Assembly office warns LCFS reinstatement and gas tax increase may raise pump prices; lists five bills advanced to Senate

Justin Farkas, representing the office of Assemblyman Juan Alanis (20th Assembly District), told the Newman City Council on July 8 that the California Air Resources Board’s reinstatement of the low‑carbon fuel standard (LCFS) and a separate gas tax increase that took effect July 1 could put upward pressure on gasoline prices.

Farkas said the changes could amount to roughly a $0.75 increase per gallon and reported they are already contributing to higher pump prices in parts of the state. “The California Air Resources Board is the most powerful, unelected, bureaucratic board west of the Mississippi,” Farkas said at the meeting while criticizing the board’s regulatory role and noting the office’s attempts to change the policy through legislation.

Farkas said his office co‑sponsored Assembly Bill 12, which he said would have eliminated the LCFS ruling made by CARB; that bill did not prevail in the Legislature. He said five bills from the Assembly had passed to the Senate, including two bills about elections transparency and ballot processing, two bills amending provisions around AED access for youth sports organizations (building on “Nevaeh’s law”), and a bill tightening controls over how evidence involving child exploitation is handled to reduce revictimization.

Farkas said his office also is monitoring energy‑provider billing concerns in the district but that most constituents in the office’s area receive service from irrigation or municipal utilities rather than PG&E. He concluded by urging residents upset about higher gasoline prices to contact their legislators.

Farkas’s remarks were delivered as part of the meeting’s public comment period; no formal city action was taken on the matters he raised.