7(a) programs — loans for small businesses looking to finance working capital, equipment or acquisitions. Those earlier reforms prohibited SBA loans from going to businesses that are partially or wholly owned by foreign nationals.
Yamaha Speeding Away from California
March 10: Red State by Nick Arama
Yamaha, a Japanese company which has been in California for 50 years, is out the door, moving to Georgia as part of major structural reforms to cut costs. They had already had part of their operation in Georgia. The company already shifted its marine division there in 1999 and moved its motorsports operations in 2019 — making the headquarters relocation the final piece of the puzzle.
We’ve previously reported how In-N-Out Burger’s president called out the terrible conditions for business in California, as she expanded the business into Tennessee.
Then, too, there’s also the contemplated California wealth tax that is inspiring billionaires to flee as well. For the sixth year in a row, California has recorded the highest number of residents leaving the state, leading the nation in outbound migration, according to U-Haul’s latest Growth Index report. [….] The DIY moving company speculates whether it’s a red or blue thing, noting nine of the bottom 10 growth states have Democrat governors, and seven of those states went blue in the 2024 presidential election.
Hours After Democrat-Run WA Passes Wealth Tax, Former Starbucks CEO Flees to Florida
March 11: Breitbart by John Nolte
On Tuesday, the Democrat-run State of Washington passed a massive wealth tax. Hours later, former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz announced his move to Republican-run Florida.
“Following a 24-hour debate, the Washington State House passed Senate Bill 6346, a tax on people earning more than $1 million per year, by a vote of 51-46,” reports Forbes. “The tax would apply beginning in 2028, with the first payments due in 2029. However, the fallout has already started with Starbucks founder Howard Schultz announcing that he plans to move to Florida, a move that coincidentally came shortly after the bill advanced in the legislature.”
“Starbucks plans to offer relocation opportunities to dozens of Seattle-based employees, while also opening additional roles in the Nashville market over time,” reports the Wall Street Journal.
Mike Hernandez is co-founder of the Citizens Journal–Ventura County’s online news service and writes for CitizensJournal.net and MountainTopMedia.com. He is a former Southern California daily newspaper journalist and religion and news editor, writer of “Prayer Over News Daily” and edits the weekly “Stories Speak Volumes” and other columns. Mr. Hernandez mentors citizen journalists with trainings held every other month (on Saturdays at Shasta Bible College and online) and can be contacted at MikeHernandezMedia.com.