Gas prices in the Golden State skyrocketed overnight as dreadful pain at the pump continues to batter drivers.
The average price of a gallon of regular gas in the state shot up to $4.905 on Friday — nearly 10 cents above Thursday’s average, according to American Automobile Association.
Several areas across California saw even higher prices, as the US average sat at $3.32 on Friday.
Cities in and around the Bay Area experienced the steepest increases, with many recording prices above $5 per gallon.
The average cost in Santa Rosa hit $5.058, while drivers in San Rafael are forced to fork over $5.058.
San Francisco saw prices reach $5.041, followed by Salinas at $5.034, Napa at $4.964, Oakland at $4.926 and San Jose at $4.865.
The San Luis Obispo-Atascadero-Paso Robles area recorded a price per gallon of $5.028.
Things weren’t much better in Southern California, with Los Angeles-Long Beach drivers paying $4.990 per gallon and Orange County seeing prices hit $4.976.
The San Diego area recorded prices of $4.998.
Just a week ago, the average cost per gallon in California sat at $4.642 — still well above the national average of $2.982 — before US-Israeli strikes in Iran sent shockwaves through global oil markets.
The situation is only made worse in California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom’s green agenda risks sending the price above $8 per gallon, lawmakers and experts have warned.
Drivers in the Golden State pay a “California premium” that includes higher than average state excise and sales taxes, as well hefty fees for climate programs unique to the state.
California also requires a special and more costly fuel blend designed to prevent smog, which only the state’s refineries and specific Asian countries can produce.
OIl giant Chevron warned in a doomsday letter to Newsom this week that California will face economic collapse under Newsom’s “misguided” climate policies.
A top Chevron executive cautioned that California’s green initiatives could wipe out the state’s oil business entirely.