Here are the morning’s top stories on Friday, October 18, 2024…
- California will need to bring in more gasoline from out of state now that one of its big refineries, Phillips 66, is shutting down.
- Medi-Cal will, for the first time, will cover traditional health practices, like music therapy.
- Rent control is on the ballot again, for the third time in six years.
The Future of Oil Without Phillips 66
Phillips 66 announced plans to shut down their Los Angeles-area refinery by the end of next year. Severin Borenstein is the faculty director of the energy institute at UC Berkeley’s Haas school of Business. He says the California Energy Commission has questions to think through.
“‘How are we gonna make it work in a way that doesn’t cause a real burden, particularly on low-income households who are almost certainly gonna be the ones who still have the older cars that burn gasoline?”
Borenstein also said overall, California’s transition to electric vehicles could lead to fewer refineries in the state. Phillips 66 Los Angeles Refinery makes up roughly 8 percent of California’s crude oil capacity.
Rent Control Tries Again
Proposition 33 once again puts rent control on the ballot. The previous initiatives failed, but the idea is gaining momentum in California, and nationally. Even President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have embraced it. Still, rent regulations remain controversial.