Newsom Chased Oil Out of California… Now He’s Begging It to Come Back [Video]

For years, Gavin Newsom has treated California like a climate change cosplay convention—lots of speeches, lots of lawsuits, lots of finger-pointing at “Big Oil,” and absolutely zero accountability when the bill comes due. Now the bill is here. ExxonMobil just took a $2.5 billion loss to escape California entirely, refineries are shutting down at record pace, gas prices remain among the highest in the nation, and Newsom—who just happens to be the leading Democrat presidential contender for 2028—is suddenly pretending he wants to “work with” energy companies. What a coincidence.

California Didn’t Regulate Energy—It Tried to Exterminate It

Let’s stop pretending this was accidental. California has spent roughly 25 years building a regulatory maze designed to drive fossil fuel companies out of the state, layering on taxes, permits, setbacks, boutique fuel blends, emissions mandates, price controls, and enforcement threats that would make a Soviet bureaucrat blush. The goal wasn’t balance or transition—it was elimination. Politicians sold it as environmental leadership, but it functioned more like ideological punishment: comply with the Green Utopia narrative or get crushed.

ExxonMobil Didn’t Leave Quietly—It Left Furious

ExxonMobil didn’t just pack up and move on vibes alone. After nearly 60 years operating in California, the company sold offshore assets for pennies on the dollar, writing down billions after regulators blocked every viable path to restart production following a pipeline spill. In SEC filings, Exxon used corporate-speak to say what everyone already knows: California made it impossible to do business. Then Exxon did something Newsom really hates—it fought back publicly and legally, accusing the state of pushing falsehoods and even suing over climate disclosure laws that try to force political speech.

Refinery Closures Are the Feature, Not the Bug

This isn’t just about Exxon. Chevron is moving jobs to Texas. Phillips 66 shut down its Los Angeles refinery. Valero closed its Benicia facility after getting slapped with the largest refinery fine in state history. California once had 40 refineries. By 2026, projections say 11 may remain. That’s not a transition—that’s an engineered supply collapse. When politicians pretend shock at rising gas prices, they’re reacting to consequences they deliberately created.

California Imports Oil—and Somehow Calls That “Green”

Here’s the part the climate crowd never likes to explain: California now imports roughly half of the crude oil it refines, much of it from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Brazil. That oil travels thousands of miles by tanker, producing more emissions, more smog, and more pollution than in-state production ever did. In other words, Newsom’s “green” crusade didn’t reduce environmental harm—it exported production and imported pollution, all while patting itself on the back.

Gas Prices Are High Because Newsom Made Them High

California drivers don’t pay $1.40 to $1.50 more per gallon than the national average because oil companies are feeling greedy this week. They pay it because California mandates special fuel blends, restricts refining capacity, caps margins, and threatens million-dollar daily penalties if companies don’t keep enough fuel inventory on hand. When supply tightens—as it inevitably does under these rules—prices explode. This isn’t price gouging. It’s policy gouging.

The Sudden “Change of Heart” Looks a Lot Like Panic

After years of calling oil companies liars, polluters, and villains, Newsom recently signed legislation to fast-track approvals for drilling near Bakersfield and even floated suspending California’s ultra-strict summer gasoline blend rules during price spikes. Translation: the political damage finally caught up with the ideology. Refinery closures were becoming too visible. Gas prices too embarrassing. Voters too annoyed. But the pivot came late—and everyone knows it.

Why This Matters Beyond California: Hello, 2028

Here’s the bigger problem for Democrats: Gavin Newsom is widely viewed as the frontrunner for the 2028 presidential nomination, and California is his résumé. This is his showcase. This is the model he wants to scale nationally. If his energy policies can’t keep refineries open, can’t control prices, can’t reduce pollution, and can’t retain jobs in one state—why on earth would Americans trust him with the entire country’s energy system?

High-Paying Jobs Vanished While Politicians Gave Speeches

California didn’t just lose fuel supply—it lost tens of thousands of high-paying energy jobs, many of them union jobs, many paying well into six figures. Those weren’t replaced by solar panel gigs or windmill maintenance roles. They were replaced by press conferences. The state punished its own citizens economically in the name of virtue signaling, then blamed capitalism when people started leaving.

Trusting the People Who Broke It to Fix It Is the Final Insult

The most absurd part of all this is being told that the same politicians who spent decades attacking fossil fuels are now the ones who should be trusted to “manage the transition.” These are the people who broke the system on purpose. Expecting them to fix it now is like asking an arsonist to run the fire department. California’s energy crisis isn’t a mystery—it’s a warning.

This Is What “Green Leadership” Actually Looks Like

Refinery closures. Imported oil. Higher emissions. Fewer jobs. Sky-high gas prices. And a governor with national ambitions trying to quietly reverse course without admitting fault. That’s Gavin Newsom’s energy legacy. And if he gets his way, it won’t stay confined to California.

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