Golf legend Phil Mickelson recently spoke out about the high price of gas in California, while praising California GOP gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton for his plan to produce gas within the state to help reduce prices. Mickelson shared his opinions in a series of social media posts on Wednesday.
In one post, the golfer re-shared a photo showing gas prices at a California station exceeding $5 per gallon. “This is sad and going to get worse,” Mickelson wrote.
In a subsequent post, Mickelson re-shared an interview with Hilton on the Fox Business Network’s “The Bottom Line.” During the interview, Hilton expressed support for the White House’s plan to carry out offshore oil drilling off the coast of California. Hilton stated that his goal is to bring gas prices down to $3 per gallon.
“Finally, someone speaking common sense,” Mickelson added.
Earlier this year, a University of Southern California professor, Michael Mische, suggested Californians could face gas prices as high as $8.43 per gallon next year due to the closure plans of two refineries in the state.
“Any disruptions to oil and foreign gasoline supplies will exacerbate California’s gasoline dilemma and drive up prices. Disruptions to maritime markets, routes, ports, operations, etc., will significantly affect California gasoline security and consumer prices, as well as prices in Nevada and Arizona,” Mische wrote in May.
Meanwhile, Valero Energy Corp. announced it will likely close its Benicia refinery near San Francisco in April 2026. This closure threatens more than 400 jobs and could potentially raise prices even further.
Hilton, a top GOP contender for the 2026 California governorship, has made addressing gas prices a key promise of his campaign.
“Despite our state’s plentiful oil reserves, Californians are forced by Democrat ‘climate’ policies to pay the nation’s highest gas prices (now around $5.00 per gallon), surpassing even Hawaii, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean,” Hilton wrote in a Fox News Digital op-ed in June.
“California’s sky-high gas prices are the direct result of 15 years of one-party Democratic rule. Gavin Newsom, former Vice President Kamala Harris, and every other leading Democrat in the state have been cheerleaders for this ‘war on fossil fuels,’ endlessly bragging about ‘leading the world’ on climate change.”
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/golf-legend-phil-mickelson-laments-gas-prices-praises-california-gov-candidate-drilling-plan
