In my very first article for RedState, I pondered: Do Golden State legislators wake up and wonder, “How can I make California even worse? Is there a way to get more people to leave?”
It’s a rhetorical question; the answer, of course, is YES, and I should have included regulators in my question. They’re as bad or even worse than the lawmakers. Virtually everything is regulated to the teeth, and costs for gas, food, rent, and daily life here are frightening, and then you get massive taxation to top it off.
In their latest bid to punish the populace, they’re coming after our tires. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who wants to take us back into the 19th century to save us from a supposed climate crisis that we would have no chance of controlling if it were proved to be true, has already moved to ban gasoline-powered cars by 2035. Now regulators want to take 70 percent of the tires off the market.
Of course, they say they’re “protecting consumers,” and the move will ultimately bring down costs, but of course, they always say that as they clamp down on your freedoms. It’s never true.
They actually say this stuff with a straight face:
In a unanimous vote, the California Energy Commission voted to adopt new rules that will phase out the sale of replacement tires that don't meet certain energy efficiency standards.
"This ultimately is about protecting consumers," said David Hochschild, the chairman of the California Energy Commission. "I see this as sheltering the public from higher costs in the long run."
Of course, the reality is far different. Already strapped consumers will pay more for a simple California necessity: their wheels.
"These regulations are a tool within our authority that can save money for every Californian," said Commissioner Nancy Skinner.
Tire manufacturers including Goodyear, disagree.
Bret Gladfelty, on behalf of Goodyear, told the commission that this will increase costs for consumers and said the commission had yet to resolve technical and legal issues with the rules.
RedState Managing Editor Jennifer Van Laar had a rather brilliant observation: Primm, Nevada, which sits on the state line with California, could see a surge in action at its Terribles gas station. “Just wait until Terribles opens a 50-bay tire center at Primm,” she wrote.
— Jennifer Van Laar (@jenvanlaar) August 18, 2026
At issue is something called “rolling resistance,” or how much energy it takes to keep a tire moving down the road. Lower resistance means cars use less gas or electricity. I could go into detail, but I actually don’t care — the bottom line is they’ve found yet another way to intrude into our lives and make our decisions for us. If I want a high-end tire, I’ll buy a high-end tire.
Do you ever wonder who’s behind these power grabs? Sometimes it’s an unscrupulous hair-gelled dude, but it’s also often an AWFL Karen scold. Here’s California Energy Commissioner Nancy Skinner:
After the vote, KCRA 3 asked Skinner if she pushed the rulemaking process around tires. She didn't directly answer the question but says it was a joint effort with the other commissioners.
"If I had been on the commission 20 years ago, maybe it wouldn't have taken so long," Skinner said.
When asked why the CEC didn't act on the legislation for the last two decades, Skinner said, "there may not have been those cost pressures."
The CEC has never regulated tires. It is now the first state to create such a rule.
LA County GOP Chair Roxanne Hoge, who happens to live in my house, had thoughts:
Picture the Wicked Witch of the West running an HOA and that's what the "progressive" movement comes down to—a bunch of envious scolds who never met a part of your life they didn't want to regulate. @ZavalaA interviewed the woman behind the ban on car tires (aka the war on cars… https://t.co/fWT4x3tBmU pic.twitter.com/01cbNJzUGA
— Roxanne Hoge (@RoxanneHoge) August 18, 2026
Picture the Wicked Witch of the West running an HOA and that's what the "progressive" movement comes down to—a bunch of envious scolds who never met a part of your life they didn't want to regulate.
@ZavalaA interviewed the woman behind the ban on car tires (aka the war on cars because they = freedom) but I can save you the time.
@CA_Dem is saying "I'll get you, my pretty—and your little dog, too!"
Editor’s Note: California is the poster child for everything that is wrong with the Democrat Party and the “progressive” movement.
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