Gas prices in California recently hit an eye-popping $6.49 a gallon, gouging customers in the state while the rest of the nation spent just $3.79.

Corporations including Phillips 66 and Marathon claim that Californians are paying these exorbitant prices because of the state’s taxes and regulations, but the truth is Big Oil took advantage of us to rake in record profits at a rate 25% higher than what customers paid in the rest of the nation.

A gas price gouging bill would penalize oil and gas corporations for this egregious price behavior and would require more transparency regarding their costs and profits. We need the Assembly to act NOW.