The politicians and the air quality board in California basically screwed the people of CA back in 1990, when they made the refineries in CA make a special blend of gas and then made it illegal to import gasoline from other states when there was a supply problem within the state. The gas companies almost immediately started shutting down refineries to limit refining capacity and make supplies tighter. In 1990, there were 32 refineries in the state and the last one they closed was the Shell refinery in Bakersfield which was actually the most profitable one in the state! Today there are only eight refineries in the whole state, so if there is a hiccup at a refinery anywhere in California, a price spike will be the result and they have made a boatload of money over the years do to the stupidity of our lawmakers.