Consumer Watchdog Calls On Senate Leader Not To Confirm CEC Vice Chair Until He Delivers Three Year Old Gasoline Pricing Rules; Confirmation Hearing Wednesday Afternoon

SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumer Watchdog president Jamie Court called on Senate Pro Tem Monique Limón and the Senate Rules Committee not to advance the nomination of Siva Gunda as Vice Chair of the California Energy Commission until he delivered long over-due rules to deal with gasoline price spikes.

Court will appear at the California Senate Rules Committee at 1:30 PM to make his case, which can be watched at www.senate.ca.gov.

"Californians are paying $6 per gallon at the pump. Gasoline prices have been nearly two dollars more per gallon in Northern California than US gasoline prices," said Court. "Refiners are making a killing. The Energy Commission has failed to use the tools it was given it by the legislature to deal with the pain at the pump and the person responsible for gas pricing policy in the Newsom Administration is Siva Gunda. The Senate needs to exercise its power of check and balance and hold Mr. Gunda's confirmation until he delivers on long-delayed rules that could have helped consumers through the gas pricing crisis.

"We've heard a lot lately about the power of one-party rule in Sacramento to whitewash real problems. Confirming Mr. Gunda without closure on three-year old rules to deal with California's pain at the pump will only feed those theories."

Rules for resupply required under 2023 special session legislation, SBx1-2, would have made refineries, such as the downed PBF Martinez refinery, have resupply arrangements to backfill the lost production, but they were never completed by the California Energy Commission (CEC) under Gunda. Similarly, rules for minimum inventory requirements, under 2024's ABX2-1, would have helped blunt the problem, but they have not been written either. In addition, the CEC decided not to draft regulations for a price gouging penalty authorized in 2023 under SBx1-2. Recently, 45 public interest groups wrote the Newsom Administration calling for emergency rules.

Refiner's gross profits margins during the March price spike are estimated to be $1 more per gallon than what they were in January but we will not have confirmation until May 15th, when the new state reports come out.

"The March refining margins will officially be posted by the CEC on May 15th under SB 1322 (Allen), and should give us more insight to the extent of refiners' profiteering and the failure of the CEC's response," said Court. "Gunda's confirmation is premature and should wait until after we have more state reporting on refiners' profits and Gunda delivers on the resupply rules."

"At yesterday's Assembly oversight hearing, Mr. Gunda blamed the war with Iran for the gasoline price spike. In fact, gasoline prices were already spiking in mid-February, weeks prior to the strike on Iran, due to refinery issues in the Bay Area that left one functional refinery there. Valero Benecia, which was supposed to close in April, began idling early and PBF Martinez, which was supposed to open in February, was still down, as it remains today. The CEC had the power to keep Benecia open through April. Had resupply and minimum inventory rules been in effect, Californians would have been able to draw on added supplies that would have blunted their pain at the pump. Mr. Gunda said inventories were sufficient, but the proof will be in the March refining margins – if inventories were sufficient, refining margins would not be skyrocketing in March because there would be no need to go to the spot market for fuel. A big part of proof of Gunda's handling or mishandling of the crisis will be in the May 15th refining margin data. It is suspicious that the Administration is seeking confirmation before that data is published."

SOURCE Consumer Watchdog