THIS SHOULD TERRIFY EVERY CALIFORNIAN Valero is taking a $1 BILLION loss just to get out of California. The company is walking away from $1.1 billion rather than comply with Gavin Newsom’s mandates, shutting down its Benicia refinery by April 2026. When a business chooses to lose a billion dollars instead of staying, something is fundamentally broken. Here’s what this really means:
Valero’s refinery processes 145,000 barrels per day
That’s 8.6% of California’s gasoline supply — gone
400 workers laid off
200 contractors out of work
The city of Benicia loses 17% of its entire budget And drivers? They’re about to get crushed. UC Davis economists estimate: +40¢ per gallon when Phillips 66 closes its LA refinery this December +81¢ more when Valero shuts down in April $1.21 per gallon increase by August 2026 That means your 15-gallon fill-up jumps from ~$70 to at least $95. Stanford Energy Institute warns it could get even worse — potential spikes to $8 per gallon during supply disruptions. UC Berkeley energy expert Severin Borenstein says these closures could trigger severe gasoline shortages with unprecedented price increases. California didn’t “transition.” It chased its energy backbone out of the state, at gunpoint by regulation. And working families will pay the bill.
