Gas prices in California have gone up over one dollar in the last month to around 5.79 dollars with some areas seeing prices of seven or eight dollars per gallon since the start of the United States and Israeli war with Iran.
Gas prices in California have always been higher than the rest of the country since 2015 because of the combination of high state taxes, cleaner burning fuel formulas and environmental regulations such as the Low Carbon Fuel Standards (LCFS). These standards are in place to lower the intensity of carbon in California’s fuel pool by using renewable alternatives. The goal is to decrease the amount of carbon in California’s fuel pool by 30 percent by the year 2030 and by 90 percent by the year 2045.
In 2022 the gas prices in California went up to an average of 5 dollars per gallon when Russia invaded Ukraine. As of late March 2026, due to the war with Iran the global crude oil prices have spiked to over 100 dollars per barrel from 60 dollars\ per barrel which plays a major role in the increase of gas prices. Along with that, the Strait of Hormuz which supplies a significant amount of the global oil supply has been cut off.
With California being reliant on imported oil, with no inbound fuel pipelines the state has been called a “fuel island”. In addition, many of California’s local fuel suppliers have been closing down leaving the state to rely heavily on imported gas from overseas to meet the demands which is a very costly process.
California has drastically higher gas prices compared to other states in the United States such as Oklahoma, Kansas and South Dakota who have the lowest prices in the nation with an average of $3.30.
Students and staff at Aliso are outraged with the abnormally high prices for gas in California.
Ms. Zhou, a chemistry teacher at Aliso says, “I actually live in Solana Beach, so I commute about 50 to 55 minutes a day in both directions, so around 2 hours a day. This is assuming that we don’t have any accidents, and there’s been a lot of accidents recently. So, I noticed that the gas suddenly went from $4.40 -ish all the way up to $6.”
With such a long commute to the school, the rise in gas prices has greatly affected Ms. Zhou.
She adds, “I actually just paid for gas yesterday, and I think I paid for close to $70 to fill up my whole tank. With how much I drive I pay that twice a week, so it’s around $140 a week. So, no, I am not happy with the crazy gas prices.”
Not only have the staff been affected by the rise, but also the students of Aliso who rely on their cars to get them to school, sports, work and other activities.
Camille Miller, a junior at Aliso says, “It’s definitely made me think more about driving my friends and encouraging me to carpool with my friends rather than go pick them up and go places.”
Miller adds, “I really have been wanting to go to the beach lately, but it’s kind of made me not want to because it’s super far and a lot of gas.”
Mrs. Anderson, an english teacher makes it clear that there is no way around having to pay these gas prices since the majority need to drive.
Mrs. Anderson says, “I mean, sadly I have to drive. I cannot walk to my work, I have to drive and get my kids to practices after school and events. So a lot of us are at the mercy of gas prices, and there;s nothing we can do.”
In order to make her drives as efficient as possible Mrs. Holloway, an english teacher says, “I make sure that I adjust my route home, so I can always go to Costco and fill up there, cause that’s where you get the cheapest bag. So I no longer go to regular gas stations, cause it’s just too expensive.”
Ms. Smith, an English teacher says, “High gas prices are brutal because I have a stinking gas guzzler that I will be buried in. So I’m not getting rid of it. My trick is, I’ll fill up twice a week so it seems like it’s half the price.”
The students and teachers of the Aliso Niguel community are upset about the rise in gas prices which have caused them to alter their vacation plans and find methods of conserving their gas.
