How The High Cost of Driving is Affecting Californians
From KQED's The California Report by KQED
April 28, 2026 · 11 min
About this episode
The episode discusses how the rising cost of driving in California, exacerbated by the energy crisis from the war in Iran, is impacting residents' financial decisions.
A health care labor union in California submitted more than 1.5 million signatures this week to place a billionaire tax on the November ballot. Reporter: Izzy Bloom, KQED It’s been two months since the war in Iran began, and the resulting energy crisis has made the cost of driving a major concern here for millions of Californians. In a state where people rely heavily on cars, the rising costs are forcing some drivers to make financial sacrifices, with some giving up the car altogether. Reporter: Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Topics covered
- cost of driving
- California
- energy crisis
- financial sacrifices
- health care labor union
- billionaire tax
Keywords
- driving costs
- California
- energy crisis
- financial sacrifices
- billionaire tax
- health care labor union
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: KQED
Places: California, Iran
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