Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton went after Democrat Xavier Becerra hard on Thursday, blasting him for signaling openness to a mileage tax that could slap California drivers with up to $1,000 in new annual costs. Hilton called it out for exactly what it is: another Democratic money grab targeting the working people who can least afford it.
“They never stop gouging you,” Hilton told the California Post. First, it’s the highest gas prices in the country, then the highest car registration fees. Now they want to track you everywhere you drive and charge up to 10 cents a mile.” He added, for good measure, “This is disgusting Democrat elitism at its worst.” Hard to argue with that.
Becerra, a former California attorney general and Biden administration health secretary, handed Hilton the opening himself. When KCRA’s Ashley Zavala asked whether he’d support a mileage-based tax as governor, Becerra said, “Everything should be on the table.” He also said, “Our roads aren’t maintained just by some magic wand. We have to pay for it.” Nothing says “I’m about to reach into your wallet” like a politician explaining that magic wands don’t exist. You can read more about California mileage tax proposal and how this fight is shaping the race.
State Assemblymember Carl DeMaio (R-San Diego) has already warned that the mileage charge could run between 6 and 9 cents per mile, on top of the gas and vehicle taxes Californians already pay. At those rates, a driver logging 15,000 miles a year would be looking at somewhere between $900 and $1,350 in new charges. Because apparently regular Californians haven’t suffered enough under one-party Democrat rule.
Hilton made clear exactly who gets crushed by a scheme like this. “The people who will be hit the hardest are working-class Californians and small business owners who drive their cars and trucks for work, not the work-from-home climate warriors sitting on their laptops lecturing the rest of us about how to live,” he said. That’s a precise description of California’s Democrat donor class, and it’s 100 percent accurate.
Hilton was speaking in Sanger, in the Central Valley, where he unveiled his own plan to bring gas prices down to $3 a gallon and cap annual vehicle registration fees at $73. His proposals include eliminating the state gas tax, rolling back environmental regulations, and boosting domestic oil production. He’s also made it crystal clear what happens to a mileage tax if he wins. “As governor, I will veto the mileage tax,” Hilton said. “This is just another example of how you’ll save with Steve.”
With Tuesday’s election just five days away when Hilton made these remarks, the timing couldn’t have been better. Becerra handed a gift to his opponent, and Hilton didn’t waste a second unwrapping it. California voters now have a clear choice: a Republican who wants to cut what you pay at the pump and at the DMV, or a Democrat whose idea of fiscal responsibility is tracking every mile you drive and sending you a bill for it.
