California laws don’t make life more expensive only on Jan. 1. Many also hit on July 1.
The most noticeable may be the price of gasoline from two levies.
The first was a 1.6 cent-per-gallon increase stemming from Senate Bill 1 from 2017, which initially increased the gas tax by 12 cents-per-gallon. Legally-mandated inflation adjustments pushed it to 59.6 cents last year, now to 61.2 cents beginning this month.
A bigger levy of 8 to 9 cents per gallon is likely to come from changes in California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard. The UC Davis Institute for Transportation Studies debunked some critics’ contention the boost would be 65 cents. Still, combined the two increases amount to about a dime a gallon, or $2 for a 20-gallon fill-up.
Considering the cost of gas in California is already 44% higher than the national average, this nickel-and-diming by the state sure adds up.
The state minimum wage rose on Jan. 1 to $16.50 per hour. But on July 1 local laws boosted the minimum wage to $17.87 in Los Angeles City, $17.81 in L.A. County’s unincorporated areas, $18.04 in Pasadena and $17.81 in Santa Monica. That’s good for those whose jobs weren’t cut because businesses couldn’t afford to keep them, but bad for everyone else who will see the cost of services continue to rise.
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New bullet-train ideas rooted in magical thinking Trump’s trade war makes no logical sense Fentanyl deaths fall without a drug war The crime that is Men’s Central Jail Newsom holds firm and scores big CEQA reform Like the minimum wage, other government mandates are seemingly always talked about by politicians as cost-free endeavors. But that isn’t so. Senate Bill 729, by state Sen. Caroline Menjivar, mandates coverage for infertility treatment beginning July 1. The California Association of Health Plans estimated the law would goose premiums “by a staggering $182,747,000 in the first-year post-mandate, ballooning up to $329,941,000 in year two.” The University of California’s California Health Benefits Review Program last October already tallied 95 costly state health-insurance mandates. Nothing is free.The state excise tax on marijuana rose on July 1 from 15% to 19%. To that, add the sales tax of about 8%, depending on the city. Plus local pot taxes, which can be 10%. With taxes like these, no wonder the illicit marijuana market continues to flourish.
An effort is underway in the state Capitol to bring back down the tax hike for marijuana. With all the costs and mandates imposed by government in California, perhaps state lawmakers can give everyone, not just pot consumers and businesses, a break.
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