In a dusty western California town, beneath a punishing 120-degree sun, a woman walks alone. Her car ran out of gas blocks ago. She clutches an empty red gas can in one hand and a fistful of unpaid bills in the other. She’s not just trying to get to work — she’s trying to survive.

As she nears a gas station, she watches the numbers on the pump tick higher. Again. Her heart sinks. Just then, a sleek black SUV pulls up. Out steps a well-dressed politician — polished, smiling, and completely detached from the reality unfolding before her. She fills her tank, hops back in the vehicle, and drives off, leaving the woman behind in the dust.

No words. No help. No explanation.

And perhaps most disturbing of all — no vote.

When the California Legislature had a chance to stand up for people like her, to fight back against rising gas prices, crushing utility bills, and even unfair taxes on tips — many legislators didn’t show up. Some voted against relief outright. Others simply refused to vote at all.

The first opportunity came in the form of Assembly Bill 12, a bill to reverse a looming 65-cent gas price increase set to take effect in 2026 under California’s Low Carbon Fuel........

© Santa Clarita Valley Signal