Marc Ibarra
California drivers will be paying about 12 cents per gallon more starting Nov. 1, adding to already increasing prices brought by uncertainties in the supply chain after Hurricane Harvey. The November increase is part of a bill signed earlier this year by Gov. Jerry Brown, which increases the gas tax for the first time in 23 years to raise money for the state’s aging roads and infrastructure system. The bill marks the first time in 23 years that California has increased gas sale tax.
The average price of gas in O.C. rose by 13 cents in the week after Harvey, according to the American Automobile Association. In Santa Ana, the average gas price for unleaded gas was $3.03 per gallon as of Sept. 6.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, oil refineries shut down operations, causing gas prices to rise sharply in some parts of the country.
Energy Commission statistics stated that gas prices from last year averaged $2.70 per gallon. This year, they are averaging $2.95 per gallon so far.
Students at Santa Ana College have been struggling with the rising gas prices.
“It’s ridiculous,” sophomore Elizabeth Rojas said. “Since there’s a lot of people within Santa Ana, the demand for gas is higher; and people need to go places, so it is what it is.”
