California lawmakers seek more time to consider energy proposals backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Democratic lawmakers in the California Assembly are pushing back against a last-minute effort by Gov. Gavin Newsom to pass proposals aimed at cutting energy costs for Californians and reducing gas price spikes at the pump, saying they need more time to weigh the impacts.

The pushback means the state Legislature might head to a special session this year after the legislative deadline to wrap up the session on Saturday. Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas said his members are “on the same page” as Newsom about the need to prioritize lowering energy bills for Californians. But details of the proposals weren’t released until this week.

“If the Governor calls a special session, we’re going to do the work and deliver results,” Rivas said in a statement. “What I’m not going to do is push through bills that haven’t been sufficiently vetted with public hearings. Doing so could lead to unintended consequences on Californians’ pocketbooks.”

The discussions mark the latest example of Newsom applying pressure on the Legislature to try to pass oil and gas regulations aimed at lowering costs for Californians and strengthen the state’s reputation as a climate leader. The Democrat called a special session in 2022 in an effort to pass a tax on oil company profits. He then said he wanted a penalty, not a tax. The law he ended up signing months later gave state regulators the power to penalize oil companies for making too much money.

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