California is currently boasting the highest gas prices in the nation, in addition to some of the highest housing costs. With another gas tax set to be implemented on July 1, and Governor Gavin Newsom committing to completely ban new drilling in one of the most oil-rich states in the country, there seems to be no relief on the horizon for overwhelmed Californians.

Leave it to the city of Los Angeles to always add insult to injury. L.A. city council member Paul Koretz is introducing a policy that would permanently ban the construction of any new gas stations

“We are ending oil drilling in Los Angeles. We are moving to all-electric new construction. And we are building toward fossil fuel-free transportation,” said Paul Koretz, the LA council member who is working on the policy. “Our great and influential city, which grew up around the automobile, is the perfect place to figure out how to move off the gas-powered car.”

In addition to one of the fastest rising crime rates in the nation, Los Angeles also has one of the worst public transportation systems. Buses and trains are regularly occupied by the mentally-ill homeless and the drug addicted, who are often one and the same. While the city council dreams up ways to make the lives of struggling Angelenos harder, they don’t offer any alternative to automobiles and only the wealthy can afford electric vehicles in the Golden State.

From The Guardian:

LA’s developing policy is a significant shift for the car-reliant metro area, which has been ranked as one of the worst cities for US commuters. If successful, Los Angeles would be the largest city to pass such a measure. Andy Shrader, a staff member in Koretz’s office, said the council member hopes to see the policy move ahead by the end of the year.

“Our daily bad habits are destroying the natural systems we depend on to exist. It’s really up to cities to turn around climate change,” Shrader said. “If you have lung cancer you stop smoking. If your planet is on fire, you stop throwing gasoline on it.”

So far there are no real details about the real-life application of the pie-in-the-sky environmental strong-arming. Will gas stations that are destroyed by fire or some other natural cause be allowed to be rebuilt? As the city expands, will they be able to build new gas stations to accommodate new first responder centers? Does the city have any plans to make public transportation a more viable option?

Will it even matter to Los Angeles voters, who can’t seem to drum up the will to hold their politicians accountable for their jobs?

The most hated person in California is the taxpayer.